When I got my tsukedaru (wooden pickling bucket) home, I made sure to wash it carefully with warm, soapy water. Then I boiled some water in a kettle and poured it over the inside. That is really all the sanitizing that was necessary. I experienced no contamination issues… just normal mold growth and delicious miso.
Here is my post on the finished product – http://eatingjapan.com/2010/09/12/homemade-miso-decanting-japanese-shiromiso/
I’d love to see pics of the koji you made! I’ve never made koji before.
Thanks again! Hope this helps :)
]]>Good luck with your dashi! If you come up with any interesting variations I would love to know about them.
Thanks again!
]]>I recommend the shiitake dashi recipe for vegan/vegetarian folks, here – http://eatingjapan.com/2010/10/27/how-to-make-shiitake-dashi-japanese-shiitake-mushroom-soup-stock-recipe/
Thanks for reading!
]]>Thanks so much for your how to make miso guide – the pictures helped so much. Will try making it when I get the chance!
]]>As far as cookbooks go, my absolute favorite is “The Folk Art of Japanese Country Cooking: A Traditional Diet for Today’s World“. It is not a very well written cookbook, but it is so packed full of traditions surrounding Japanese cooking that it has been indispensable to me. I cannot recommend it enough. Tons of recipes, too. Another excellent one is “Japanese Homestyle Cooking
“. Hope you find these helpful! Thanks again!
I didn’t do chunks though, i did thin strips – konyaku, carrot, and gobou (japanese root vegetable).
Also would definitely recommend at least a very small amount of red chilli pepper. I just used a half a one, and it adds a lot of character.