Rice wine or rice wine is an alcoholic beverage produced through the fermentation process of rice; Its strong and unique taste makes it very popular among alcoholic drink connoisseurs. Besides being able to be consumed directly, rice wine is also often used to replace mirin or sake in various Asian cuisines. Having trouble finding rice wine in your neighborhood? Why not try making it yourself? Basically, you only need two ingredients to make rice wine and plenty of patience to wait for the fermentation process to complete. Don't worry, all your patience will pay off with the delicious taste!
Ingredients
- 400 grams of glutinous rice
- 1 round yeast or tapai yeast for making wine (also called qu, jiuqu, or chiuyao in Chinese)
Step
Part 1 of 3: Cultivating Rice
Step 1. Wash the rice thoroughly
Prepare 500 ml of glutinous rice, wash thoroughly until the color of the rice washing water is no longer cloudy. If possible, use glutinous rice instead of regular rice for a more delicious and authentic flavor of the wine.
Step 2. Soak the rice for an hour
After washing thoroughly, soak the rice in hot water for about an hour; Glutinous rice that has been soaked before cooking will have a better texture and taste after it is cooked. After that, use a sieve or sieve to drain off the excess liquid.
Step 3. Bring water to a boil at the bottom of the steamer
Pour 500 ml of water into the bottom of the steamer, bring it to a boil. If you want, you can also boil the water in a medium saucepan.
Step 4. Steam the rice
After the steam water boils, put the rice in the steamer and steam for about 25 minutes.
If you don't have a steamer, place a sieve filled with rice over a pot of boiling water (make sure the rice isn't in direct contact with the water!). Cover the surface of the sieve with a lid and steam the rice for 25 minutes
Step 5. Check the doneness of the rice
After 25 minutes, taste the taste and texture of the rice. If the texture is still tough, stir in the rice and steam again until fully cooked; make sure you check for doneness periodically or every five minutes so it doesn't overcook. After the rice is cooked, turn off the heat.
Step 6. Cool the rice with the help of a baking sheet
After the rice is cooked, place it on a baking sheet and smooth the surface with the help of a spoon to form a thin layer. You must do this process to speed up the cooling process of the rice before it is fermented!
Part 2 of 3: Starting the Fermentation Process
Step 1. Crush or mash round yeast
Place the yeast round in a small bowl, crush it into a fine powder with the help of a spoon or a pestle.
Step 2. Mix the yeast powder and rice
After pounding, sprinkle the yeast evenly on the surface of the rice. Use the help of a spoon or your hands to mix the yeast and rice as well as possible.
Make sure the rice has cooled and is slightly warmer than room temperature
Step 3. Store the rice in an airtight container
Once the yeast and rice are mixed, immediately store them properly and start the fermentation process! Put the leavened rice in an airtight container; If you don't have a large container, you can divide the rice into several completely airtight containers.
Step 4. Store the rice in a warm place for a few days
One method you can use is to store the container of rice in the oven set to a very low temperature (37.7°C) or place a warm pad around the container. The warm temperature will speed up the fermentation process.
Part 3 of 3: Checking the Taste and Straining the Rice Wine
Step 1. Taste the wine after a few days
After a few days of fermenting, you will notice the appearance of liquid at the bottom of the container; here is your rice wine. Don't worry, the liquid that appears is safe for you to taste right away.
- If the taste is to your liking, pour the liquid into another container and let the remaining rice mixture sit. Rice wine can be used in cooking or consumed directly.
- The taste of the wine will change as the fermentation time increases. At the beginning of the fermentation process, rice wine will taste like fruit and slightly sour like citrus (citrusy). The longer it takes, the carbon dioxide content in the wine will decrease so that the taste will turn out to be softer and sweeter.
Step 2. Ferment the rice wine for about a month
Store the rice wine in a warm, dry place for one month; rice does not need to be stored in the oven or near a warm pad if the temperature in your home is warm enough to support the fermentation process.
The longer the fermentation process lasts, the clearer the color of the rice wine will be
Step 3. Strain the rice wine
After a month has passed, the process of fermenting the arak is finished. Use a tofu filter cloth or a very small slotted sieve to strain the rice wine into a special container. Straining the rice wine is used to remove the remaining skin or grains of rice.
You can consume rice wine right away at this stage
Step 4. Put the container of rice wine in the refrigerator
After storing the wine in a container, close the container containing the wine tightly and put it in the refrigerator. Although room temperature rice wine can also be consumed, be sure to always store it in the refrigerator to extend its shelf life.
Step 5. Pour the filtered wine into a glass and enjoy
After being stored for a few days in the refrigerator, the dregs of the wine should be seen settling at the bottom of the container. If you don't want to bother, you don't have to throw away the dregs. However, some people choose to do this to enhance the texture and appearance of the wine when served.
If you want to throw away the dregs, use this method: strain the wine into another container until it separates from the dregs. After that, discard the wine dregs and pour the wine back into the previous container
Step 6. Enjoy your homemade rice wine
Rice wine can be consumed directly, mixed into dishes, or stored in the refrigerator for a more intense taste and aroma. Don't worry if the wine looks darker as time goes on; these changes are perfectly normal! Rice wine can be used to enrich the taste of savory and sweet dishes, and is delicious consumed as a substitute for other wine-based alcoholic beverages.
Tips
- Round yeast can be purchased at the grocery store, supermarket, or even online.
- Taste the wine periodically during the fermentation process to monitor the taste.
