Koji
Chickpea Spice Curry with Shio Koji
Dried chickpeas slowly simmered with five spices, kombu dashi and shio koji into a thick, almost dry curry. The tender chickpeas soak up the spices and the umami of the koji — good with rice, or as a summer snack with drinks.
- Serves
- Serves 3–4
- Time
- Soak for half a day; about 1 hour to cook
Ingredients
- Dried chickpeas (soaked for about half a day)1 cup (about 160 g)
- Red onion1
- Garlic1 clove
- Cumin seeds1 tsp
- Ground turmeric1/2 tsp
- Ground coriander1/2 tsp
- Ground ginger1 tsp
- Garam masala1 1/2 tsp
- Chilli powder (optional)a pinch
- Kombu dashi2 cups (400 ml)
- Shio koji1 tbsp
- Olive oil2 tbsp
- Saltto taste
Method
- Soak the chickpeas in plenty of water for half a day (about 8 hours), then drain.
- Cut the onion into 1 cm dice and finely chop the garlic.
- Put the olive oil and garlic in a pot over low heat. When fragrant, add the cumin seeds and fry until they sizzle and smell toasty.
- Add the onion, turn the heat to medium and cook for about 5 minutes, until soft and translucent.
- Add the turmeric, coriander, ginger and chilli powder and stir for about 30 seconds without letting them burn.
- Add the chickpeas and kombu dashi. When it boils, turn the heat to low, cover and simmer for 40 minutes to 1 hour, until the chickpeas are tender. If it gets too dry, add a little dashi or water.
- When the chickpeas are tender, add the shio koji and garam masala. Uncover and cook until almost no liquid is left. Taste and season with salt.
Tips
- Shio koji is a Japanese seasoning made from rice koji, salt and water. Find it at Japanese grocery stores or online, or make your own.
- Kombu dashi is a simple stock made by soaking kombu (dried kelp) in water.
- Frying the cumin seeds in oil first is the key to the flavour. When they start to sizzle, move on to the next step.
- Ground spices burn easily, so stir them in quickly.
- Add the shio koji and garam masala only once the chickpeas are tender. Shio koji catches easily as the liquid reduces, so stir from the bottom of the pot. Adding garam masala last keeps its aroma.
- Using cooked (canned) chickpeas? Use about 240 g drained weight, reduce the dashi to 1 cup (200 ml) and simmer for about 10 minutes.
- Adjust the heat with the chilli powder.
- Keeps for 2–3 days in the fridge. The flavours settle and it is good cold too — ideal for making ahead or for packed lunches.
A spiced dish made as a summer snack to go with drinks. Simmering beans with shio koji gives a rounder umami than seasoning with salt alone. To make your own, see How to Make Shio Koji.
In UMAMI & KOJI LAB in Tokyo, you learn how koji works and make koji seasonings to take home.
