Make Amazake: Japan's Ancient Super Drink
Amazake is Japan's revered 1,000-year-old fermented rice drink, celebrated for its natural sweetness, abundance of enzymes, and gut-benefiting probiotics. Often called 'the drinkable IV drip,' it offers sustained energy, improved digestion, and a healthy glow, enjoyed by monks and emperors for centuries.
Ingredients
- 200 g dried rice koji
- 150 g raw Japanese rice (1 cup)
- 650 ml water
Instructions
- Rinse Japanese rice and drain well. Place rice in a pot, add 650ml water, cover, and cook over low heat.
- Once boiling, continue cooking for about 12 minutes. If it threatens to boil over, slightly open the lid to adjust.
- Turn off the heat and let the rice steam for an additional 10 minutes until a soft rice porridge is formed.
- Allow the rice porridge to cool down to 55°C (use a food thermometer for accuracy).
- Crumble the dried rice koji with your hands and add it to the 55°C rice porridge. Mix thoroughly to combine.
- To ferment, wrap the pot in 2-3 layers of newspaper and then in a bath towel. Place the wrapped pot inside an insulated bag, or on an electric heating pad if your room is cold. Alternatively, transfer the mixture to an insulated jar to maintain warmth.
- Ferment for 8 hours, ensuring the temperature remains around 55°C throughout the process.
- After 8 hours, the Amazake should have developed a sweet flavor. For a smoother texture, blend the finished Amazake until creamy. Store in the refrigerator.
Notes
For an alternative method, use a yogurt maker. After cooking rice and cooling it to 55°C, combine it with 400ml water and 200g crumbled koji in a sterilized container. Set the yogurt maker to 55°C for 8 hours. Blend for a smoother consistency. Store Amazake in the refrigerator for up to a week, or freeze portions for longer preservation. Adjust sweetness by blending with more water or adding a pinch of salt.