Amazake
Amazake is a traditional Japanese sweet beverage made from fermented rice. It is often consumed as a healthy drink or a dessert, and is very popular over the winter—it is so nutritious that it is known as a "drinking infusion". This recipe can be enjoyed either hot or cold, and can be used as a natural sweetener in a variety of dishes, as it has the flavourful sweetness of rice without the added sugar. Amazake is also used as a digestive aid and overall health medicine. It can be paired with fresh fruits, mochi, nuts, green teas, and even used on smoothies! Koji is fermented rice with bacteria, which is very good for your stomach and skin.
Add <quantity>2<unit>cups</unit></quantity> of water to a pot, and simmer over low heat until it reaches <temperature>60<unit>°C</unit></temperature>
Crumble <quantity>200<unit>g</unit></quantity> of rice koji by hand and add to a rice cooker bowl
Add the warm water and mix. Make sure the temperature of <temperature>60<unit>°C</unit></temperature> is maintained throughout the process
Put the bowl in the cooker and cover with a kitchen towel. Place a pair of chopsticks on top of it, close the lid, and add <quantity>1</quantity> plate as a weight on top. Turn it on and cook for 2h until it softens
Open the rice cooker and mix the rice koji. Put the lid back on the same way as it was and cook for another 2h until it starts to ferment
Open the rice cooker one more time and mix the rice koji. Put the lid back on the same way as it was, and cook for another 2h until the rice koji is completely fermented
Remove the bowl from the rice cooker and add portions of the cooked rice koji to serving bowls
Sprinkle salt to taste into each portion
Add warm water, in the same ratio of cooked koji to each portion, and mix. The azamake is ready
Enjoy! Amazake can be tasted warm or cold, and it can also be used in recipes such as mochi!
I'm here to answer any questions you have about Amazake. Try me!