Noma's approach to miso production extends the Japanese tradition to non-traditional substrates — yellow pea miso, sunflower miso, hazelnut miso — using the identical koji fermentation principle on different protein and starch sources. The resulting pastes express the flavour of their source ingredient through the amino acid profile that koji's proteases liberate from those specific proteins.
- **The substrate:** Any protein + starch combination can be the miso substrate. Traditional: soybean + rice. Noma extensions: chickpea + barley, yellow pea + oat, hazelnut + rice. - **The koji mix ratio:** Cooked protein (soybeans/alternative) + koji (rice koji or grain koji) + salt. The ratio of koji to protein determines the speed and character of fermentation — more koji produces faster fermentation with more sweetness. - **The salt:** 10–12% of the combined weight. Enough to suppress pathogens; low enough to allow the koji enzymes to work. - **The paste:** Mixed thoroughly — the koji must be in intimate contact with the protein substrate. - **Aging vessel:** Clay pots, wooden barrels, or plastic containers — the key is the exclusion of air from the surface (plastic pressed over the paste, then weighted). - **Aging time:** Minimum 6 weeks for a light, sweet miso; 6–12 months for a complex, deeply savoury paste; years for the most complex hatcho-style result. - **The Maillard browning:** The developing miso darkens as amino acids and sugars produced by the enzymatic activity undergo Maillard reactions — the darkening is a quality indicator of amino acid development.
Noma Fermentation