Koji Koo: Up, Close And Funky With Brown Koji Boy
Get to know Prachet Sancheti, the creative genius helping India embrace koji, one bite at a time
By Team Foodstories
6 Minutes
“If we take a little effort to understand koji, I think we will start appreciating what it can bring to our food. It goes beyond simply blending local ingredients or creating fusion dishes; it's about unlocking a treasure trove of flavours, nutrition, and an enhanced eating experience,” says Prachet Sancheti about the food that fuels him in more ways than one. Having launched his business dedicated to koji, in late 2021, Sancheti has been promoting the wonders of this ingredient traditionally used in Japanese cuisine, ever since.
For the uninitiated, koji is a culture prepared by growing the sporulating mould called Aspergillus oryzae on cooked grains such as rice or soybeans in warm and humid conditions. Several seasonings and condiments such as miso pastes, soy sauce, mirin and sake are made with grains inoculated with koji. But for Sancheti, the real fun began when he introduced koji to Indian ingredients like chana dal, Goan cashews and black rice. The result has been an exclusive range of products that celebrate the diversity of Indian produce through a fusion of both traditional and modern Asian fermentation techniques. In a freewheeling chat, Sancheti shares why India should care about koji and explains how to use this ingredient that has some of India’s top chefs in raptures.
What was your first exposure to fermentation and specifically koji?
It all began in the kitchen of a restaurant called Dirt Candy in New York in 2019. During prep, I used to make a bunch of pickles and some lacto-ferments from veggie scraps and from there onwards I enjoyed the fermentation process and flavours and kept playing with it at home. Koji came into the picture when I was attending a Culinary Arts course at the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Italy. It was the first time I touched and tasted koji. Life wasn’t the same
What about koji do you find so fascinating?
Koji is a key ingredient in the production of various Japanese staples like soy sauce, miso, and sake. The fascinating aspect of koji lies in its versatility and transformative abilities in fermentation. Koji, typically Aspergillus oryzae, is a mould that plays a crucial role in breaking down complex carbohydrates and proteins into simpler compounds. This enhances the final product's flavours and contributes to the development of unique textures and aromas.
Koji’s enzymatic action not only ferments the base ingredients but also imparts complex umami flavours. The precision and control one can achieve with koji fermentation makes it a cornerstone in non-traditional creations, offering a canvas for innovation in the realm of fermented foods like your non-traditional soy sauces and misos.
Koji can also work wonders in combating food waste—it can transform overlooked or surplus ingredients into valuable, flavourful products.
What was the inspiration for starting a business that centres around koji?
Well, koji had received a fair bit of attention abroad and people in India were not really exposed to its magic. Observing its limited use mainly in fine-dining establishments sparked the idea to bridge this gap and tap into a broader customer base. The primary goal became making koji-based ferments more accessible, ensuring their integration into diverse restaurant menus and cuisines that cater to the adaptable Indian palate.
Tell us about your experiments with koji on Indian produce. What does koji bring to our food?
Koji is a culinary powerhouse and as a result, so are the products that are fermented from it. Irrespective of cuisine, if one understands its complexities, nuances and rich flavours, it can become a seamless ingredient in your pantry.
We work with a fairly large variety of grains and pulses. Chana Dal is ‘koji-fied’ along with Foxtail poha to create our non-soy ‘Soy Sauce’. It’s got great earthiness and a beautiful aroma. We will be ageing this in a Whiskey Oak Barrel soon and are very excited about this.
We work with Pahadi Black Soybeans to create amazingly complex fruity misos as well as a tingling spice paste using smoked and dried king chilli. What we get is a meaty paste that is absolutely lip-smacking.
Mung Dal and White Watana are the base of our Aged Peaso, which is honestly one of my favourite Misos from the range. It ages well and has nice undertones that make it stand apart from soybean-based misos
We use different rice to make amazake, a traditional Japanese drink, as well as no-sugar caramels and syrups. While this is not new, the possibilities are just far too many. We also ferment paneer with koji to create an interesting Roquefort or blue cheese-type paste. Local Goan Cashews feature in our best-selling miso paste, the Cashew and Black Garlic variant.
Any do’s and don’ts of dealing with and storing koji?
Koji, like any other food product, can go bad, but it typically has a relatively long shelf life if stored properly. Here are a few tips:
Store in a cool, dry place. I recommend the fridge or freezer. Always use airtight containers.
Smell generally is a good indicator to tell if koji has gone bad. Also if you spot any mould or unfamiliar growth on top, that’s a giveaway too.
Experiment with different ingredients: koji is versatile and can be used to ferment a variety of ingredients. Experiment with different grains, beans, or other substrates to discover unique flavours and textures.
Explore Brown Koji Boy’s range of condiments here
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