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Koji Alchemy: Rediscovering the Magic of Mold-Based Fermentation (Soy Sauce, Miso, Sake, Mirin, Amazake, Charcuterie)

by Jeremy Umansky

A practical guide to cooking with koji

Critically Recognized
Regular price $28.00 USD
Regular price $46.67 USD Sale price $28.00 USD
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Awards & Recognition

  • Award recognition

    James Beard Foundation Book Award finalist for Reference and Scholarship

    Finalist in Reference and Scholarship

  • Critical praise

    Praised as “empowering” by Sandor Katz

    Says the book is empowering and supports further creativity and innovation in koji experimentation.

AlbakiReads Editorial

A practical guide to cooking with koji

Koji Alchemy explores how koji—the mold used in familiar foods such as miso, soy sauce, sake, and mirin—can support a wider range of fermentation and food-culturing projects. Jeremy Umansky and Rich Shih cover growing and curing koji, kitchen equipment and setup, and techniques for applying it to foods including charcuterie and cheese. More than 35 recipes span sauces, pastes, ferments, and alcoholic drinks, with examples such as roasted squash miso, makgeolli, and amazake rye bread. The book links foundational guidance with experiments that extend koji beyond its established uses in Japanese cuisine.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Home cooks interested in fermentation techniques and koji-based recipes
  • Professional cooks exploring koji applications for charcuterie, cheese, and other foods
  • Readers seeking recipes across fermented sauces, pastes, and drinks

Themes

Koji fermentation and cultivationFood preservation and curingCulinary experimentationJapanese food traditions and wider koji applications

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

"This book is remarkable."--David Zilber, co-author of The Noma Guide to Fermentation

James Beard Foundation Book Award Finalist for Reference and Scholarship

"The perfect next step."--NPR's "Science Friday"

This is the first book devoted to processes, concepts, and recipes for fermenting and culturing foods with koji, the microbe behind the delicious, umami flavors of Japanese cuisine

In Koji Alchemy chefs Jeremy Umansky and Rich Shih--collectively considered to be the most practical, experienced, generous educators on the culinary power of this unique ingredient--deliver a comprehensive look at modern koji use around the world. Using it to rapidly age charcuterie, cheese, and other ferments, they take the magic of koji to the next level, revolutionizing the creation of fermented foods and flavor profiles for both professional and home cooks.

Koji Alchemy includes:

- A foreword by best-selling author Sandor Katz (The Art of Fermentation)
- Cutting-edge techniques on koji growing and curing
- Information on equipment and setting up your kitchen
- More than 35 recipes for sauces, pastes, ferments, and alcohol, including stand-outs like Popcorn Koji, Roasted Entire Squash Miso, Korean Makgeolli, Amazake Rye Bread, and more

"Koji Alchemy is empowering and does much to open the door to further creativity and innovation. . . . I can't wait to see and taste the next wave of koji experimentation it inspires." --Sandor Katz

"Next level fermentation fodder."--The Boston Globe
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Customer reviews

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AlbakiReads
Malaika Taylor

I highly recommend to for anyone looking for inner clarity

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Thomas DiMassa

Great service and fast service

Great shopping experience! The book arrived quickly, was well packaged, and matched the description perfectly. I would definitely shop with you again

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Olivia

Smooth.