Ingredients: (makes 1 quart)
1.5 cups dry cranberry beans
1.5 cups dried koji
2 cloves minced garlic cloves
¼ cup chopped leeks
1 strip chopped seaweed (dulse, kombu, or other)
1-2 tsp red chili flakes (pending on your desired heat level)
4 tbs sea salt
Directions:
1. Soak beans overnight (we usually soak for 8 hours)
2. Drain the soaking water and move beans to stock pot and cover with fresh water and cook on medium until al’dente. Other options for cooking beans would be to use a pressure cooker or Instapot.
3. Drain the beans, saving the bean liquid from cooking.
4. Once the bean juice has cooled put your koji in a bowl and add enough bean juice to moisten the koji. You will likely have to add more liquid once the first bit is soaked up. You want it to be wet enough that the koji feels well hydrated.
5. In a separate bowl, take all of your strained beans and start mashing the beans being sure to break the hulls on each bean.
6. Once your beans are mashed combine the bean and koji mixtures into one bowl and start mixing. Next add the leeks, red chili flakes, seaweed, and 3 tbs sea salt.
7. Stir everything together well. It should be a toothpaste like consistency and put it aside.
8. Take your jar and using bean juice or water rinse the inside of the jar making sure to well coat all of the sides of the jar and then sprinkle with the last tablespoon of salt making sure to coat all the sides and the bottom of the jar.
9. Spoon the miso mixture into your jar doing your best to well pack the jar getting out as many air bubbles as possible.
10. Salt the top of the miso well and then add a small piece of wax paper that is the size of the diameter of your jar on top of the salt layer. This will help with any potential mold growth. You have the option to add a weight if you choose, I tend not to with smaller jars and like to add a plate or other weight on bigger batches of miso.
11. Put a lid on your miso, and then label and date it. Store in a cool dark place away from direct sunlight. We like to keep ours under our bed!
12. We like to start our miso in the winter and let it ferment for atleast 10 months (making it a one year miso in miso years)
13. When you are ready to harvest your miso, open it up and take off the weight if you have one and wax paper. Then scrape the top surface of the miso till you get to something that looks nice and rich in color.
14. From here you have a couple options: 1) You can strain off the tamari (liquid pooling in the top of the miso) and save for later use as a flavoring agent. And then you can use the miso in it’s chunky form or take it and food process it into a paste. 2) You can mix it up well and eat it as is.
15. Move it to the fridge and enjoy for months and years to come!
