Shio-koji Yoghurt Salad Open Sandwich
Firstly, if you’ve never tried shio-koji yoghurt, you’re in for a wonderful surprise. I use so much of it that I seem to be making a fresh batch every other day. The only real ‘work’ this recipe requires is patience—ensuring the yoghurt has been drained of as much liquid as possible. I recommend 12 hours for the best texture, but if you’re in a hurry, you can get away with a minimum of six.
By combining yogurt and shio-koji overnight, the enzymes unlock umami, while the natural loss of moisture transforms the yogurt into something remarkably rich, with the texture and tang of cream cheese.
The taste is addictive and actually continues to improve for a couple of days—if it hangs around that long! Even the leftover liquid (the whey) is a fabulous, gut-friendly, and flavour-packed ingredient in its own right; I’ve included more tips on how to use that below.
This is a versatile base that you can easily adapt with your favourite seasonal vegetables and herbs. It makes for an ultra-tasty, fresh, Scandinavian-style lunch that both your guests and your gut microbiota will be thanking you for.
Shio-koji Yoghurt Salad Open Sandwich
Ingredients
The Base
- 400 g plain yoghurt
- 40 g shio-koji (10% of the weight of the yoghurt)
The Salad Mix
- 130 g tinned tuna, drained
- 50-60 g diced cucumber
- ½ diced red onion
- 10-15 pitted black olives
- 1 tbsp fresh dill
- 1.5 tbsp lemon juice
- black pepper (to taste)
To Serve
- 2 slices artisan or sourdough bread, toasted (suitable for an open sandwich)
- olive oil (for drizzling)
- fresh dill (to garnish)
- thinly sliced radish (to garnish)
Instructions
- Prep the yoghurt: Mix the plain yoghurt and shio-koji together. Place in a fine-mesh strainer lined with cheesecloth or kitchen paper over a bowl and let it drain in the fridge overnight.
- Dice the Veg: Dice the cucumber and red onion. Soak the diced onion in cold water for 5 minutes to take off the sharp edge, then drain well.
- Chop the Aromatics: Halve the olives and finely chop the dill (approx. 5mm pieces).
- Combine: In a large bowl, mix the shio-koji yoghurt with the drained tuna, cucumber, onion, olives, dill, lemon juice, and black pepper. Taste test here—add a touch more shio-koji if you want more depth.
- Toast and Assemble: Toast your bread slices and drizzle generously with olive oil. Heap the tuna salad mixture onto the bread.
- Garnish: Finish with an extra crack of black pepper and a few thin slices of radish for a peppery crunch and a pop of colour.