Much of the praise for Japanese cuisine would be more accurately directed toward Aspergillus oryzae, a mold, otherwise known by its local moniker: °ì¨Âá¾±.
K¨ji is so widely ingrained in Japan¡¯s food traditions, used in everything from sake brewing to soy sauce fermentation, that I find myself asking, as Michael Pollan did in ¡°,¡± whether the Japanese cultivated °ì¨Âá¾± on purpose, or whether °ì¨Âá¾± insinuated itself into our lives, beguiling our taste buds and charming our cravings?
Even if you¡¯re unfamiliar with °ì¨Âá¾± by name, chances are you¡¯ve been consuming it for a while. If, however, you¡¯re ready to jump down the rabbit hole and start experimenting with °ì¨Âá¾±, this recipe shows you how to use it as part of a dry rub, with herbs and spices for flavor and a tiny amount of baking soda to make the outside more alkaline to encourage browning. In conjunction with moisture absorption by our °ì¨Âá¾±, this means no searing is necessary before our pork enters the oven.
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