Koji Pudding Made by Sake Brewery in Mie Pref.

By Tamotsu Dotsu / Yomiuri Shimbun staff writer

11:00 JST, August 6, 2023

Sawasa Sake Brewery in Mie Prefecture has produced a unique pudding using koji, the mold used to ferment sake. “One-cup-rin” pudding has gained popularity as a non-alcoholic dessert that can be enjoyed by all ages.

The president of the brewery, master sake brewer, Shigehisa Sawa, came up with the idea of producing pudding. At the time, he was thinking of new products other than sake that use sake brewery techniques.

After six months of trial production using amazake, a sweet drink produced by fermenting rice with koji, Sawa created the pudding and released it in January. The pudding is packaged in small glass bottles meant for use as sake containers.

The pudding was well received by customers for its light sweetness. The plain flavor launched first, followed by coffee jelly and summer orange.

The coffee jelly flavor is coffee jelly on top of the pudding and rich cream made from condensed amazake. People can enjoy the “perfect harmony that the combination of the bitterness of coffee and subtle sweetness of rich smooth koji sauce creates,” Sawa said.

“The sweetness from the koji is easy to eat for elderly people who tend to be familiar with the taste,” said Sawa. “I also made it so that it tastes rich. We would like to add more flavor varieties as needed.”

The coffee jelly pudding is priced at ¥550 including tax, while the plain flavor is ¥495 including tax. They are sold at Nabari Koji Kobo. The shop closes on Mondays and Tuesdays, with occasional holidays. Plain puddings can be purchased online.