This Is the Only Bag of Rice I'll Buy — It Tastes Just Like the One I Love in Japan

If people came with warning labels, mine would simply say, “does not travel well with others.” That’s not to say that I’m a hyper-planner (far from it) or I kick the seat in front of me on airplanes with my shoes off (a criminal offense). No, it’s more to warn potential travel companions that you may (definitely) be dragged along to any number of distilleries, cheese shops, breweries, and many other places where there is a lot of mold. Yes, mold.

It’s wildly delicious, very intentional mold, of course. On one such trip to Japan where, yes, I went on a fermentation-focused tour, I stumbled on what might be my new favorite mold: rice koji. In short, mellow and sweet rice koji is made by taking cooked rice and inoculating it with Aspergillus oryzae, the same naturally occurring culture you’ll find in sake, soy sauce, tamari, mirin, amazake, and miso, just for starters.

Once I landed back home, I grabbed a bag of local-to-me koji maker Amazake Co.’s white rice koji to re-create a whole laundry list of dishes I got to eat all across Japan — most notably a salty-sweet shio koji ice cream I couldn’t stop dreaming about.

Rice Koji in bag.

Credit: Mackenzie Filson

What’s So Great About Amazake Co. Organic White Rice Koji?

Ever the fermentation nerd, I wanted to make my own shio-koji from scratch. Sure, you can often find it pre-made in stores (in bottles as well as in tubs), but this ultra-umami, salted condiment is so easy to make at home (and keeps indefinitely in the fridge). Plus, I love a project — home fermentation is basically like maintaining an edible Tamagotchi, right? I think so.

Organic White Rice Koji

Amazake

$26

Buy Now

No surprise, Amazake Co. is full of fermentation nerds, too. They source their own rice directly from organic farms from Kurashiki-City in Okayama Prefecture, Japan, which yields a koji with a distinctly nutty flavor. Just a few bites had me immediately scheming what I’d do with my second (and third) bags.

Sheet Pan Honey Mustard Salmon & Shredded Brussels Sprouts Rice Koji soaking in water.

Credit: Mackenzie Filson

In this case, I knew my first bag was destined to become shio-koji (made of koji, rice, and salt), which is widely used as a salty, tenderizing marinade, but can also go in the opposite direction to form a salty-sweet caramelized flavor that’s perfect for ice cream.

Rice koji ice cream in container.

Credit: Mackenzie Filson

What’s the Best Way to Enjoy Amazake Co. Organic White Rice Koji?

“Not too sweet” is the highest compliment I give desserts, as someone with a prominent salt tooth. Which makes shio-koji my new favorite secret ingredient to add a nutty, salty-caramel depth to anything — a milky amazake, blueberry jam, and even shortcakes. Or in this case, ice cream!

Ingredients laid out to make rice koji ice cream.

Credit: Mackenzie Filson

Once my shio-koji was ready (it takes about 10 days of chilling and stirring to fully develop that umami flavor), I used a simple no-churn ice cream base: a can of sweetened condensed milk (aka my favorite one-ingredient coffee upgrade), a pint of heavy whipping cream, two teaspoons homemade koji, and one teaspoon vanilla extract.

First, I whip the chilled heavy whipping cream until stiff peaks form. Because the shio-koji is a bit porridge-adjacent, I blended it in a blender (along with the sweetened condensed milk and vanilla extract) for about a minute before folding it into my whipped cream. It chills in the freezer for six hours in a loaf pan, and then I have a homemade ice cream that makes me feel like I’m tasting an exclamation point. Plus, there’s plenty of shio-koji left over to make dressings, sauces, stir-fries, soups … the list goes on and on.

Buy: Amazake Co. Organic White Rice Koji, $25.90 for 17.6 ounces at Amazake Co.

What pantry staples are you stocking up on for fall? Tell us about it in the comments below.

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