Soy Sauce!

[merkaba93]

So making soy sauce is like this, soak soy beans, steam soy beans, toast wheat, slightly grind wheat and mix soy beans and wheat. Add fungus culture of aspergillus oryzae and incubate for 3 days until the fungus starts growing all over the wheat and soy beans. This is called a Koji. After 3 days mix with water (not chlorinated) and sea salt (without any other additives), now this is called moromi. Then let it set for at least 6 months or a year. Press out the solids then you have soy sauce. And yes you can tell the difference between a good soy sauce from a cheap one.

So finally started to work in larger batches last year. Ended up with 4 gallons of moromi in a 5 gallon crock. I wasn't sure how much actual soy sauce Id end up with. Well as it turns out just about 2 gallons! I'm stoked. Klickitat County Wheat, Klickitat County Well Water, Washington Culture, Oregon Sea Salt, Canadian Soy Beans. It's about as local as I can make. As of now I don't know of a soy bean farmer in the PNW. I've seen some studies by Oregon State showing that soy beans can grow here, just not a market at the moment.

Oh, and I started another batch, just before I started pressing and clarifying this year old batch. I actually needed some more head space because as it ferments it does push some solids up, kinda like punching down the cap while making red wine. So with the extra moromi I took some dried matsutake and morels and added to the moromi. Going to be interesting how those are going to taste. I'm optimistic.

With 2 gallons I don't have to horde it like a crazy person anymore! I'm going to be selling some I think to friends. But I still plan on keeping a lot to myself.
Feel like I'm going to be using some of my salmon to make some sushi. (it will be cooked or cured, I know some people on here get frightened). And then use some of my ground venison to make some potstickers. All this work as an excuse to get some food dipping action in this soy sauce.

[onmygame]

How is the Miso that is left over?

In Lakewood, just outside of Tacoma is a grip of Korean restaurants and markets. At a certain time each year, bricks of roasted / compressed soy beans are available for the specific purpose of making soy sauce and miso. They also have large covered crockery for making this as well as kimchi.

We haven't done the soy / miso - yet, but will once I've cleared up some room for the process.

[merkaba93]

How is the Miso that is left over?

In Lakewood, just outside of Tacoma is a grip of Korean restaurants and markets. At a certain time each year, bricks of roasted / compressed soy beans are available for the specific purpose of making soy sauce and miso. They also have large covered crockery for making this as well as kimchi.

We haven't done the soy / miso - yet, but will once I've cleared up some room for the process.

Yeah the left over pressed mash....
So you can use it to ferment veggies. Just stick the veggies in the mash and let it ferment for a few weeks.
As an ingredient it's pretty good. Not as good if I was making miso on purpose.
Lots of good nutritional value in it though. Most soy producers us it for animal feed. So I make mine into dog treats for the bird dogs.

[CLARKTAR]

I'd buy some if you don't have enough friends!

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[Remnar]

I'd buy some if you don't have enough friends!

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  Makes my mouth water everytime I think about a homemade rice bowl, or whatever ! Made with something like this .

 Really like your contributions Merka . Thanks you .

[crnbndr]

Hey Merkaba
I grew some soybeans this year. (Klickitat county) Unfortunately,  they're all hauled off. Don't know if we're going to grow some next year. But look me up next summer . Maybe we could swap some beans for soy sauce.

[merkaba93]

Hey Merkaba
I grew some soybeans this year. (Klickitat county) Unfortunately,  they're all hauled off. Don't know if we're going to grow some next year. But look me up next summer . Maybe we could swap some beans for soy sauce.

Hell yeah!!! How much did you grow? What part of Klickitat County(Bickelton, Arlington, Rosevelt?)
At the very least might pick your brain on how to grow some myself. And for sure I'd be willing to trade.

PS Nice Mountain Goat, super jealous!!

[Kc_Kracker]

i have a killer teriyaki recipe if you need

[pianoman9701]

You're very talented. I'm glad I sell matsutake, smoked, and whiskey barrel shoyu.

[merkaba93]

i have a killer teriyaki recipe if you need

Yeah lets hear it!

[jeff68]

Cool. I assume soybeans for human consumption are different than animal feed?

[nwwanderer]

Great report and a lot of work!!!  You might try victory seed for some of the old varieties of soybeans, not much yield but closer to what was used a couple thousand years ago for soy sauce.  Also, substituting barley for wheat would be traditional and might give a different flavor, great malting barleys out there and local.  Thanks for the report

[crnbndr]

MERKABA
We're west of Bickleton. On Alderdale road. NE corner of the county. Grew about 40 acres as an experiment. Tried a couple different varieties. Yields were so so. Hard part is delivery.