INGREDIENTS & equipment
- 1 cup dry Adzuki beans
- 1 cup organic brown rice koji (Cultures for Health – CFH) – Koji is cooked rice that has been inoculated with the fungus (mold) Aspergillus oryzae
- 1 cup water where beans are cooked* or filtered water
- 4 tbsp salt
- 1 tbsp /~15g brown rice or adzuki bean red miso paste (Organic Miso Master or South River Miso Co), or any other red miso paste brewed for at least 6 months
- 1 wide mouth glass jar
Video de la receta
directions
Serves 20 tbsp portions
- Place beans in a colander and rinse thoroughly with cold running water. Transfer to a large bowl and soak beans with fresh filtered water overnight.
- Drain beans and rinse. Transfer to a large saucepan, add enough water to cover the beans completely, (2 inches above the beans). Bring the water to a boil and cook for ~15-20 min or until beans are soft, removing any foam or bean skin that raises to the top.
- Drain beans making sure to save the cooking water* and transfer to a rectangular glass container or to a large plate. Mash with the bottom of a jar or a fork.
- Dissolve ~1 tbsp salt in about 1 cup bean water in a small bowl and add the koji.
- Dissolve 1 tbsp red miso paste in a bit of the bean water in a separate bowl— enough to form a smooth paste.
- Combine smoothed miso paste with the dissolved koji and mix well.
- Moist with water a small-size glass Fido jar and coat the inside walls with salt.
- Add bean-koji mixture, making sure to press the paste down firmly, getting rid of as many air bubbles as possible.
- Coat the top of the mixture with more salt, cover with a cut out piece of wax/parchment paper, and place a glass weight on top – pickle pebbles from CFH).
- Place lid and plastic airlock.
- Label and date the jar, and store in a dark, cool place for at least 6 months.
- When ready to harvest, scrape off any “yucky layer that formed at the top. Mix the fermented paste and transfer to a clean glass container with a glass, cork or plastic lid.
- Store in the refrigerator.
- Use it to make delicious soups, salad dressings, kale chips, or spread onto juicy apple slices.
What are the benefits of this dish?
🇯🇵 Miso means “fermented beans” in Japanese, and although it is traditionally made from fermented soybeans, it can be made from other beans.
🔬 Miso is made by inoculating beans with a mold called koji (the mold’s official name being Aspergillus oryzae) that is cultivated from rice, barley, or rye, and let to ferment for a minimum of 1 month to up to 3 years! – the gluten-🆓 version MUST use koji grown in rice.
🗓 The length of fermentation time determines the flavor; ranging from sweet and mild to salty and rich (like the one above).
Like other fermented foods, miso contains millions of beneficial bacteria (i.e is a probiotic!) that can help remodel the microbial ecosystem in the GI tract [1], positively impacting your blood sugar balance, mood, immune system function, and more. 👏
The fat-soluble vitamin, K, exists naturally in two forms: vitamin K1 (phylloquinone) and vitamin K2 (menaquinones). Miso paste and other fermented foods are rich in vitamin K2 [2, 3], so crucial to bone health, growth, and development.
Vitamin K1, primarily required for blood coagulation, is abundantly present in green leafy vegetables. This is the predominant form of vitamin K in our daily diet [3].
🆘 In contrast, Vitamin K2 is not as easily obtained from the diet; it is found primarily in the fat from animal products and is synthesized by certain bacteria present in fermented foods. [3]
Vitamin K2 helps prevents osteoporosis and osteopenia, but also prevents calcium from attaching to soft tissues such as the arterial walls (I.e. it reduces the risk for atherosclerosis and heart attacks). 😱
㊗️ This protein-rich paste adds saltiness and an instant ‘umami’ yumminess boom 💥 to all sorts of dishes — soups/broths, salad dressings, stir-fries, dips, marinades, or crispy apple slices! (my favorite way btw) 🍎.