Handmade Attaka Miso" made with Hokuryu-machi rice and soybeans, with no added chemical seasonings, has a nostalgic old-fashioned taste (Ryuunishi Farm Co., Ltd.)

Monday, February 21, 2022

(President: Akihiro Adachi) is making "handmade warm miso" using rice and soybeans grown at Ryuunishi Farm. We had the opportunity to cover the miso making process over a four-day period.

Handmade Attaka Miso" has been produced at Ryuunishi Farm, an agricultural cooperative corporation, since around 1975 (Showa 50). After the transition to Ryuunishi Farm, the manufacturing method was taken over and has been improved upon to the present day.

（Ryuunishi Farm Co.

The factory where miso production is currently taking place was newly constructed seven years ago.

working member

The working members are Naoko Adachi, Mihoko Nagai, Miki Akamatsu, and Miyuki Takahashi. The group is composed mainly of farmer mothers.

Ingredients (no chemical seasoning added): Soybeans (Hokuryu-machi, non-genetically modified), rice (Hokuryu-machi), salt

The ingredients are a blend of rice (Nanatsuboshi and Yukisayaka) and soybeans (non-genetically modified) produced at Ryuunishi Farm, koji mold (seed koji) from Akita Konno Shoten (Daisen City, Akita Prefecture), and salt from Namisalt.

Steamed rice is mixed with koji mold to make rice malt, which is then mixed with boiled soybeans, salt, and rice malt to make miso, which is then slowly laid down for about one and a half to two years.

Yukisayaka" rice produced in Hokuryu Town

Hokuryu soybeans

Diamond salt

The taste of handmade warm miso

Most miso in Hokkaido is made with a ratio of koji to soybeans of 1:1, but "Tezukuri Attaka Miso" is made with a ratio of koji to soybeans of 0.7:1. Because the ratio of koji is low, this miso has less sweetness and more saltiness. If anything, it is said to have a flavor similar to that of common miso in Honshu.

Miso Making Procedure

Miso making takes place about three times a year, and about 400 kg of "handmade atta-ta-miso" is prepared at each time. This time was the last preparation of the season.

1. soak rice in water overnight, drain, and steam.

• Steam the rice in a steamer for about 30 minutes after the steam rises (99 kg of rice: 4.5 kg x 22 bags)

2. Leave the steamed rice for about 10 minutes to cool to about 40°C (42~43°C), and sprinkle with koji mold (seed cutting).

• Mix and shake koji mold and potato starch in a ratio of about 1 to 7.5. The katakuriko mixture is used to increase the fermentation rate (2 g of koji mold is shaken per 22 kg).

Put rice mixed with seed koji into a board box, cover with a cloth, and place in an incubator to warm and ferment.

• In the incubator, 90 kg of rice malt is kept warm, and hot water is kept inside the incubator to maintain humidity. Temperature and humidity are important for maturation. The incubator uses a seedling grower.

4. fermentation while carefully adjusting the temperature (keep warm for 48 hours)

• Keep warm at 35°C (30°C to 40°C is the adaptive temperature for breeding)
• Koji fungi become inactive at temperatures below 15°C and become self-destructive at temperatures above 50°C due to heat generation
• Koji bacteria reproduce by respiration, producing heat and carbon dioxide gas during respiration.
• Frequent temperature control is necessary, as they will not be able to reproduce due to lack of oxygen if the air is not changed appropriately.

5. rice malt cutting back (floor fir)

• The next day, mix rice to allow koji fermentation to proceed.

6. dekouji

• After maturation is complete, the rice is transferred to a large wooden box to loosen and release the koji (dekoji).

• Koji is in a good state of fermentation when the rice looks like a fluffy white flower blooming around it.
• Koji contains a lot of enzymes!

Difference between "Koji" and "Koji": "Koji"-a national character created in Japan. This kanji comes from the way koji mold grows on rice like a flower blooming. Koji" is a Chinese character from China. It is made by steaming grains and propagating koji mold (koji mold). (Koji)Quoted from "Marukome.)

7. salt cutting

• Mix salt (6 kg) and koji (8.5 kg). By mixing salt, fermentation stops and the temperature does not rise, so it can be stored as it is for one day and can be worked on the next day.

8. soak soybeans in water overnight, drain, and boil or steam (alternating between boiling in a pot and using a steamer).

• Total amount of soybeans this time: 4 kg x 30 bags
  Rinse the whole bag under running water and soak it in water overnight.
• 24 kg of soybeans (4 kg x 6 bags) in 1 kettle, simmer for 30 minutes

9. mash the cooked soybeans in a machine

10. Roll up the mashed soybeans, make a dent in the center (red blood cell shape, donut shape, etc.), and cool to about 40°C (104°F).

• Depress the center to make it easier for soybeans to cool.

11. miso preparation

• Mixing rice malt, cooked soybeans, and salt
• Mix all ingredients (rice malt, cooked soybeans, and salt) in a mixer.

12. Miso paste prepared in barrels is left to mature for 1.5 to 2 years.

Member Comments

Naoko Adachi has been making miso for 21 years, passing it on and improving it. Mihoko Nagai, Miyuki Takahashi, and Miki Akamatsu, who participated in the project as members, have been making miso for 10 years.

• Since I started making miso here, I have started making homemade miso at home. When I give it out to people around me, they are very pleased. Making miso has been a great experience for me," says Nagai.
• I often give it as a gift to my mother at home, and she is delighted, saying, 'It tastes like old miso, it has a nostalgic flavor,'" says Takahashi.
• When I came to observe the miso making process and tasted this miso, I realized that I wanted to continue making it because it was my favorite miso with the taste I liked.
  
  I have inherited my predecessor's miso making for many years, and I am always impressed by the efficiency of the work process, especially in terms of procedures and tool placement.
  
  And we learn by participating in various training sessions, such as at the Food Processing Research Center. We use what we have learned to change our work methods and improve them through trial and error.
  
  I am very happy that people are enjoying the food," says Mr. Adachi.

Handmade Attaka Miso" is sold in Hokuryu Town.

Handmade Attaka Miso" is sold at the Sunflower Park Hokuryu Hot Springs Shop and at the Hokuryu Commercial Revitalization Facility "COCOWA".

Sunflower Park Hokuryu Onsen

• 163-2, Aza Itaya, Hokuryu-cho, Amaryu-gun, Hokkaido Tel: 0164-34-3321 (Click here for map >>)

COCOWA, a commercial revitalization facility in Hokuryu Town

• 6-6 Aza Wa, Hokuryu-cho, Amaryu-gun, Hokkaido Tel: 0164-34-4111 (Click here for map >>)

We are proud to present the "Handmade Warm Miso" from Ryuunishi Farm, which has been bathed in the full energy of the sun in the great nature of Hokuryu Town, with unlimited love, gratitude, and prayers.

More Photos

Click here for 343 photos of "Handmade Attaka Miso" made from Hokuryu-cho rice and soybeans with no added chemical seasonings >>

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◇ Photography and Editing: Noboru Terauchi Reporting and Writing: Ikuko Terauchi
　

（Ryuunishi Farm Co.