KISUKE KOJI POWER - Koji Powder with Salt and Pepper All-purpose Fermented Umami Seasoning, Tenderizer, Sweetener, Umami-booster, Meat-Cure, Easy-To-Use for any dish and drink, 110g / 3.8oz

I know the owner of this company who makes this product in Japan, I was very excited when this product became available on Amazon. Koji is packed with good nutrients and you can flavor dishes without over salting them. This adds deep flavor and very healthy for you! Highly recommend it.

So glad to find Kisuke's Koji powder in the US market. It is so handy to use! I even brought it to my vacation with me.

I am not a vegetarian but my partner is, and I often find it challenging to add umami flavors when I make asian food without adding a ton of soy or mushrooms, both of which my partner also is adverse to. We do eat tempeh, blue cheese, and other 'moldy' foods on occasion so I wasn't put off by the rice mold in this mix and have come across it in upscale restaurants. I eat a lot of very spicy food as well so I didn't find this particularly spicy but the pepperiness is perfect for Japanese or other Asian foods that are meant to be a bit milder with a nice mouthfeel, say to add flavor to a ramen topping or stir fried noodles. It's also great on a simple tomato salad for an extra umami bomb! As others have noted, the packet I received also had an expiration date in June, a month after I received it. However as it's a simple combination of salt, pepper, and an already 'preserved' product, I don't expect it to actually expire for a while longer unless it gets wet. It comes in an airtight package but I plan to put it into a secondary sealable package to prevent it from getting any humidity on it. I was pleased to see that this product is actually made in Japan.

I was out of my black pepper and salt (with MSG) and thought it would be nice to try something new. I hadn't used koji specifically (or knowingly) in my food before. The flavor is similar, and the fermentation process for koji results in glutamate which is the "G" in MSG. (Glutamate can be naturally present, like in parmesean cheese.) Fermentation is fascinating to me. I think I'd be a better cook and more imaginative with flavor pairings if I understood it more.I have been using the koji mix on everything from noodles to eggs to veggies. It's even good on bread and butter! Use sparingly as a little goes a long way. It dissolves easily into soup, and it doesn't taste chalky. The black pepper is more coarse than the salt and koji powder. (I don't mind this.)Value-wise, it is difficult for me to justify a second order at this price point. To be fair, when I poured the koji mix into my empty shaker, there was still about half left (see pictures) that I will save for another round of filling. The black pepper and salt mix that I usually use is from a local grocery store, and it is under $5 for 65 grams (or 2.3 ounces). This koji mix is $25 USD for 110 grams (or about 3.88 ounces).In addition to removing a star for the price, I am removing another due to the expiry date. This package expires 2 months after receipt. While very tasty, there is NO way I can use this much seasoning in that short period of time.

KISUKE KOJI POWER - Koji Powder All-purpose Fermented Umami Seasoning, Tenderizer, Sweetener, Umami-booster, Meat-Cure, Easy-To-Use for any dish and drinks, 70g / 2.4ozFirst impressions: Hm. A white powder in a sealed ziplock. Good thing I know what I ordered lolInstallation/setup: Not much information on the site so I do some investigating...Ok. Google is your friend lol. I get some decent rib steaks out of the freezer and let them defrost. I sprinkle on the white powder and rub it in. I leave the steaks in the refrigerator overnight, covered lightly with a plastic wrap. Next day I fire up the propane barbeque to 350 degrees F, salt and pepper the steaks and cook normally.Final thoughts: Absolutely delicious steaks. I tasted the difference, it adds a distinct seasoning without being overpowering. My family didn’t notice or comment on anything being different, other than the many compliments I got on such a delicious meal. They are getting used to me trying many different things lol. I will be trying this on many other things, I am especially curious about added flavor to drinks.⭐️1 star - I don't recommend it at all, poor quality.⭐️⭐️ 2 stars - I don't recommend it, it has multiple faults, or a very high price.⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3 stars - It's passable, It has some faults but the quality is ok for what it is.⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4 stars - Product quite acceptable, it does what it promises.⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5 stars - Product that I totally recommend.

I have never heard to koji powder before so this is my first time using it. The powder comes in the form of fine powder stored in a few layers of zip lock bag. It's a small bag so it doesn't look like there is a lot of it; however, you only need to use a very small amount. I used it as a meat tenderizer, I used 1/2 teaspoon of the koji powder with about 5lb of pork chop to make grilled pork. The pork came out very tender just like what how it tastes like at the restaurant. I've always wonder how restaurants can make the pork so tender while it's always dry and hard when I make it at home, I'm glad to have finally found such an easy way to make the pork so tender.I've looked up koji powder briefly and it seems to have a lot more uses than just a meat tender. It can also be used to marinate meat, added to drinks and even make beverages. I'll definitely try out other uses to make the most out of the powder.