Shio-koji can be used to naturally enhance flavors in food and it is very simple to use in cooking.  Its health benefits include aiding in digestion and replenishing good bacteria in the intestines.  Shio-koji is also very simple to make at home.  The brand Cold Mountain, which also sells products like miso, is probably the most common brand of Koji found in the United States.  Once you have gotten your hands on koji the rest is easy, all you need now is water and salt!  The only thing is that although shio-koji is very easy to make, it does need time.  It requires about 10 days depending on room temperature.  So when you don’t have time to wait, your other option is to buy ready-made shio-koji.

I thought that ready-made shio-koji could only be found in Japan but just recently I saw a few different brands being sold at Sunrise Supermarket in the East Village.  Cold Mountain is one of the brands that sells a ready-made shio-koji “sauce” and there were some other Japanese brands of ready-made shio-koji as well.  I was surprised by how easy it is getting to find shio-koji in New York now.  I also noticed that many restaurants are starting to incorporate it in their menu as well.

Sunrise Supermarket is located on 4 Stuyvesant street in the East Village ( they also have several other locations in the city).