Shio Koji is a culinary magic that enhances without overpowering; visiting a low-key, self-sufficient brewer

Want to make your cooking fresher and tastier? Take a tip from Japanese homemakers and add a spoonful of shio koji (salt koji)! It brings out the natural flavor of ingredients and adds depth and complexity to dishes, making it a secret weapon for cooking beginners. At the brewers who founded the Wusi Farm Brewing Direct Sales Shop in Taishan, New Taipei, they make shio koji and miso, brewing local crops grown by small farmers into "estate miso." Besides the common rice miso, black bean miso gives off a distinct bean aroma, while miso brewed from sweet potato has a special chewy texture.

Brewer Wuwei says that "living shio koji and living miso" reflect an attitude toward oneself and life. "Miso ferments into different flavors depending on how much time passes, just like every period of life is wonderful, and every period brings different harvests." As for shio koji, "it is a supporting player, quietly elevating the sense of depth without stealing the spotlight. Isn't that a very good attitude toward life!"

Working with different producers to make a unique "estate miso"

In February this year, the two turned the first floor of their home into a dedicated brewing room and began testing the estate miso plan. A shelf filled with glass jars in one part of the studio holds miso brewed from a variety of different ingredients. Besides the common rice, the shelf also holds miso brewed from black beans, quinoa, and sweet potato. Although not yet fully aged, compared with ordinary miso, the black bean gives off a distinct bean aroma, the quinoa is on the salty side, and the miso brewed from sweet potato has a special chewiness. Wuwei imagines that these miso varieties could be sold cooperatively under a jointly credited label, or inspire small farmers to brew their own, making one-of-a-kind estate miso of their own.

Wuwei explains that this plan is, on the one hand, meant to let the two, who are busy with processing all day, have a little more time to get close to the land and opportunities to interact with people. On the other hand, it is also meant to create win-win possibilities through cooperation with partner farmers. Having once worked in a coffee shop, he was reminded of estate coffee beans grown in specific production areas or by cooperatives in different countries. These single-origin coffees, during their growing process, are influenced by the local terroir and have special flavors. If crops with distinctive characteristics from Taiwan, China were brewed into miso, perhaps it could open up another interesting market.

Although the two are currently focused on brewing, this year they still went to visit Japan's Konohana Family (Konohana Family) to learn about their self-sufficient lifestyle. But the two are in no hurry to build a utopian ecovillage. Wuwei says they hope to start by living well and to focus on brewing miso and shio koji that make people feel full of joy when they eat them. "Be kind to people and the land, and wait for the time to ripen before returning to the land."