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Chickpea miso

Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Keyword fermented paste, japanese fermentation, koji recipes, soy-free miso
Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 2 hours
Servings 6 cups
Cooked chickpeas mashed with rice koji and salt, packed and aged for months into a soy-free miso.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups (350 g) dry chickpeas or 2 15-oz. cans of chickpeas
  • 2½ cups (440 g) light rice koji
  • ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon (150 g) salt plus extra to prep the vessel and top the miso
  • 1 tablespoon (16 g) unpasteurized miso

Directions

  • For dry chickpeas, soak 8 to 24 hours, then boil in plenty of water until soft, about 1 hour (or 35 minutes in an electric pressure cooker). For canned, bring the beans and their liquid to a boil, then turn off the heat.
  • Drain, saving the cooking water. Spread the chickpeas on a tray to cool.
  • Once they are below 100ºF/38ºC, mix in the koji and ½ cup of the salt. Mash with a potato masher or meat grinder. Stir in the miso. Add bean cooking water until the mixture is chunky, a little dry, and like mashed potatoes.
  • Rinse the inside of the jar or crock with bean cooking water, then sprinkle 1 tablespoon salt over the sides and bottom.
  • Spoon in the mixture, pressing out as many air bubbles as you can.
  • Lay unbleached cotton cloth or parchment cut to fit on top, and sprinkle salt around the edges to close any gaps. Weigh it down with about 6 pounds.
  • Cover the whole vessel with cloth or paper, tie it on, and age at room temperature for about 2 months.
  • When it is ready, scrape off the top layer until the miso looks rich in color. Strain off the tamari or stir it back in. Blend it smooth if you like. Store airtight.

Notes

Refrigerated, keeps indefinitely. Allergy: soy (miso), and koji is rice-based. Discard if there is mold below the scraped top layer or a putrid smell.

Nutrition

Serving: 172g | Calories: 590kcal | Carbohydrates: 111g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 6.3g | Saturated Fat: 0.8g | Trans Fat: 0g | Cholesterol: 0mg | Sodium: 1088mg | Potassium: 628mg | Fiber: 11g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 70IU | Vitamin C: 2.7mg | Calcium: 76mg | Iron: 6.9mg

Nutrition is an estimate per serving from USDA FoodData Central, for 6 cups; dry chickpeas or 2 15-oz. cans of chickpeas (the first choice counted), cups light rice koji counted as dry long-grain white rice. Brands and portions vary, so use it only as an approximation.