make your own miso at home

Has anyone tried making their own Miso? My husband has been begging me for a long time to figure it out but I've always brushed it off saying that I thought it look lots of specialized things and that I probably would be no good at it. What are your experiences? Is this something the novice fermenter can accomplish?

I have never made it. There are many bikeable Asian grocery stores in my neighborhood with inexpensive, good miso, so I don't have any call for it. Sorry.
John S
PDX OR

Sorry I missed this earlier.

I make my own miso. It's affordable and surprisingly easy.

Because I can't eat soy, I make miso with different types of beans. The best so far have been chickpeas and adzuki beans. The worst was lentils.




This video was my main inspiration for making miso at home. I now have a miso club that meets every so often to make miso together like they did in the video.



MISO INGREDIENTS:

You can use any kind of dry bean you like, even soy. My favourite is chickpea.

The grain is usually barley or rice that has been cooked and inoculated with a mold called koji. You can buy koji from GEM cultures. If you live outside the USA you can only buy the spores and have to culture the grain yourself. This is actually quite easy and an economical option to buying pre-cultured grain. Here's my experience culturing barley koji

The miso we made with this koji turned out amazing. It was one year chickpea and barley miso. Fantastic.

Salt is also a very important ingredient. A good sea salt (in my opinion) tastes best. Pickling salt tastes worst. Use the best salt you can get, but make certain it does NOT have iodine in it as this will affect the ferment.

The last, and also important ingredient is water. Well water is considered best as the minerals help somethingsomething important... I can't remember off hand. Distilled water is second best choice. If you are on city water, you can boil it and then leave the water uncovered at room temp for a day to evaporate any extra chemicals that are in it.

Recipes:

I have a few recipes on my blog. Most of my recipes are inspired by Katz writings; Wild Fermentation and The Art of Fermentation.

The Book of Miso, out of print now, but thankfully available free online, is the number one English Language resource for miso making both commercially and at home. It is incredible.


Miso can take as little as 3 weeks to make or as long as 5 years.


When you make miso, you often get a secondary product called tamari which is like a super-potent soy sauce.


Tools for making miso:

A big pot for cooking your beans. I recommend making a one gallon vat of miso, which takes about one kilogram of beans or two and a half pounds. You can cook this in one big pot, or in several batches in smaller pots.

A Vat for aging your miso in, an inner lid for the vat, a stone to hold down the inner lid, and a cloth and string to tie on top of the vat. The insert from a one gallon slow cooker is a good crock to start with.

If you are culturing your own koji, a steamer is useful.

Spoon, bowl(s) to mix it in, and something to mash the beans with.

You could have more tools if you like, but people have been successfully making miso with this for many generations. Anything else is superfluous.


This should get you started. Any questions, just ask.

Winter is the perfect time of year for starting your one year miso (salty, or red miso). You can make the one month miso (sweet) any time of year.

I forgot to mention, it's important to cook the beans really well. Most recipes don't mention this, but I've found that under cooked beans, make the miso taste funny.

Anyone else here make miso?

I've made a fair amount. getting the hang of koji cultivation is worthwhile for more than just miso, too. amazake, shio koji, doburoku, shoyu and tamari, even sake if you enjoy failure. they all start with koji. I've also heard of a koji beer, though I haven't tried any. instead of malting the grain, it was inoculated and incubated with koji.

After making tempeh successfully for years I thought I was ready for miso....my koji worked but it was downhill from there. I think much had to do with the temperature...I started it when it was too warm to have the wood stove going but much cooler in the house than the fermentation temps that the miso needed. It took a couple months or so for me to notice the dead smell in the living room and more than a year to soak the smell out of my crock
Tempeh is easy to moderate temps in the oven with a pan of hot water and a 40 watt bulb for the less than two days it takes. In our home, keeping something warm for a year or even six months is not easy.
This thread may get me to try again...

Judith Browning wrote:In our home, keeping something warm for a year or even six months is not easy.

last time I made miso it was in February in an unheated house. I would guess that temperature wasn't your problem. low temps slow down the maturation, but that shouldn't cause any problems other than a longer wait.

tel jetson wrote:

Judith Browning wrote:In our home, keeping something warm for a year or even six months is not easy.

last time I made miso it was in February in an unheated house. I would guess that temperature wasn't your problem. low temps slow down the maturation, but that shouldn't cause any problems other than a longer wait.

...so maybe my koji wasn't as mature as I thought? It's been awhile now and I convinced myself it was the temperature so now I don't really remember what else might have affected it. I was just recently able to find tempeh starter again after GEM quit carrying it so maybe I'll try miso again also. I wonder if using the oven as an incubation place for koji after years of tempeh could have been a problem? I rarely bake so the oven is never up to sterilizing temps......

Judith Browning wrote:After making tempeh successfully for years I thought I was ready for miso....my koji worked but it was downhill from there. I think much had to do with the temperature...I started it when it was too warm to have the wood stove going but much cooler in the house than the fermentation temps that the miso needed. It took a couple months or so for me to notice the dead smell in the living room and more than a year to soak the smell out of my crock
Tempeh is easy to moderate temps in the oven with a pan of hot water and a 40 watt bulb for the less than two days it takes. In our home, keeping something warm for a year or even six months is not easy.
This thread may get me to try again...

Oh, that's sad. Dead smell is nasty. Glad you were able to get it out of the crock.

Miso doesn't mind being cold. It just slows down if things get chilli. That's what I love about koji and miso, they tolerate a much wider temperature range than many ferments.

Salty miso (one year+, also called Red miso, or aka miso) ages better if it can start it's first few months at just above freezing. 1 to 4 degrees C is awesome. It mellows the taste somehow. I put mine in our unheated garage. It starts out very cold, then in the summer gets warm, then cools down again in the winter.

Traditionally, miso is a food often made by peasants that have no time to fuss about keeping their ferments at a specific temperature. They let natural seasonal cycles do that for them. That is why traditionally sweet miso (1 month, also called white miso or shiro miso) is made in the summer, and Salty miso made in the winter. Since many people now have heated homes, they can start the sweet miso just about any time of year they like. It seems best between 10 and 20 degrees C, but is willing to grow outside that range.


I had a few really bad miso experiences. One batch in particular was particularly nasty. Don't tell anyone outside the forum how horrible that batch of miso went as I'm well known for crowing about how awesome and easy it is to make miso. I'm only sharing with you guys because you are kind. Looking back on it, the two biggest mistakes I made were to include a grain that hadn't been inoculated with koji, and that I had trouble cooking the beans evenly. Some of the beans were still raw inside which always makes my miso smell horrible. Now I cook the beans well past done.


Haven't made Tempeh yet. Anyone know if it can be done with non-soy-beans?

Judith Browning wrote:

...so maybe my koji wasn't as mature as I thought? It's been awhile now and I convinced myself it was the temperature so now I don't really remember what else might have affected it. I was just recently able to find tempeh starter again after GEM quit carrying it so maybe I'll try miso again also. I wonder if using the oven as an incubation place for koji after years of tempeh could have been a problem? I rarely bake so the oven is never up to sterilizing temps......

Now you have a good excuse to do some baking. Or even a nice tray of roasted root veg rubbed with olive oil and sprinkled with a little bit of salt.

It could be cross contamination. It could be salt that had iodine, it could be undercooked beans, it could be the miso god was on vacation that month and not one person in the world had a successful miso experience.

Have a look at The Book of Miso I linked to above. That might provide some inspiration to help you try making miso again. They have a lot of good troubleshooting tips in there.

r ranson wrote:Haven't made Tempeh yet. Anyone know if it can be done with non-soy-beans?

yes, it can and you can also add herbs and small amounts of vegetables. I have to say I was lazy about that though and because we loved soybean tempeh I just stuck with that...we were able to buy organic soybeans out of the fields less than 100 miles south of us where we also got our organic rice. From what I have read rice will work, as will other types of beans and grains. I've seen pics of some with slices of red and green peppers incorporated.

And another one, this one includes how to culture the koji.

http://youtu.be/IxZ_yB6COc8

Another delicious chickpea miso recipe.

so glad to see this post. My family makes miso and I would seem to be the person who is nominated to carry on the tradition in this generation.

I have done it a few times, but (SHHHH) I don't like the taste of the miso the way it is made here (we also have no access to purchased koji, it is collected from grass on cornmeal. It smells like something that comes from the bathroom, not the kitchen. Oh please don't tell my mother in law I said that....). It is awesome to see the barley starter, I was considering buying starter when I travel abroad but I will see what I can "catch" locally.

The Korean doenjang I tell how to make here is basically the same as miso. It does use a different method for inoculation.

https://permies.com/t/102798/kitchen/Making-Meju-Blocks#848154

Greetings Miso Masters. I just tried something different today and substituted hulled barley for 1/2 of the soybeans. Used brown rice Koji and normal amount of salt.  Any thoughts? I usually ferment 36 months - how will the additional carbs affect fermentation time?

Jae Jones wrote:how will the additional carbs affect fermentation time?

I have no idea, but I'm curious to hear how it turns out. I think I would probably check on it earlier than your usual time just to keep track of its progress.

I've never used any grain that wasn't inoculated with koji for miso, but I don't know of any reason that would be a problem.

Ok all you miso making experts, here's my question:  Is it possible to use a little bit of ready-made (commercial) chickpea miso to innoculate a fresh batch of well cooked chickpeas - like a starter culture?  I'm hoping for a shortcut.  Thanks.

I've also got a question, which popped up recently- everyone says "don't use iodized salt" but I haven't found out what happens when iodized salt is used. What does it do?

(living in a place where all salt for human consumption by law must be iodized... I wonder if that is why the miso made by my family here has a certain funk to it. I have recently learned that I can buy non-iodized salt for aquariums or for cattle to eat, in quality terms I'm frankly not sure which is worse, but maybe this means I should try miso again)

Denise Cares wrote:Ok all you miso making experts, here's my question:  Is it possible to use a little bit of ready-made (commercial) chickpea miso to innoculate a fresh batch of well cooked chickpeas - like a starter culture?  I'm hoping for a shortcut.  Thanks.

do you also have koji rice or grain?  it is a big part of how the miso ferments.  like barely is to beer.

That said, there are ways to inoculate chickpeas with koji, but I found it complicated and easier to inoculate grain or to buy koji-rice from the local sake maker.

Tereza Okava wrote:I've also got a question, which popped up recently- everyone says "don't use iodized salt" but I haven't found out what happens when iodized salt is used. What does it do?

(living in a place where all salt for human consumption by law must be iodized... I wonder if that is why the miso made by my family here has a certain funk to it. I have recently learned that I can buy non-iodized salt for aquariums or for cattle to eat, in quality terms I'm frankly not sure which is worse, but maybe this means I should try miso again)

iodine kills bacteria, mould, and yeast which are the invisible beasties that make the fermentation happen.

how about kosher salt or pickling salt?  

thanks R.
Sadly, no pickling or kosher salt here. Not sure about the legality of importing it but probably not likely if it's not iodized. (Generally living in tropical paradise is great... but in the developing world we don't have as many options.)

That being the case, I use iodized for all my pickles and ferments, and generally it's no big deal. Kimchee tends to get softer a bit faster than I would like, that's the big difference I've seen.
I need to talk to the guy at the feed store. I don't want to use salt that is going to have grit in it that makes me break my teeth....

You can use the salt crystals that are sold for use in a salt grinder. They are just salt, no iodine added. I use them in pickling/canning as well.

I made my own miso with black turtle beans and let it age for two years. It's great! So fragrant and mellow. I have a couple bags of non-GMO soy beans and am planning on making more, and I might try making Tofu, just for gits and shiggles.
I used Celtic or Himalayan salt. And of course koji rice. Good luck! Lotsa videos and blogs on this. It's worth the time and energy.

When I started making miso years ago I used non-iodized salt but in the last 5 years I have used Himalayan (actually  https://www.amazon.com/REDMOND-Real-Sea-Salt-Unrefined/dp/B000R5PKD0) style salt with all the minerals including iodine although it is a small amount probably compared to 'iodized' salt.  The Himalayan type salt works the same for me and I haven't noticed any difference in the quality of the miso but I would expect the minerals add to the nutrient value of the miso.  Fine grind is what I use so that I can lightly salt the edges and bottom of my crocks. I spritz the inside of the crock with water first and then use a salt shaker to coat the sides of the crock well before adding the miso mixture.  The fine grind also dissolves into the bean water more easily as well.  

A lot of iodized salt, at least here in the US, also has an anti-caking agent in it. That may be contributing an antimicrobial effect.

Also I"m pretty sure you need both the koji and the live miso for the best results, but you can leave out the live miso and still get a good miso. The koji provides the enzymes that the microbes work with. The little bit of live miso added is like seeding the tasty microbes before the wild ones which may not be tasty a head start. You may get something tasty without the koji but it's probably not miso.

Easiest koji I've ever made: Instant Pot, custom yogurt setting, double conander inserts, a bit of water in the bottom pot (for humidity) remove the rocker weight and the button pressure indicator so some air gets in.  I can even check the internal temp by sticking my electronic thermometer probe in the pressure indicator button hole. Works with tempeh and natto too though with different settings.

Alfrun Unndis wrote:Easiest koji I've ever made: Instant Pot, custom yogurt setting, double conander inserts, a bit of water in the bottom pot (for humidity) remove the rocker weight and the button pressure indicator so some air gets in.  I can even check the internal temp by sticking my electronic thermometer probe in the pressure indicator button hole. Works with tempeh and natto too though with different settings.

I know it's been awhile since you wrote this, but can you go a little more in depth about how you use the instant pot?  How long do you set it for?  Do you wrap the rice in a towel or line the colander or anything?  Do you use it for the whole incubation or just the first step?

I started making miso in October, first with purchased koji rice and then inoculating my own.  I've had pretty okay results so far, but I feel like I can do better.  I don't want to build a fermentation chamber, but the oven isn't ideal, so the instant pot option is intriguing.  

Also, I wouldn't recommend Tiger Eye beans for a white miso.  They got a kind of unpleasant cheesy funk to them; I do wonder if it's because they were overcooked and pretty wet.  Lesson learned either way though, I think a firmer bean is better than one described as having a creamy consistency.

miso dai suki dayo!

Has anyone made/eaten shiokara - salted, fermented squid guts? Prolly hard to get the necessary ingredients. I know it sounds awful but it actually is incredibly delicious. Being a not at all fussy westerner as regards eating new things I just couldn't go there with shiokara for many years in Japan. Then one day I was at one of my favorite Izakaya [bar with small tasty dishes] where they always brought the customers a little food treat/hors d'oeuvre when you arrived, as well as a hot wet little towel to refresh - such service in Japan!!! Anywoo, I gobbled down the always delicious hors d'oeuvre and it was so delicious that I said to the stranger next to me, "suimasen, kore wa, nan desu ka" [Literal: Excuse me, as regards this, what is it?] He says, "shiokara desu".

I just read that it can also be made from not only viscera/guts but also little cut up pieces of meat so I guess that it could also be made from just the squid meat. I wonder if other non asian countries also make this. I believe it is also made in Korea and China as these countries have had each other mixed up in each others business for centuries.  

I know it's been awhile since you wrote this, but can you go a little more in depth about how you use the instant pot?  How long do you set it for?  Do you wrap the rice in a towel or line the colander or anything?  Do you use it for the whole incubation or just the first step?  

I just use the instant pot for cooking rice, the first 24 hours of incubation, and cooking the soybeans for miso.
koji process:
using jasmine white rice
soak rice 6+ hours
rinse rice
line collander with flimsy dish towel, add rice, cover rice with ends of towel. (I am not convinced the towel is necessary but I use it anyway)
cook rice on white rice setting ajust to low, 4 minutes
put rice in bowl and sprinkle on koji spore
mix
Put rice back in collander (no towel)
barely cover bottom of pot with water
put collander in pot
cover pot with spaltter screen and towel
set pot on yogurt setting 93 degrees F, 24 hours
check temp at 24 hours,
after this depending on temp I will put koji in another container or leave a little while longer in the pot, not turning the pot on.
when koji is done, I cook soybeans in the instant pot and use miso recipe

I find the instant pot's temp setting is pretty variable. When I started I tried 86 degrees F and found my instant pot is best at 93 degrees. I switched to a towel covered splatter screen rather than the original posts using cover with pressure button and rocker removed for aeration. Also I realized that the pressure cooker heated up on yogurt setting with out the lid. So temp setting may need to be set lower with the pressure cooking lid on. The towel on the spatter screen is to absorb moisture and maintain moisture.
I use six cups of rice and have a two level collandar with about one inch legs on the lower level. I put a little more cooked rice in the lower level than the upper level. I don't us the upper level for just cooking the rice. My instant pot is 8 qts.

The miso is delicious but I can no longer buy store bought (rather do without if it's not homemade). Same thing happened when I got chickens the eggs are so good store bought can't compete.

Does anyone make Natto? It has so many incredible health benefits I would like to make it as I can't buy it here.

I am very excited by this thread and will definitely try making miso.
Big thanks to everyone!

I do, i've made it from started natto as well as from spores and for some reason the spore-based natto has a bitterness that i just can't eat. if you could get your hands on some fresh natto, you can use it like yogurt to inoculate a new batch, then freeze some to use as starter for the next batch.