Koji Mayo is like a mayonnaise with its pale yellow color and texture, but contains no eggs. It has a distinct umami, which is actually derived from sake kasu. Its tartness and unique aroma expands the variety of recipes it can be used in beyond Japanese cuisine.
In the fall of 2021, an abandoned train station building on the Oga Peninsula in Akita Prefecture, located in the northwest of the Japan archipelago, was transformed into a sake brewery. The founder of “ Ine to Agave” Brewery, Shuhei Okazumi, who was born in Fukuoka Prefecture, a thousand miles south of Oga City, is the key figure behind the project.
Sake kasu possesses both the aromas and flavors of sake. Even though it is endowed with ample nutritional materials from rice and the process of fermentation, its value has not been understood, and large amounts have been wasted.
In order to stop wasting sake kasu, it’s important to not overlook its highly nutritional merits. First, sake kasu contains B vitamins which keep your skin and mucus membranes healthy. It also includes an ample amount of beauty ingredients.
When Geoffrey Reed cooks the fish he catches himself right before his customers’ eyes, he creates a dining experience that’s more than just filling – it’s unforgettable. He enhances the occasion with sake pairings created in collaboration with Sequoia Sake, a local sake brewery in San Francisco where Reed’s roving pop-up, Ichido, also operates.
Marie Chiba, a pairing specialist who is the head of a sake bar in Tokyo, tells Hakko Hub why herbs and sake go so well together, and gives us a simple recipe that can be made with ingredients close at hand.
Right now, Japan’s sake brewing industry is being shaken up by the new genre known as “Craft Sake,” which is quickly becoming the center of attention. Everything you need to know about the future of SAKE and the region which hosted the event by Craft Sake Brewery “Ine to Agave” on the Oga Peninsula, the epicenter of the area in Akita Prefecture.
Understand the difference between rice used for sake and miso. If you understand how it works, you can apply your knowledge to making koji with a medium other than rice, taking into account its intended purpose and use.