We would like to introduce you to one of our favorite "secrets" in the kitchen - liquid smoke! Just a a dash gives your dishes an umami boost and makes your favorite proteins more tender and tasty.
Shio Koji is a traditional Japanese condiment made from malted rice used in the fermentation process for miso, sake, soy sauce, and other fermented products. Hanamaruki squeezes the paste of Shio Koji and filters to make it into the liquid form. The color is not white but a clear golden color, and no artificial coloring is used.
Why does everything taste better with Shio Kaji? Hanamaruki’s Liquid Shio Koji is not heat-treated, and the enzymes it contains remain active. The enzymes of Liquid Shio Koji break down the protein of meat and fish to increase Umami components (i.e. amino acids), thus making ingredients more tender and tasty. These enzymes are effective in neutralizing natural strong scents from meat as it is cooked and also enhance the texture by creating a soft and tender product. Adding Liquid Shio Koji in even small amounts increases the amount of amino acids in a dish, giving you a full-flavored finish.
You can use it for a variety of dishes with meat, fish, vegetables, baked goods, sauces and more brining, marinating, seasoning and browning. In Japan they mainly use it as a marinade for meat and fish, and seasoning for stewed or stir fried dishes. For example, fried foods such as deep-fried chicken chunk (Karaage) or pork cutlets (Tonkatsu), vegetable pickles, soup, fried rice, noodles and egg rolls omelette. You can also add to whipped cream to make desserts by using Liquid Shio Koji as an alternative to sugar. Use as a condiment that can be used as “Dashi”, and also as a replacement for salt and/or soy sauce.
Hanamaruki is the only company that makes Shio Koji in the liquid form.
Gluten Free and non GMO.
Nutritional information coming soon