Fermentation Cast

[Level: beginner]
At Copenhagen’s two star restaurant The Alchemist, tea is sometimes an ingredient in a recipe. However, primarily it stands as a  beverage on its own. Tea sommelier Sarah Rosady develops a rich array of alcoholic and non alcoholic drinks, to accompany a great meal, excellent service and an evening filling experience that goes way beyond dining. My genius colleague food scientist Rebecca Rocchi and I talk to Sarah about the many ways she accomplishes this. Fall in love with tea and how its leaves transform before drying and after fermentation.

[Level: medium]

What happens when the world’s most sexy ferments make a baby? In the episode we explain how to make a sourdough starter that has koji added to it. The enzymatic power of koji creates a bread with a texture, taste and softness that you would not expect from a sourdough. And for those still nervous about making koji, you can use store bought koji too. ;-) 

This episode is (for now) the last episode of the koji mini collection made together with Maxene Graze from the Koji Collection Substack. 

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[Level: medium]
Our modern food system is efficient, but creates a gigantic amount of food waste. Carrot tops, animal carcasses and even invasive species in our sea waters. REDUCED is a company that turns these waste streams into tasty broths that can be used to spice up any dish. In this episode we speak with their interim Head of R&D Rebecca Rocchi. Using koji ánd industrial enzymes, she efficiently extracts flavour from underutilised ingredients. With her PhD in food fermentation she can clearly explain the science behind the process and how it enhances flavour by elaborating on umami, kokumi and other sexy compounds generated by fermentation.

[Level: medium]

A lot of the more famous koji ferments require a lot of time: soy sauce, miso, sake. It goes from weeks to even months. In this episode we discuss an application that can be finished within a day, even within only 2 hours if you use our extra special trick. We are talking about: amazake! We dive into how to make this sweet and delicious drink and tell you how to make unorthodox amazake from chestnuts and even potatoes.

This episode is another co-production with Maxene Graze from the Koji Collection Substack.

Like the podcast? Support us and buy me us a coffee!

[Level: medium]
In the West, we often speak about koji as if it is one single thing, and as if it is just what you add to a miso to start the fermentation. In reality, koji has a much wider meaning. During this episode we discuss what is encompassed when we talk about koji. Koji also comes in many different forms, potencies and flavours. We will take you through the different types of koji spores that you can procure and will help you a hand with choosing the perfect spore for your next funky fermentation.

This episode is another co-production with Maxene Graze from the Koji Collection Substack.

Like the podcast? Support us and buy me us a coffee!