“Homemade miso”

Directions

1. Prepare the day before by washing the soybeans and soaking them in water four times the amount of beans.
2. Place the soybeans in a pot and add enough water to cover them. In the case of a pressure cooker, pressurize for about 15 to 20 minutes after the water boils, and in the case of a regular pot, cook for 3 to 4 hours, until the soybeans are soft enough to mash between your fingers. Drain the broth but do not throw it all away, leaving about 1 cup (200 ml).

   

3. Place koji in a medium-sized bowl and add 480 g of salt. Mix thoroughly by hand. (Set aside 20 g of salt for later use.)

   

4. Place the soybeans in a large bowl and mash with a potato masher. (If you don’t have a potato masher, use a spatula or large spoon.) When the soybeans have been mashed into a paste, add the salted koji made in (3) and while adding the broth remaining from cooking the soybeans (200 ml), mix while pressing down with your hand. Shape into 5 cm diameter balls.

   

5. Throw the balls made in (4) into the rice bran pickling container, and while adding the soybean broth as needed, mash into a soft paste. When you finished adding the balls, level the surface by pressing with your fist to prevent air from entering. After sprinkling 20 g of salt evenly over the surface, cover with plastic wrap, place the pickling stone or salt on top, and cover.

   

6. Ferment Leave to ferment over the summer for at least 6 months for a mellow flavored white miso. If left over a year, it will become a stronger flavored red miso.