chaganju KOJI -Miso Blend- Japanese traditional all-purpose umami seasoning of rice paste for aging marinade, Naturally Brewed, No Additives 12.3oz

I've been using Chaganju Koji to marinate meat, and it makes everything so much more tender and flavorful. Lately, I’ve started experimenting by adding it to my homemade pickle recipe—and I love the result! It’s such a versatile ingredient that adds a wonderful depth of flavor.

I saw this beautiful Japanese marinade on one of my favorite YouTube shows called dinner party tonight and after purchasing it I can say that when they called it the Marinade of King's, they weren’t joking.I used it on salmon fillets, just coated them, let them marinate, and broiled. The result? It tasted like something you’d pay $40 for at Nobu. The flavor was so rich and layered, like years of expertise packed into one bottle that made dinner for me. And all I had to do was broil some fish on a random Thursday! Yes, please. I’ll definitely be buying more fish now.As I’m writing this, I’ve got chicken and zucchini marinating to test it out again. I’m obsessed. Just a heads-up—if you’re using this don’t add extra salt. It’s already seasoned perfectly. Hands down, one of the best food “shortcuts” ever.It takes them a long time to make, but I get to enjoy it instantly. Highly recommend!

I use it on sirloin thick cut steaks. I trim the silver skin and gristle. Rub with koji and place in apan on a rack uncovered for 24-48 hrs. It tenderizes and gives an aged flavor and tenderness. Rinse before cookong and season. Great stuff.

The squeeze container allows easy use of the Koji rice. I thought it was initially a Koji rice cream but it’s actually the whole rice kernels in it’s fermented sauce plus salt and sugar additives. I used a bit too much on my first steak marinade and it turned out salty.

This is the best way to make beef shine. Two or more days in the fridge. Worth the time,wipe off then grill.

**UPDATE*** Since the Miso is being reviewed under the same item I need to add that the Miso flavored is quite AWESOME!! Highly recommend the Miso flavor. I guess I need to tray an order another plain to see if I just got a weird one shipped the first time. Non Miso review- I normally just buy Koji fermented with just salt. This one had sugar in it as well and I wanted to try it. Unfortunately it is like thick pates and does not come out or spread well in a baggie on the meat. I am new to the sugar added and tasted a bit strange to me like playdoh. Had my cousin taste it and he said it was "ok" but without the sugar brand was more Umami.*

I need to try this a few times to know. I would say let it marinate overnight and put on a thin coat of this. Don't let it get clunky and chunky. A THIN coat would make it work better as a marinade

I picked up this koji paste after watching a Guga video on youtube where they were saying that it gave you the experience of dry aged steak without the lengthy dry aging process. I smeared a thin layer on the steaks and let them marinate for 48 hours in the fridge. Watching other videos on this ,I matbe should have applied a thicker coating.I wiped off the steaks and seasoned with smoked salt, pepper and garlic and put them in vacuum bags with smoked wagyu tallow. I cooked them sous vide for 4 hours at 129.5f and finished them on a grill over lump charcoal.There was a subtle but distinct difference in how the steaks came out. They were firmer than usual but still super tender and that umami flavor came through, almost reminiscent of cured meats. I cant compare to a true dry aged steak but I liked it and will be adding it to my recipe for perfect steaks going forward.