Soy Sauce- Tamari or Shoyu

Soy sauce, Tamari or Shoyu are a form of brine expressed from certain types of miso during fermentation. The liquid expressed during the aging process of specific miso making, is traditional Soy sauce, Tamari or Shoyu. Although, to make a high quality soy sauce, some variation in techniques for producing miso-like products are incorporated. This may involve adding more water to the mash and may also include a secondary fermentation with yeast during a specific stage of the process.

END NOTE It's a pity that most if not all commercial soy sauce is pasteurized before sale. This destroys the important enzymes in soy sauce, which is the key ingredient that can especially aid better health through better digestion of food. Unpasteurized soy sauce is not only difficult to find, it is quite expensive to purchase. I suggest to read the End Notes of sufu below.

Natto

However, for natto, a bacteria is used instead of mold to bring about the desired effect. Natto possesses a very unusual odour of the bacteria used, Bacillus subtilis var. natto overtones of ammonia produced during fermentation and breakdown of amino acids. Bacillus subtilis var. Natto produces viscous, sticky polymers primarily gamma-polyglutamic acid. Stirring natto with a fork produces long glossy threads, which gives natto a unique, unusual character. Health-promoting compounds are produced by Bacillus subtilis var. natto, namely gamma-polyglutamic acid and subtilisin NAT [nattokinase] and protease. The bacteria can also bio-synthesize vitamin K sub. 2 [vitamin K2] in the gut. Because of the characteristic odour, slimy appearance and flavour, natto is not consumed as much as miso in latter years. I just adore natto though... and as a man once said, "One may determine the health of an individual by the individual's appetite and readiness to try anything new at least once. If the food has an unusual aura surrounding it, then this can also determine a deeper health." Now who could have said that, I wonder? <cheeky natto grin>. The quality of natto is determined by how far the polymer threads stretch before they break apart. These threads can usually stretch as far as one can spread their arms apart, before tearing.

Natto is traditionally prepared by boiling whole soaked soybeans for 8 hours until well cooked. The soft cooked beans are strained, cooled and then wrapped in a pouch made of rice straw. The pouch is left in a warm spot for 1 to 2 days. Using rice straw, instead of modern day starter-cultures was credited not only for supplying the fermenting organisms, but also provided the aroma of straw, which consumers were fond of. The straw also absorbs much of the ammonia produced during fermentation.

Today, if one can purchase ready-made natto, one can prepare their own by simply adding a small amount of natto to inoculate well cooked soybeans, and incubated in a covered container at 40°C [104°F] for 12 to 24 hours.

Natto can also be prepared with most varieties of cooked legumes, including freshly blanched almonds, sunflower seed and pumpkin seed kernels to mention a few common types.

Instructions for preparing natto These instructions came with a commercial Japanese NattoMoto brand of natto-kin [natto-starter].

There is also a variety of miso referred to as Natto miso which must not be confused with natto. Natto miso is prepared in a completely different manner to natto; using soy and barley koji instead of a bacteria. Unlike natto, natto miso contains salt and a variety of other ingredients, including strips of kombu seaweed.

Su-Fu

 

Su-fu [common or accepted name], toufu-ru, toufu-ju, furu, rufu, tou-ru [Mandarin], fuyu, funan [Cantonese], su-fu, tou-sufu [Shanghi], tahuri [Philippines], chao [Vietnam], taokoan, takoa [Indonesia]. It is obvious that su-fu goes by many names in different countries including the same country. Sufu originated in China also prepared in other Asian countries where variations of the product exist. I shall relate to it as sufu here on.

Sufu is mostly sold in the west, more common under the label, Preserved Bean-curd along with chinese characters for the common Mandarin brand name. The product is commonly available on shelves at Asian grocery outlets. Strangely, sufu virtually means spoiled tofu due to its strong flavour and pungent aroma. Sufu resembles the dairy equivalent in cheese Parmesan, Camembert or a strong blue cheese and is sometimes referred to as Chinese cheese. Vegans may find this amazing culture-food quite useful as an important digestible source of protein, rich in enzymes and amino acids. Sufu may satisfy vegans who have a craving for cheese.

[Two common brands of sufu purchased from Asian grocery stores in the Adelaide Central City Market, South Australia. Left is sesame oil and chili sufu, right is red fermented rice sufu]

Recent studies has shown the peptides in sufu are made up of 10 amino acids or less [Thank you for sharing this information with me, Li Li-Te of China).

Sufu is prepared from about 2cm [1"] cubes of tofu, which are sterilized by steaming or blanching. The cubes are cooled and inoculated with spores of mold species Mucor racemosus, Rhizopus spp. or Actinomucor elegans. I have prepared wonderful sufu with the use of tempeh mold Rhizopus oligosporus. This produced a soft sufu in 7% salt brine with added rice wine to give about 4% alcohol. The surface of this particular sufu was a little firm, compared to the midsection of each cube of sufu. While the traditional sufu is very soft right through. This I believe, is due to the fashion in which the mold species R. oligosporus binds to the surface of tofu during incubation, the firm surface texture is the actual bound mold and not the tofu itself. I actually enjoy this surface texture, it provides an interesting mouth-feel due to its chewable capacity.

The traditional method of inoculated cubes of tofu are skewered with thin long bamboo skewers and placed in a sealed cedar wooden box and fermented at about 30°C or 86° F for 3 days. The tofu becomes completely covered by a white mycelium of mold. The molded tofu is placed in jars filled with brine. Sufu brine may consist of 12% salt, rice wine or about 10% alcohol.

Depending on the variety of sufu, spices such as chili including sesame seed oil may be included to flavour the sufu. The sufu is aged between some months to some years before consumed. The important aging process matures sufu, rendering the initial firm fresh tofu, into a soft, butter-like consistency. This makes sufu a highly digestible source of protein, due to the free amino acids converted by protease enzyme activity during the ripening process. In fact, in Australia, large warehouses storing large amounts of sufu, is matured during storage. I have found jars of sufu at Asian stores, that I estimate to be no less than 10 years old. I actually search for such well aged sufu, for we prefer this over any younger varieties. This is when my own stock has run out, or I am waiting for the homemade product to mature.

There is also a red coloured variety of sufu. This is prepared with the addition of Red Fermented Rice or ange-kakin [China]. Powdered Red fermented rice is added to the brine, producing sufu with a natural deep red/brown colour due to strong red pigments of red fermented rice. See Red fermented rice below.

The picture shows one of my favourite soup recipes. Top left of picture is a small platter with 2 cubes of sufu and homemade organic soy sauce. The dish consists of lotus root, yam, carrot, mung bean sprouts, brown rice/buckwheat noodles with tempeh and Shitake mushroom. The sufu is mixed to a chunky paste and stirred in the soup along with the soy sauce just prior enjoying the dish. YUMMOOH! is simply a word, until you try a wonderful dish like this.

In certain areas of China, sufu is enjoyed for breakfast as a mixed cooked rice with sufu, con-gee or hot breakfast rice porridge. We enjoy sufu in various ways. We incorporate sufu in recipes such as stir fry, dips and sauces and as part ingredient for a variety of dishes. I have also added amounts of sufu to fresh kefir cheese, which I've named kefir-leban to prepare delicious dips. It can also be added to flour for bread making, to improve the protein quality, so that essential amino acid profile is in good proportion.

Adding a small amount of sufu to dishes provides a unique flavour, giving a delicate subtle edge to the dish. Sufu makes a good substitute for commercial stock cubs and powders used for flavouring. Sufu spread on toasted sourdough wholemeal with fresh coriander leaves, garlic and toasted whole sesame seeds is another simple snack we enjoy. Sufu makes a wonderful addition to marinades, especially high protein foods such as tempeh, tofu, meats and fish, for the proteolytic enzymes of sufu partially break down the protein of those high protein food-types.

Traditional [older and wiser] Chinese folk, suggest that the older or more mature and pungent the sufu, the better the sufu. And of course, they're correct! Today, younger generations are losing contact with this amazing culture-food. AH!... the wonders of some Western stup-biotic influence. Move over and make room McDonalds, after all, Su-fu was here first. Those who consume sufu shall with little doubt outlive with a healthier life those who eat and rely at McDonalds and the like!

A scientific paper has shown that the peptides of sufu have anti oxidative and angiotensin I-converting enzyme [ACE] inhibitory action. ACE inhibitory peptides are considered to be useful for preventing hypertension, or high blood pressure.[1] Through correspondence with one of the researches Li Li-te [1999], Li Li-te expressed interest in producing sufu will about 2% salt or less, to produce sufu will as less sodium content as possible and was interested in observing if kefir organisms could be used in the production. I am not certain where this research lead, though, due to loss of contact with Li Li-te some time ago. Li Li-te was kind enough to provide me a traditional sufu starter in exchange for kefir grains.

END NOTES Sufu is a powerful functional food or supper food, with little to no phyto-estrogens or hormone-like compounds that is currently causing concern in regard to these compounds found in most soy products in the western world. Such water soluble compounds are removed during the preparation process of tofu, which is the main raw ingredient of sufu. These compounds are removed along with soy whey, so little to no phyto-estrogen or hormone-like compounds are found in tofu itself. This was found to be the case in a study on phyto-estrogens of soy products performed here in Australia some 6 years ago. It was concluded that tofu contained little to no measurable phyto-estrogen compared to soybeans and soy milk, if my recall is correct.

A little sufu goes a long way and one only needs to enjoy a small amount per meal. Since most if not all commercial soy sauce and miso are pasteurized for sale, on the other hand, sufu is aged in the jar and sold unpasteurized. This means that the enzymes are not destroyed. In this case, sufu can aid digestion, and can also pre-digest high protein foods if sufu is used in a marinade for those foods. I would urge individuals who enjoy and purchase miso or soy sauce for their enzyme activity, but which instead lack enzymes, to substitute these with sufu if one wants to make certain that they are enjoying a living, active, enzyme rich food. If one mostly eats cooked food, then live functional foods such as sufu should be included with each cooked meal, so that some life is introduced to the cooked meal, to at the least aid digestion.

Go on... add 75 days extra to your life by trying sufu. Once you acquire a taste for sufu, you may never regret the experience.

Reference

1. Masayoshi Saito, Eizo Tatsumi and Li Li-te. [2003] Food Science and Technology Division, JIRCAS China Agricultural University

Red Fermented Rice

Ange-kakin or Hong-qu [China]. Bheni-koji [Japan], commonly known as Red Yeast Rice in some English speaking countries. Red fermented rice is a unique culture-product, which has many uses in traditional oriental food preparation.

Red fermented rice is a rice product cultured with the mold, Monascus purpureus [filamentous fungi]. The mold cultures the rice to produce concentrated red pigments covering the entire surface, penetrating some 50% of each individual rice grain. The culture-product can be purchased in dry form at most Asian grocery outlets. Volume-for-volume, the dehydrated product is much lighter than non-fermented rice.

Dehydrated red fermented rice is usually ground and used in powder form to colour a variety of foods. It has a slight nutty flavour with a bitter overtone, but of which is readily complimented with a little savory added, such as soy sauce. A variety of sufu is prepared with brine consisting of ange-kakin, rice wine and sea salt. In this case ange-kakin is used as a natural food colouring agent to give the fermented tofu [sufu] an earthy-red colour [see picture of sufu in section above].

As a Natural Red Colouring agent for Food and for Art Sake

Recent western investigations has researched the possibility of using red yeast rice as a natural red colouring agent for colouring commercial yogurt [1], including colouring cultured-meats such as Salami. I use red fermented rice as a red pigment in my artwork. I also find that it makes a wonderful natural food colouring agent, for preparing pickled fresh green ginger [see below]. It also creates a wonderful pink to a red colour when added as part ingredient to prepare a marinade for tofu, tempeh, fresh meat including fish. In this case, red fermented rice provides a penetrating pink-red colour when used as part ingredient for preparing a marinade. I also marinade varieties of fresh kefir cheeses in a red yeast rice brine, which I produce at home. Such a marinade enhances the red colour of meats and fish, and extends the shelf life quite considerably, while tenderizing the food-product of choice.

A General Red Yeast Rice Marinade Recipe

* 1/2 cup Kefir or Kefir-Whey [prepared by straining liquid-kefir through cloth, to separate the whey].
* 1 cup water.
* 1 Tbs red fermented rice ground in a coffer grinder or with a mortar and pestle [Also purchasable in powder form].
* 2 Tbs soy sauce or 1 to 2 Tsp of sea salt or a cube of sufu.
* 1/4 cup sake, rice cooking wine or white wine.
* 6 cloves fresh Garlic crushed and finely chopped.
* 2 Tbs freshly bruised ginger root, or a quantity added to your liking.
* 1 Tbs chopped fresh herbs such as fresh coriander leaves [cilantro] and fresh mint [my favourite].

Mix all ingredients in a deep non metallic container and submerge the fresh food of choice, such as sliced tofu, tempeh, fillets or fresh meat and fish in the marinade. Refrigerated for a minimum of one day before cooking the marinated product of choice. The famous Red Peaking Duck is traditionally rendered red in colour, by basting the surface of Duck with red fermented rice powder mixed with sweet soy sauce. The Duck is hung for a few days to tenderize before roasting or grilled.

This is a photo of my homemade Salmon pink pickled fresh ginger. Note the paper-thin slices of fresh green [young] ginger root [top right]. The fresh root is pickled in sweet and sour brine, prepared with 1/2 cup homemade non-pasteurized red wine vinegar, 1/2 cup raw honey, 1/2 cup of water and 1 Tbs of red fermented rice powder. As shown in the picture, the red fermented rice brine produces pickled ginger with a delicate pink colour. The pickled ginger has an appealing bite typical to ginger, with a sweet/sour flavour to warm mind, body, and lift the spirit. A few slices chewed between meals, or, blending with a glass of kefir, can be an aid for the prevention or the control of morning sickness including nausea in general suits ;-)

Cholestin is a unique compound derived from Monascus purpureus when fermented on rice. The pharmacological active qualities of this food have been known and used in several Asian countries for over two thousand years. The pharmacological active properties of cholestin are gaining interest in the scientific community. The ancient Chinese pharmacopoeia, Ben Cao Gan Mu, records the use of red yeast to promote the health of the cardiovascular system.

In recent studies, this application was confirmed due to the discovery of the yeast-strain produces metabolic agents that assist in normalizing cholesterol levels. [2] However, as with most pharmacological active foodstuff, and especially in this case, one should avoid overindulging by consuming large amounts over extensive periods. Dosage, dosage and dosage over time are key-factors in regards to what goes in, and what comes out of the mouth.

References

1. Monascus purpureus pigments as yoghurt colorants Research into the possible use of red rice as a natural food-colouring for commercial yogurt.
2. www.inhousepharmacy.com A link to further references, studies and articles regarding Cholestin [a cholesterol reducer].

Tape Ketan and Peuyeum

Tape ketan [tah-phek'tan] is a fermented sticky [glutinous] rice prepared in Indonesian [ketan means glutinous rice]. Tape has a sweet taste with amounts of alcohol, somewhat resembling Japanese sake in essence. The amount of alcohol in tape is mostly dependent on the fermentation process or duration, but alcohol may range between 6% to 10%. The sweet taste with amounts of spirit of alcohol of tape are the main features in tape's taste sensation and aroma.

Tape ketan is prepared by cooking glutinous rice with water, cooling and inoculating the cooled rice with crushed ragi yeast cake. The amount of ragi added is about 1 yeast cake per 1 to 3 cups of uncooked rice. The crushed ragi powder is stirred in the cooled rice-mix, and then the ingredients are placed in a covered bowl and fermented at 30°C for 1 to 3 days. Traditionally, the rice is usually coloured green with green plant extract of pandan, however, today, artificial food colouring is substituted for natural plant extract. Although there is a non-coloured variety of tape made from white glutinous rice. There is also Tape ketan-hitam prepared with black glutinous rice. The preparation is the same as for tape ketan, substituting white glutinous-rice with black glutinous rice, or ketan-hitam [hitam means black in Indonesian].

 

Tape Ketan-hitam [black sticky-rice tape] and Peuyeum [cassava root tape] compliment each other nicely when eaten together.

Peuyeum [pe'-er ye'oom], sometimes referred to as Tape telor [tah-phe te-lor] is similar to tape ketan, although, peuyeum is prepared with Cassava root instead of glutinous rice. The term telor actually means egg or white, and for some reason the term is also used for tape in certain parts of Indonesia. This is possibly in the sense that the tape is white in reference to good quality of the fermented cassava.

In Bandung, West Java, cassava root tape is known as Peuyeum [Sunda or Sundanese]. In west Java, Peuyeum Bandung is a popular term used for this particular culture-product. A friend from Bandung, Steven Haryanto [author of the book, Sagarnya! Yogurt], explained that Bandung is renowned for producing some of the best quality peuyeum throughout Indonesia. During my visit to Bandung in 1982, I purchased peuyeum from a local pasar [market], which was a wonderful experience always to be remembered.

Tape ketan-hitam in plate on left and Peuyeum in large bowl on right after 36 hours fermentation at 30°C. The ragi [yeast cakes] can be seen in the plastic bag on the upper left.

Peuyeum is prepared with fresh young Cassava roots, which are initially cooked by boiling in water until tender. The roots are cooled then inoculated by sprinkling crushed ragi sprinkled evenly over the surface of the cooked vegetable root. The inoculated roots are placed in wooden vats and arranged in a crisscross fashion, filling the vat about 3/4 full. The vat is covered with a wooden lid and the contents are left for a few days to ferment at room temp [about 30°C]. This produces a very delicate textured sweet tasting product, which explodes in the mouth with each bite, releasing essence of a sweet delicate taste with spirit of alcohol [produced during fermentation]. The original creamy-starchy texture typical of cassava root, is transformed into a very interesting texture, which melts in the mouth. Once eaten one can not seem to get enough. Portions of undigested fiber of cassava root not affected by the fermentation process, is what gives peuyeum a delicate-spongy texture and consistency [a unique mouth feel]. The best quality peuyeum is prepared with tender young cassava root.

KOLAK [Javanese sweet dish]

One of my favourite sweet dishes, traditionally prepared throughout Java, Indonesia known as Kolak is widely enjoyed by the Javanese people, and quite possibly more so during Ramadan [the Holy month of fasting-- Islam]. Kolak is commonly prepared with peuyeum. Other ingredients include; Ubi [sweet potato], Plantain [cooking banana], Gula merra [best quality red palm sugar], with the addition of spices, including Jahe [ginger] and Galangal [an aromatic cousin to ginger root]. The ingredients are lightly simmered in coconut milk [santan] to cover, and the dish is served hot. Cry-peas... is Kolak ever so scrumptious! I best go make some right now...

Ragi

*Ragi [rah-ghi] Indonesia, Budob [boo-dob] Philippines, Chu [choo] China.

Ragi [yeast cake] is a natural-starter similar to what sourdough starter is for preparing sourdough bread. The yeast cakes are prepared from crushed raw rice pressed into flat cakes of some 2 to 3cm in diameter by 1cm thick. The rice cakes are wrapped in leaves and fermented for a few days at room temperature [20° to 30°C ]. The cakes are dried for long term storage.

Ragi is used by crushing the tablets and then mixing the powder with cooked, cooled ingredients such as glutinous rice [for tape making] or cassava root [for peuyeum]. The mixture is fermented for a particular length of time, depending on the product being prepared. In general, fermentation is usually between 3 to 5 days. Apart from preparing tape and peuyeum, ragi is also used as a starter for brewing Brem [rice wine] in Indonesia. Similar yeast cakes of China [chu] are used to ferment other ingredients, including cereals, fish and legumes such as soybeans. Chinese Chu yeast cakes usualy come as 2 to 4 cm round balls instead of flat round disks of ragi.

I've fermented many varieties of sweet potatoes with ragi, and have discovered that wonderful culture-products with interesting textures and flavour can result.

The important microorganisms of ragi fermentation is the mold, Amylomyces rouxii and yeast, Endomycopsis burtonii [Ko, 1972]. Of 41 yeast strains isolated from Indonesian ragi by Saono and co-workers [1977], 19 were found amylolytic [hydrolyze or breaks down starch into simple sugars], none were proteolytic [breaks down protein into peptides], but 14 were lipolytic [breaks down fats]. All mold isolates were amylolytic and lipolytic, and 89% also exhibited proteolytic activity.

Further Reading

Ko SD. [1972]. Tape fermentation. Appl. Microbiol.: [23]; 976- 978
Saono S, Basyki T, Sastraatmadja DD. [1977]. Indonesian ragi. Symposium on Indigenous Fermented Foods, Bangkok, Thailand.
Sanchez PC. [1977]. Puto - Philippine fermented rice cake. Symposium on indigenous fermented foods, Bankok, Thailand.

Starter-Culture Suppliers

G.E.M. Cultures based in California U.S.A. provide high quality starter-cultures with simple to follow instructions for preparing culture-products such as; Tempeh, Koji, Amazakè, Miso, Shoyu & Tamari, Natto, sourdough and other bread leavens [barm etc.], Fil-mjolk and Viili. Contact details--

G.E.M. Cultures 30301 Sherwood Rd., Fort Bragg, CA 95437 U.S.A. Phone: 707-964-2922 www.gemcultures.com

Natto-Kin Suppliers Yuzo Takahashi Laboratory 2-1-7 Youka-machi Yamagata-shi Yamagata-ken , Japan #990 Phone: +81-236-22- 4001 Fax: +81-236-22-4002 Naruse Fermentation Laboratory 2-18- 7 Nerima Nerima-ku Tokyo, Japan #176 Phone: +81-3-3994-3939

Links of Interest

Fermented cereals. A global perspective
Information on fermented products of the Orient

Indigenous fermented-food technologies for small-scale industries
By Keith H. Steinkraus Professor of microbiology, Institute of Food Science, Cornell University, Geneva, New York, USA

About Milk Kefir + Water Kefir | Making Milk Kefir & Water Kefir + Recipes with Kefir | Making Kefir Cheese Kefir Sourdough Pizza + Bread

Kefirkraut + Culturing Vegetables with Kefir | Preserving Food with Kefir | Nutritional and Chemical Composition of Milk Kefir | Kefir FAQs

Seed, Nut + Soy Milk Recipes + Kefir & Viili made from these + Rejuvelac | Nutritional Value of Different Fresh Milk-Types

Culture-Foods of Asia | Kombucha & Vinegar Making | Cooking Tip for Better Tasting Food & Healthier Herbal Tea

Dom's ToothSaving Paste | Beeswax Utensils for Safer Brewing | Cod Liver Oil + Vitamin A & D Therapy

Angelica's Story | Sandra & Dom's Artwork | My Music + Hammond Organ + Leslie Speaker

About This Site & I with Search Tool for This Site

Out of in-site Out of Mind

Self-sufficiency is efficiency much in need in today's world of this, that and what next. We COULD make time to form time into more time and prepare wonderful, nutritious healthy products for ourselves [once again?]. Most, if not all the products mentioned above, have beneficial properties apart from lending us the ability to preserve food. Beneficial compounds of functional-foods, which are proving to assist health in both man and beast alike. Serendipity is out of necessity for the storage of food for prolonged periods by fermentation, we also discover the benefits of ingesting the culture-products are wide reaching.

There is a Japanese saying that goes something like so: When trying out a new food, life span is increase by 75 days. To me this means, be open minded enough to be healthy minded, and try to digest whatever life and other cultures may have to offer. Is that adorable?!

AH YES!... the wonders of what seem simple single-celled organisms we explore...

... within the micro, abides the macro, and within the macro, the micro--- woven and maintained with pulses of Divine Life-unforced.

We may be incapable of isolating to believe that this can exist in harmony without that, nor that without this; as we are unable to isolate diss-ease from a diss-eased bio-network. An essential network is evident throughout all life. Be this through the Divine Creator of Life, the universe/s the galaxies, the stars, planets, moons, molecules, atoms, electrons, neutrons and quarks etc. etc... right back home to God's Life-force of pure Love--- the Divine Woven Thread maintaining and beholding all these factors in their correct perspective. Some are still not seeing, through understanding, Life in space.

In God's Eye [I Am], while wearing Jesus-Son glasses mind your soul, He has rendered us and Sees each and every one of His Creations as the most attractive light-beams. We Are and are irresistibly beautiful to I Am.

 

Updated August 21, 2008

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