Amazake
Ingredients:
3/4 cup (180cc) White rice (uncooked)
1 cup + 2 tablespoons (270cc) Water
8oz Koji
How to make:
Rinse rice thoroughly and put in a rice cooker. Add water and soak for an hour.
Cook rice and let it cool to below 140°F. Add koji and mix well.
Keep the rice-koji mixture warm ( at 140°F) for 6 to 7 hours. See Tips below.
When the mixture become sweet, remove from the rice cooker and keep it in refrigerator.
To enjoy, add equal part of water or other liquid(like black tea, almond milk, coconut milk or so).
Tips:
It’s easy to make amazake if you have a rice cooker with “keep warm” mode.
After you mix koji to cooked rice, turn on “keep warm” mode with the lid slightly open (it is important to keep the lid SLIGHTLY OPEN!! Cause the koji culture would be die if it’s getting too hot). Stick in a chopstick or a fork between lid will allow you to keep the rice-koji mixture nice and warm.
If you don’t have a rice cooker, you may cook it and keep rice warm with using a cast iron pot or a heavy-bottomed pot. Cook the rice over medium-high heat to bring it simmer with lid on, then turn the heat to low and cook it for 10 to 12 minutes. Turn off the heat and let it sit for 10 minutes. Once the rice become below 140°F, add koji and mix well. Wrapped the pot with a heavy blanket and let it ferment for 6 to 7 hours.
We puree the amazake with a blender to achieve smooth texture(left one on the picture above). The sweetness of amazake is come from only rice. No sugar, no additive, but it’s surprisingly sweet and has earthy, floral flavor. We love to share this recipe because we would like you to enjoy freshly made amazake at your home!