Koji Demon Hot Sauce

Koji Demon Hot Sauce

The viral koji demon sauce - now YOU can make it!

Koji's enzymes breakdown capsaicin, leading to a ferment that allows the flavor of the pepper to shine while cutting out most of the heat. The longer you ferment, the stronger this effect becomes.

NOTE: All ferments, by nature, will be completely unique. And that's a beautiful thing! Ferment times are relative to ambient temperature, humidity, and freshness of ingredients - be your own food scientist and don't be afraid to experiment with times, temps, and ingredient ratios! Don't have shallots? Use red onion! If you don't have poblanos, use a green bell pepper! The world (and kitchen) is your oyster.

Prep Time: 0.5 hours
Ferment Time: 1-2 weeks (or as long as you like!)

Ingredients and Estimated Measurements:

  • 50 g whole Dragon's Breath Reaper peppers
  • 50 g roasted carrots
  • 50 g long grain rice koji
  • 10 g garlic

 

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Step by Step Guide

  • 1. Koji

    Long grain koji will yield a more savory finished sauce, but any koji will work for this recipe.

    GET KOJI HERE 

  • 2. Ratios

    2 parts veggies : 1 part koji
    Ex: 500g veggies : 250g koji
    Take note of the weight of all listed ingredients before proceeding.

  • 3. Water

    Tare your scale and pour enough water to fully submerge all ingredients. Take note of the weight of the water. The amount of water you use will ultimately depend on the container you're fermenting in.

  • 4. Salt

    Take the weight of the veggies, koji, and water, and calculate 3% of that total weight to get the amount of salt you need. To get 3%, simply multiply the total weight of ingredients and water by 0.03.
    Ex: 1000g ingredients + water * 0.03 = 30g salt.

  • 5. Time and Temperature

    To develop noticeable flavor without blending the mixture, ferment your shio koji for at least a week at room temperature. If you like how it tastes, stop! If you're curious, keep going.

  • 6. Weighing and Burping

    Burping is key. Koji breaks down the carbohydrates in veggies and rice to create simple sugars, and this starts a feeding frenzy for the bacteria that drive most of the fermentation (i.e. lactobacillus). Burp your jars often - the pressure builds up fast!

    Keeping things submerged is important for 2 main reasons:
    1) it mitigates contamination risk
    2) all ingredients ferment evenly
    For the weights I recommend, click below:

    VIEW ALL EQUIPMENT 

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Notes and Key Reminders

  1. Shio koji is a total blank slate - you can really play around with it and let your imagination go wild.
  2. Infusions: what flavors do you enjoy? Alliums? Mushrooms? Throw 'em in. A garlic shio koji is a transcendental experience. Start with a 1:2 ratio of infusion ingredient : koji. Ex: 50g garlic:100g koji
  3. Salt ratios can also be played with, too - I've found great success with 5% salt in my shio. In fact that's the flavor base for the seasonings we sell! Just don't go below 3% salt to ensure a stable ferment.
  4. An even quicker version of shio koji can be made by combining the following ingredients: 150ml spring water, 75g koji flour (just dried and blended koji into a fine powder), 25g sea salt. Leave at room temp for 12 hours, fridge afterwards. Ready in as little as 36 hours. (contributor credit: Wade Fox, @foxamongbears)

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