Process Pieces: Feta Experiments

The magic of shio koji, plus a sneak peek into recipe developing for my Essential Preserving Handbook

Shio Koji from The Hidden Cosmos: A Fermentation Oracle + Recipe Deck

I'm giving paid subscribers early access to these recipes as a thank you for your support. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

As springtime rolls on, I'm deep into recipe testing for my new Essential Preserving handbook, and after many requests, I’m going to being sharing some of the recipes I'm playing with as I develop them.

My hope is to give you a peek into my process, but also to develop them alongside you: Writing and cooking solo from home can be isolating work, and it's so fun to engage in the collaborative aspects of culinary work, in this case talking through things as I experiment.

So without further ado, here's the first, one of the ways I repurpose tofu that's about to go off. This isn't 'preserving' in the sense of long-term, shelf-stable storage, but one of my goals in writing this book is for 'preserving' to include repurposing and extending usability even in a shorter-term sense.
My focus remains on more shelf-stable preservation methods (fermentation, canning, drying, etc. etc. etc.) but in looking to the past, when we adopt a cooking mindset rooted in preservation and sustainability, it includes thinking of how to get the most use out of everything, and make it last longer (even if longer is just a few days).

Whether that's reusing food scraps, or making something like this tofu feta that will help us save an ingredient even if just for an extra week or two, preserving as a concept can be adapted and shaped in whatever ways it needs to be to fit our individual cooking practices.

I've made many vegan cheeses over the years, mostly nut and vegetable-based, but haven't had much luck making tofu-based cheeses. I tend to find the texture and flavor of most recipes is just off enough for me to not hit the spot. While I don't expect vegan cheese to taste like dairy cheese, I doexpect them to serve a similar culinary purpose: in the case of feta, adding some creamy, crumbly texture and salty/savory flavor.

I've soaked tofu in any number of things to try to get a good savory, salty, crumbly bite, from rice wine vinegar to shoyu to amazake. All are great, none quite gave me what I was looking for.

Not to brag, but this shio koji tofu cheese really is my best vegan cheese experiment to date. That I used a shio koji with mushrooms was pure serendipity: I just happened to have shio koji I made with winecaps from my friend Elliot, and I just happened to have tofu that needed to be used, now.

That's part of the magic, to me, of recipe development and of preserving food. Sometimes everything just falls into place and you end up with something better than you ever imagined.

I would love to hear if you try this recipe, what you think of it!

SHIO KOJI

Shio koji is just salt, koji, and water. For such a simple ingredient list, it packs a lot of savory flavor, and helps to tenderize ingredients when used as a marinade (thanks, enzymes!) and is also a great canvas for whatever flavor experiments you're thinking (maybe fresh rosemary and lemon peel, or orange and oregano, or baking spices. The sky is the limit!) One of the best ones I ever made was a pine needle shio koji.

Adding mushrooms has worked well for me, because the savoriness of the mushrooms and the shio koji packs a one-two punch for mimicking cheesy and meaty flavors in vegan feta. Its saltiness soaks all the way through the tofu, so it really mimics feta cheese in a way that other marinated tofu experiments I've made don't. And it shifts the texture a bit, too, pulling just enough moisture from the tofu that it crumbles nicely.  

Recipe notes:
-If you’re using koji blocks, make sure to break them apart with your hands before using. You want a 12 percent salt solution. Feel free to scale this recipe up or down as needed.
-I use winecap mushrooms, but crimini, sliced portabella, or other full-flavored mushrooms will work well here too. Oyster mushrooms might not give it a deep enough flavor for my preference, but it's worth a try, always, to see. The experimentation is half the fun!

2 cups koji
4 tablespoons unrefined salt
2 cups water

1/2 lb winecap mushrooms (optional)

Combine the koji, salt, water, and mushrooms (if using) in a quart jar. Let ferment at room temperature for 1 to 2 weeks, stirring or shaking daily. Store in the fridge, where it will keep for months.

For the feta:

Cube 1/2 package firm or extra-firm tofu and place in a quart jar. Add shio koji to cover, and allow to sit for 8-12 hours. Give it a taste and see if you like the flavor. If it still doesn't seem salty/savory enough, let it keep going up to 24 hours. Carefully scoop your tofu out of the shio koji and store in an airtight container in the fridge: I like to use it as quickly as possible, but suspect it would keep for up to a week.

Don’t throw away your Shio Koji after you make feta!

As for that leftover shio koji, I use it to marinate other things too after I strain my tofu out: Shio koji adds some nice depth to soups and stocks and marinades for just about anything (just adjust for salt accordingly). Those marinated mushrooms can be diced up and used in recipes.
Since I'm an omnivore, I used my leftover shio koji to marinate some chicken from Caribe Farms before roasting it off, BUT that leftover shio koji would work well to marinate veggies and halloumi before grilling (careful on how long you leave it on your halloumi, which already is a bit salty, or you'll end up with a salt bomb!)
I've not done much baking with shio koji, but I bet boots to buttons there are some really fun experiments to be had in that arena too (if you, too, seek baking inspiration, I highly recommend checking out Andrew Janjigian’s Wordloaf).