FATSO' PROJECTS

About a year ago i started to experiment with animal fat and koji. It was always a 'scary topic' i guess, to all of us who are dealing with koji, as the only word we remember here is 'rancidity'. Most of the koji books connect fats to rancidity, so we fermenters are intentionally trying to avoid any minimum amount of fats to avoid off flavours during ageing.

About a year ago i took a jar of fresh pork fat with me from home (Hungary) and mixed it with some of my beautiful buckwheat koji and salt. I filled up two jars, I left one in the fridge and the other one outside at room temperature on my kitchen worktop. For comparison of the level of fermentation and the speed of it. I realised pretty fast that nothing was happening in the jar that I left in the fridge (so i moved it out to room temperature after a month) - and i did wait a month before i wanted to lick my spoon tasting the room temperature fatso. I was preparing the worst of course - was expecting a big spoonful of rancidity. BUTT...

On the contrary. What I tasted was absolute mindblowing. It was a whole flavourful juicy silky roasted pork in a tiny teaspoon. This changed my life.

This means it works. This means that not just the protease and amylase got importance in the world of koji lovers, but the LIPASE (fat breaker :)) is just as important and not only the washing up liquid business... and here we are now. Since this theatrical moment i started to collect all sorts of 'dirrty looking' animal juices with animal fats and cracking pieces to create something phenomenal afterall.

MY BASIC RULE OF FATSO:

• X amount of fat

• 1/3 times Xamount of fat in koji rice (i usually use my fresh frozen koji rice)

• 8% salt

This is just a general formula i used several times. With this i managed to create delicious chicken fatso, chorizo fatso and even some porky tasty paste - with the tasty paste there is a bit of a different situation. Fatso is straightforward, and u will end up getting a wonderful silky spread that will taste like crackling cream on crack LOL. If u collect some juices as well, like u end up scraping off a whole tray of roasted pork with its fat, crispy cracklings and some salty meat juices, you're gonna get a tasty paste that will separate during fermentation (the liquid will be submerged and the fat will float on top) so u will need a final blending once you happy with the flavour.

There is not much thing i would not save, i probably would not blend bones in - but roasted bones can add some great flavours in an amino liquid - not in my miso type of thing. Yeah, but that's it pretty much. Every single fatso i made turned out amazing. Of course, you need to like fat (who doesnt like FAT?????) and need to be okay with animal flavours. I believe fat is a big player in food waste, although it carries some unbelievable flavours (if not all the actual flavour compounds) still being binned most of the time. With this koji trick i can increase its shelf life (animal fats are holding much better than plant-based fats) and make it even more tasty. I assume with my tiny brain cells that rancidity has a much closer relation to plant-based fats that are rich in unsaturated fatty acids.

ANYHOW AND ANYWAYS, fatso is great - brilliant actually. Can capture so much more umami-rich flavours. Only advice on using them - because u will blend rice koji (or any other grain koji) with your fat, you can not treat it as 'fat', so u can not fry your things innit directly. I mean, of course you can LOL - but you will burn it :) And the grains in your fat will burn faster than your vegetables or meat or fish u are trying to Maillard in your frying pan. So my advice on this is to finish your cooking with fatso. When your fish is crispy, or your mushrooms are golden, then add a spoonful of your fatso and let it season and melt around your dinner. I think... you will love it.