I first made a couple of batches of Tempeh, an Indonesian product, which is a soybean cake that is covered with an edible fungus (mushroomy taste.) It was easy and both batches were a total success! I now have a freezer full of Tempeh.
The Tempeh recipe is in the book and it is a very similar process to making koji. Now that THAT is under my belt, I'm ready to try my first Koji. I'm going to make either a barley koji, (made from simple, pearled barley,) or a rice koji, (made from arborio rice, which I have a big canister of.) My only issue is that my set up requires that it be kept at a narrow temperature range by using an aquarium heater. I have a new heater, but I don't thinking it is working properly. During my Tempeh project, the whole batch got cold and slowed way down. I almost threw it out, but I was able to bring it back by adding hot water to the water bath it was floating in. I think that Koji is a little more particular about temperature, so I'll have to go out and buy another heater before I get started...augh!
Koji can be frozen, dried, or kept fresh in the refrigerator for a short time period. Once I have a few batches of koji made, I plan to use it to make soy sauce, miso, gochujang and other interesting things...maybe even some sake. I'm excited!
~ C