Kinzanji miso 金山寺味噌

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As my homepage work is nearly completed (the booking section is not completed yet, but I am off workshop anyway due to Covit-19 scare, so it is not urgent), I decided to make Kinzanji miso today.

The history of kinzanji miso dates back 800 years ago and it is believed that this is the origin of tamari soy sauce. Not like ordinary miso, it is made using the mixture of rice koji, barley koji and soybean koji as well as using your choice of vegetables. The fermentation period required is much shorter than other type of miso (only a few months). I followed the very original recipe from Marushin Honke, Wakayama prefecture.

The recipe is very simple. You mix koji with salt and sugar. Cut vegetables roughly. Any vegetables are fine, but I would recommend using one with high moisture ratio as the moisture accelerate the fermentation. I used the vegs left in the fridge as well as some Japanese herb from my garden. Mix all together and rice syrup (honey is fine) and home-brew sake (vodka is fine). Wait until water comes out from vegs and pack it in the jar (I used a glass jar as my first choice Tokoname crocks are all being used). Place weight on top and all you have to do is wait for a few months.

I made Kinzanji two years ago with different recipe. It took longer to ferment because of the choice of vegs. But now it taste beautifully sweet with nice alcoholic aroma.I can’t wait how this new recipe turns out. If I will be happy with it, perhaps I would do Kinzanji miso workshop? Hopefully, Corona would be gone by then.

ホームページ作りもちょっと一段落なので、金山寺味噌、仕込んでみました(ワークショップの予約機能はまだだけど、どのみちしばらくワークショップ開催できないし^^;)

金山寺味噌の由来は、1254年(鎌倉時代)に僧・心地覚心が宋から製法を持ち帰り、紀州由良(現・和歌山県日高郡由良町)、鷲崎山興国寺の開山の際に近傍の湯浅(現・湯浅町)に伝え、これが、たまり醤油の起源ともなったという説が有力です。今回はこの地で古くから醤油蔵を営む丸新本家のレシピを使用しました。

通常の味噌と違うのは、米麹、麦麹、豆麹を総動員すること。そして野菜とともに醸されることで、熟成期間も数ヶ月ととても短いです。野菜はなんでもよく、私は今回、英国で手に入りやすいものということで、冷蔵庫の切れ端の野菜を使いましたが、ちょっと我慢できず、庭から蕗とワサビをちょっくら拝借。以前の経験から、水分大目の野菜のほうがいいかなと思います。発酵が促進されるので。

作り方は至って簡単。まず、三種類の麹、塩、砂糖を混ぜ合わせます。そして野菜を荒く刻みます(荒すぎた気もしますが)。それらを合わせて、米飴(はちみつでもよし)と自家製日本酒(もちろんウォッカでもよし)を投入。水分が出てきたら、容器に詰めて重しをし、数ヶ月待つだけ。

前に作った2年ものの金山寺は、水分が少なかったせいか熟成が遅く、ようやく食べごろ。野菜の甘さやアルコールの香りのよい、美味しい味噌に仕上がりました(実はなかなか進まないのでずっと放置。今回容器が必要となったので、中身を移し替えたら、あら、美味しいということに。発酵はこの化けがたまりません)

さあ、新レシピで、どんな味噌ができあがるのか。うまくいったら、金山寺味噌ワークショップもいいかも。その頃にはコロナウィルスも下火になっていますように

Rice, barley and soybean koji
Couldn't resist using wasabi from my garden
Roughly chopped veg, maybe a bit too rough...
Packed in the jar

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