Shio Koji Grain Cheese

Background

This experiment aims to mimic the lactic, cheesy qualities of mozzarella by fermenting grains, a koji-fied variation on the Lebanese ‘poor man’s cheese’ keshek el fouqara. The general theory is that fermenting grains on their own produces a liquid reminiscent of mozzarella whey. By introducing Koji, we hope to replicate the umami and sweetness of cheese through the breakdown of proteins and starches. Additionally, processing the grains into a paste should result in a texture that is creamy rather than grainy, similar to how cheese softens as it matures.

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Recipe

Ingredients

Boiled [Wheat Berries](Wheat Berry)

Boiled Barley

[Bread Flour](Bread Flour) (sourced from [Wild Hive Farm](Wild Hive Farm))

Koji

Water

Salt

Equipment

Blender

Pot

Kitchen Scale

Fermentation Vessel

Instructions

1. Grain Preparation
   Boil the wheat berries until tender. Separate them into two batches. For the first batch, boil the barley until soft.

2. Mixture A (Barley)
   Blend approximately 300g of the boiled wheat berries with 100g of the boiled barley. Process until the mixture is coarse but cohesive enough to hold a shape. Form into balls approximately 1.5 to 2 inches in diameter.

3. Mixture B (Flour)
   Blend the remaining 300g of wheat berries. Mix in 100g of bread flour to bind the mixture. Briefly cook this mixture on the stove to gelatinize the starches and sterilize the flour. Form into balls similar in size to the first batch.

4. Salting
   Add 2% salt by weight to the grain balls directly to ensure internal salinity.

5. Brine Preparation
   Combine 75g of koji with 425g of water. Add 3% salt (calculated based on the weight of the water and koji mixture).

6. Fermentation
   Submerge the salted grain balls in the koji brine. Store at room temperature.

Notes and Observations

• The raw texture of the wheat and barley mixture was bouncy and starchy, somewhat similar to tapioca.
• After three days of fermentation, the liquid in the wheat-only version tasted almost identical to mozzarella liquid.
• The flour-bound version was similar but sharper and more acidic, though it retained a distinct mozzarella aftertaste.
• The final result possessed a pleasant cheesy, umami, and sweet flavor profile. However, the specific fresh mozzarella note diminished slightly over time.
• The fiber from the whole grains was distracting to the texture, which was otherwise smooth and creamy.
• Future iterations should utilize polished grains, such as white rice or pearled barley, to eliminate the fibrous texture.
• To maintain the initial mozzarella flavor, it may be beneficial to ferment the grains in koji water rather than including the koji solids directly in the mixture.