Soybean Koji "Coffee"

Background

This experiment uses the blackening technique on soybeans with koji to create a potential coffee or chocolate substitute. The process involves incubating the soybeans with 10% of their weight in koji in a vacuum-sealed bag for 28 days. The resulting product was then evaluated in both a dried and a roasted state.

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Recipe

Ingredients

Soybeans

Koji (10% of soybean weight)

Equipment

Vacuum Sealer

Oven

Coffee Grinder

Instructions

1. Inoculation
   Combine the soybeans with 10% of their weight in koji.

2. Sealing
   Vacuum seal the mixture.

3. Incubation
   Allow the mixture to blacken for 28 days.

4. Drying
   Thoroughly dry the resulting blackened soybeans.

5. Roasting (Optional)
   To prepare as a coffee substitute, roast the dried beans at 350-375°F for approximately 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

6. Grinding
   Grind the roasted beans in a coffee grinder before brewing.

Notes and Observations

• The dried, unroasted product is chocolatey, with fruity and raisin-like notes. The flavor profile is reminiscent of a mixture of dried fruit and dark chocolate.
• The roasted version was compared to Rye Koji “Coffee” and found to be less complex and more one-dimensional, suggesting it may have been slightly over-roasted.
• The blackened soybeans seem more promising as a chocolate substitute than as a coffee one.

After one week of blackening…

After the full month: