Turn chicken fried rice from simply delicious to mind-blowingly tasty by steeping the chicken thighs in an amazake koji marinade. The enzymes in the amazake transform chicken skin into a crispy umami soaked bite and each piece of chicken into succulent flavorful nuggets. Discover a taste of the infinite possibilities of koji fermentation.
Ingredients
- Amazake:
- 100g (½ cups) Koji Rice
- 100g (½ cup) Day Old Cooked Rice
- 200g (7 oz) Water
- 15g (1 tbsp) Sugar
- 5g (1 tsp) Salt
- Fried Rice:
- 454g (1 lb) Chicken Thighs, Bone-in Skin-on
- 2 Large Eggs
- 90g (3 oz) Neutral Flavored Oil
- 20g (1 ½ tbsp) Ginger
- 20g (1 ½ tbsp) Garlic
- 600g (3 cups) Day Old Cooked Rice
- 15g (1 tbsp) Fish Sauce
- 23g (1 Tbsp 1 ½ tsp) Sambal Oelek
- 30g (3 tbsp) Soy Sauce Powder
- 60g (¼ cup) Edamame
- 60g (¼ cup) Peas
- 10g (1 Tbsp) Thai Bird Chilis, Sliced Thin
- 45g (¼ cup) Scallions, Sliced Thin
Equipment
- Blender
- Immersion Circulator
- Wok
Timing
Active Time: 30 Minutes
Total Time: 48 Hours
Yield
2 – 4 Servings
-
Prepare Amazake
Set up an immersion circulator and place a bowl inverted in the bottom of the vessel. This will act as a pedestal for the bowl the amazake will ferment in.
Fill a bowl with water and place it on top of the pedestal bowl. If the water spills over the top from the vessel into the test bowl then some water will need to be removed from the circulator. Once you have the water level correct you can move forward.
Pre-heat the immersion circulator to 131°F.
In a blender add the Koji rice, cooked day old rice, water, sugar, and salt. Blend until semi smooth, about 30 seconds.
-
Circulate Amazake
Pour this mixture into a bowl and place it in the circulator on top of the pedestal bowl.
Cook this for 2 hours. The temperature of the circulator will help the amylase breakdown the starches into sugars.
The reason why the mixture isn’t placed in a bag and cooked is it can be stirred and had the temperature checked periodically. Also it is a good idea to taste throughout the process to see how the flavors change.
Once the 2 hours have elapsed cover the mixture 3/4s of the way and l place it on the counter for 12- 24 hours. This will start the fermentation process.
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Season Amazake Chicken
In a bowl combine 2 tablespoons of amazake and the chicken thighs. Keep the skin on as the amazake works wonders on the skin. Coat the chicken well and place it in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours. This can be kept marinating for upto 48 hours.
Preheat an oven to 350°F.
Place the chicken on a sheet pan lined with baking paper and bake until it reaches 165°F, about 20 minutes.
Allow the chicken to rest for 5 minutes before slicing.
-
Pre-cook Egg
In a small sauté pan over medium low heat add ¼ of the cooking oil. Scramble the eggs and cook them in the pan until light and fluffy.
Place the eggs in a bowl and save them until needed.
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Fry Rice
Place a Wok over high heat. Once heated add the remaining oil.
Add garlic and ginger, saute for 10-15 seconds. Do not allow it to brown. Add the rice and saute them together for 30 seconds or until all the rice has been coated in oil.
Make a well in the center of the rice so that you can see the bottom of the pan below. Add the fish sauce, sambal oelek, and soy sauce powder. Toss the ingredients together until all combine.
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Add Vegetables
Add the edamame and peas (or any vegetables you prefer).
Toss the rice until the vegetables have been heated through. Add the egg back to the mixture and toss once more.
-
Plate Amazake Fried Rice
Pour the fried rice onto a plate.
Slice the Amazake chicken thighs, removing the bones in the process. Lay the sliced chicken thighs on top of the rice.
Garnish the rice with sliced scallions and thai bird chilis. Serve immediately or store in the fridge for up to 7 days.
Summary
Recipe Name
Amazake Chicken Fried Rice
Author Name
Modernist Pantry
Published On
Preparation Time
Total Time
Comments (8)
November 10, 2020 1:07 pm
In step 1 of paragraph 2, it says to add a bowl with water on top of the pedestal. This is just to test the water hight correct? The water is to weigh the bowl down and will be discarded before adding the amazake mixture?
November 12, 2020 3:28 pm
It’s so that you can have the bowl containing the amazake mixture above the waterline so you can stir it as it’s being heated.
November 12, 2020 2:03 am
This amazake chicken fried rice looks very delicious and I am thinking to try it but this recipe is time-consuming and we will have to wait a lot for its preparation.
November 13, 2020 3:39 pm
How long will the amazake last? Can it be stored or is this a situation where you make only what you are going to use at one time? Does it need to be refrigerated after fermentation?
November 13, 2020 4:29 pm
Amazake can be kept for up to 1 month.
April 28, 2021 4:39 pm
In the last paragraph of Step 2, it says “cover the mixture 3/4s of the way”. Can you elaborate on this? I can’t figure out what 3/4s of the way means? Does that mean I should make a special lid that comes 1/4 down the bowl? Thanks!
May 3, 2021 9:55 am
This means to cover 3/4s of the top of the container to allow for air to circulate.
May 29, 2021 1:01 pm
I just bought the ready made Koji from modernist pantry and it looks like I saved myself a world of hurt. I used boneless skinless thighs by mistake, but was not disappointed because I got a full pound of fully marinated meat. It was just delicious with the fried rice.