Trending Japanese Seasoning Debuts in North America

Torrance, CA, December 04, 2013 --(PR.com)-- Hikari Miso International, Inc. announced that “Shio Koji,” a traditional Japanese seasoning, is now on sale and can be found in the refrigerated section of Japanese and Asian supermarkets and other select stores nationwide. The recent growing interest in fermented goods and its reputation as an all-purpose seasoning has made shio koji extremely popular in its native Japan. Hikari Miso hopes to see the same trend in North America with the products release.

Shio koji is a live food culture, a fermented mixture of malted rice, salt and water. Characterized by a faintly sweet and salty taste it looks similar to rice porridge. With its unique tenderizing properties and ability to enhance flavor, shio koji can be used as a sauce, marinade or seasoning, and most notably as a replacement for salt in everyday cooking.

Hikari Miso has packaged the product in an easy pour bottle for consumer convenience. Using its proprietary no-heat processing, the company preserves some of the effects of the live culture in the bottle. This allows the beneficial enzymes to break down proteins and starches to draw the umami out of meat, fish and vegetables when used. For locations of where to purchase Shio Koji, contact Hikari Miso through the Contact Form (http://www.hikarimiso.com/contactus/).

In tandem with the product debut, Namiko Chen, popular US-based blogger and long time user of Hikari Miso products, reveals two culinary creations for the Shio Koji recipe series found under Hikari Miso’s Home Recipes webpage (http://www.hikarimiso.com/recipes/shiokoji/). Known to her readers as Nami, Chen reports that since discovering Hikari Miso Shio Koji she has been using it in place of salt with amazing end results, like the juicy tender chicken in her karaage or Japanese-style fried chicken.

To commemorate the North American debut of the product, Hikari Miso initiated a promotional sweepstakes in which 30 randomly drawn winners will receive one 19.4 oz (550g) bottle of Hikari Miso Shio Koji along with several original Shio Koji recipes. The sweepstakes will be open to residents of the United States (excluding Puerto Rico) and will run November 25 through December 15, 2013. Sweepstakes winners will go unannounced with prizes set to ship directly by the end of December 2013.

Information on how to enter for the sweepstakes and official rules are available on Hikari Miso’s website (http://www.hikarimiso.com/news/detail/?id=30).

About Hikari Miso International, Inc.

Hikari Miso International, Inc. (HMI) is a U.S. subsidiary of Hikari Miso Co., Ltd. (Hikari Miso) headquartered in Nagano, Japan. Founded in 1936, Hikari Miso is a leader in the production and sale of high quality miso products as well as providing technical and marketing support worldwide. The company was first to introduce organic and all-natural miso, and is proactive in implementing global food safety standards. HMI imports and distributes Hikari Miso products throughout North America. Learn more about HMI and Hikari Miso by visiting http://www.hikarimiso.com