How Brown Koji Boy Is Bringing An Indian Twist To Classic Japanese Fermentation

Sake, Miso, Shoyu, Mirin, Soju — the common thread that runs through these cornerstones of Japanese cuisine is a little-known fermentation culture known as Aspergillus oryzae or Koji. In recent years, this domesticated mould used by Japanese 'moyashiya' — or Koji merchants — for centuries has also been embraced across the world by chefs like Noma’s René Redzepi and Larder’s Jeremy Umansky because of its sweet, floral, funky, and intensely savoury quality.

In India, Goa-based food and beverages entrepreneur Prachet Sancheti is pioneering Koji-based fermentation with his brand Brown Koji Boy. A cricket analyst whose culinary Masters course at the University of Gastronomic Sciences at Pollenzo, Italy, was cut short by the pandemic, Sancheti began experimenting with Koji-based fermentation at his home during the lockdown. Four years later, he is collaborating with emerging Indian chefs like Naru Noodle Bar’s Kavan Kuttappa and Marāi Goa’s Rishad Ginwalla — making Koji-based everything from ferments like miso, tamari, soy sauce, hot sauce, and chilli crisps to Koji-aged beef tenderloins.

To make Koji, grains of rice are steamed and inoculated with a culture of the Koji mould, then kept in warm, humid conditions that promote fermentation. During the fermentation process, the Koji mould produces over one hundred types of enzymes like proteases and amylases. Proteases break proteins into amino acids, such as glutamates, which give off an intensely savoury taste known as 'umami' in Japanese, while amylases break starch into sugar which creates sweetness. These enzymes are what give food made with Koji their intense savoury, sweet, and funky flavour, and make the domesticated mould arguably the most important ingredient in Japanese cuisine.

This is where Prachet does things a little differently. At Brown Koji Boy, he marries India and Japan’s shared love for fermentation and creates exciting new ferments like Cashew Black Garlic Miso, which combines young, roasted cashew nuts with black soybeans, chickpea, and black garlic to make a miso that’s extremely smooth and creamy.

Recently, Brown Koji Boy also launched India’s first Garum. While the traditional Garum used in ancient Rome and the rest of the mediterranean was a fermented fish sauce known for its pungent smell and umami-packed punch, Prachet’s version is completely vegan and made with shiitake mushrooms, black garlic skin, and rice koji to create an earthy and umami-filled sauce ideal for all-purpose seasoning.

What sets Sancheti and Brown Koji Boy apart is his knack for innovation and experimentation. Despite the success of Brown Koji Boy’s early ferments, Sancheti continues to experiment with traditional and modern fermentation techniques, constantly working on fun side projects like Koji-cured beetroot, carrot xaceutrie, roasted red rice koji Indian Pale Ale, and Basmati Amazake. This knack for experimentation carries over to Sancheti's collaborations with chefs and restaurants too — resulting in dishes that blend Japanese techniques with Indian produce and American ideas. An example of this is Marāi Goa’s Koji-aged beef tenderloins served with king oyster mushrooms, smoked pickled Bhavnagari chilli, chimichurri, and sichuan peppercorn jus. Who wins in all this? The answer is Indian epicures.

Follow Brown Koji Boy here.

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