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Dashi is the soul of Japanese cooking—light, umami-rich, and deeply nourishing. From classic kelp & bonito stock to vegan kombu-shiitake broth, learn how to make authentic Japanese dashi at home, plus why high-quality dashi packs are better than instant powders.

Still using store-bought mayo? Try this easy homemade version made with just 4 ingredients: egg, oil, white wine vinegar, and shio koji—a Japanese fermented seasoning full of natural umami and gut-friendly enzymes. ✨ This recipe is preservative-free, clean, and full of flavor. ⏱ Ready in just 10 minutes!

Discover how to make a juicy, gut-friendly whole smoked chicken marinated in Salt Koji & herbs. Packed with umami, high protein, and fiber-rich veggies, this versatile recipe is perfect for BBQ, smoker, or oven.

In this recipe, we recreate the beloved Japanese dish Nikujaga using only fermented seasonings: soy sauce koji, amazake, and sake. No added sugar, no broth—just pure umami from vegetables and shiitake.

This gut-friendly recipe combines four types of mushrooms, napa cabbage, and tender sliced pork, all gently steamed to preserve nutrients and flavor. Paired with a fermented sesame dressing (made with salt koji, soy sauce koji, and ama koji), it’s packed with antioxidants, fiber, and natural probiotics.

Turn a simple cod fillet into a gut-friendly gourmet meal with this Salt Koji & Herb Marinated Cod Salad! Affordable cod is transformed with a fermented koji marinade, pan-grilled, and served over fresh greens with a probiotic-rich dressing. Perfect for gut health, digestion, and everyday “cho-katsu” lifestyle.

Discover how to make Salt-Koji Pickles (Tsukemono)—a simple, gut-friendly recipe that’s naturally gluten-free, vegan, and packed with flavor. Using just a few fresh vegetables and the magic of shio-koji (fermented rice seasoning), you can create refreshing, probiotic-rich pickles at home.

This refreshing and nutrient-packed Farm Salad is tossed in a tangy-sweet Salt Koji Dressing that’s bursting with umami. Perfect for summer lunches, meal prep, or a healthy side dish, it’s loaded with fresh vegetables, plant-based protein, and gut-friendly fermented goodness.

Tender, juicy chicken. Sweet seasonal veggies. No gluten, no dairy, no refined sugar – just pure flavor and gut-healing power through the magic of Salt Koji and steaming! This is Japanese-style clean eating at its best.

This salad is a gut-health powerhouse—packed with fiber, enzymes, and antioxidants from a variety of seasonal veggies. Steamed eggplant provides a tender texture and easy digestion, while myoga adds an aromatic zing that stimulates appetite and soothes the gut. It’s light, hydrating, and takes minimal time to prepare—making it the perfect summer recipe for your cho-katsu lifestyle.

Sweet, nourishing Azuki (i.e., red beans) Koji Amazake made from scratch in 8 hours! I’ll show you how to make Azuki Koji Amazake from scratch using a fermentor. Combining azuki beans, porridge, and rice koji, this fermented drink is rich in antioxidants, enzymes, and gut-friendly nutrients.

Make creamy, gut-loving Koji Amazake in hours! Learn how to make Koji Amazake, a naturally sweet, non-alcoholic Japanese drink packed with enzymes using a fermentor. This traditional fermented drink supports digestion, boosts energy, and can even be used as a sugar substitute in your cooking.

This step-by-step guide shows you how to make Ama Koji, the sugar alternative in only 8 hours with a fermentor. Ama Koji is a healthy alternative to sugar and an amazing ingredient for gut health. Use it to sweeten drinks, desserts, and dressings—all while improving digestion and nourishing your microbiome.

This step-by-step guide shows you how to make Soy Sauce Koji (Shoyu Koji) in only 8 hours with a fermentor or in 2 weeks without a fermentor. This fermented seasoning adds deep umami and gut-friendly enzymes to any dish.

This blog walks you through the traditional method of making Salt Koji (Shio Koji) with or without a fermentor. With just rice koji, salt, and water, you can create an enzyme-packed seasoning that enhances flavors and promotes gut health.