{"id":1096,"date":"2023-09-11T18:00:44","date_gmt":"2023-09-11T18:00:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chefofnature.com\/?p=1096"},"modified":"2023-10-29T08:49:30","modified_gmt":"2023-10-29T08:49:30","slug":"koji-fermented-giant-puffball-paste","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chefofnature.com\/?p=1096","title":{"rendered":"Koji fermented giant puffball paste"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

With an excess of Giant Puffballs (Calvatia gigantea<\/em>) around, we were thinking of a way to do something with them that can be stored for a longer time. Inspired by recent success in making miso paste from scratch, we decided to use the same procedure for fermenting puffballs. Initially the result was not quite like miso but after about two months the taste was getting quite similar to miso.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Miso paste (like many other fermented foods) is made using a fungus called Koji (Aspergillus oryzae<\/em>). You can isolate Koji from store-bought vegetables if you feel like doing everything from scratch. Here we did not do that as it’s a tedious procedure that can easily fail. Luckily you can buy Koji rice which is rice inoculated with Koji. It is specifically made for fermenting foods and it can be bought from multiple sources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The giant puffball happens to be one of the most easily identifiable mushrooms around. Just be sure to pick them when they are well over the size of a tennis ball and all white inside. This way they cannot be mistaken with dangerous mushrooms that sometimes grow out to a small egg size and can resemble a puffball. Another reason why you want puffballs to be all white inside is that they will produce spores at some point. This will be visible by browning inside the mushroom. When the mushroom is at this stage it can cause stomach upset.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Giant puffball ((Calvatia gigantea<\/em>) in its natural habitat and a specimen in its prime cut in half<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Puffballs often grow in grasslands sometimes forming circles of many mushrooms. The image above shows how the mushroom should look like when sliced in half.<\/p>\n\n\n

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<\/div>\n\t<\/g><\/svg><\/span> Print Recipe<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n<\/div>\n

Koji fermented giant puffball paste<\/h2>\n
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Prep Time<\/span>15 minutes<\/span><\/span> mins<\/span><\/span><\/div>
Fermenting time<\/span>60 days<\/span><\/span> d<\/span><\/span><\/div><\/div>\n
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Course: <\/span>Condiment<\/span><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n

Ingredients<\/h3>