Liquid Shio Koji, 16.9 fl oz (500 mL)
Koji's enzymes, pressed into a pourable liquid
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Hanamaruki press fermented rice koji in a sake bag and keep only the liquid, which is why this pours and the paste does not. The enzymes survive the pressing: proteases break proteins down into amino acids, so meat and fish come out more tender and read as more savoury without added salt doing all the work. Use it as a marinade, in a brine, or brushed onto vegetables before roasting. It browns fast because of the sugars, so keep it off a screaming-hot pan. 16.9 fl oz (500 mL), gluten-free, refrigerate after opening.
Shio koji has always worked; the problem was the texture. The paste has to be scraped off before a sear or it burns, and it will not go through a spray bottle or into a brine evenly. Pressing it takes the grains out and leaves the enzymes, so it behaves like a seasoning liquid: brush it on a protein an hour ahead, or hold something in it overnight. It is doing the same job a dry brine does, with proteases working on the muscle rather than just salt moving water around.