Amazake
Amazake is a wonderful fermented drink. It is known in Japan as a super drink or an IV-drink because it has that many health benefits! The only ingredients are water, rice, and Koji, Koji is a type of fungi used to make sake, soy sauce, miso, and mirin! Koji has had a tremendous effect on Japanese food culture over centuries. This Amazake recipe is three recipes in one! You will learn how to make the amazake, a smoothie, and how to drink it over ice!
Ingredients:
200g Dried Koji
150g Rice
Water
Method:
- Put 1 cup of rice into a rice cooker. Pour in water until it reaches the 3 cup mark on your rice cooker.
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Cook the rice in porridge mode. If your rice cooker doesn’t have porridge mode, keep your eyes on it to make sure it doesn't boil over. Make sure to cook it WITHOUT the pressure cooker mode. Remove the pot from the rice cooker and stir the rice. Let it sit to cool to 60C (140F) and no lower than this!
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Crumble the dried Koji. Press the package until all the grains are separated, or you can put it into a clean bowl and crumble with your hands.
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Check the temperature of the rice. If it's too high or too low, the enzymes produced by the koji will not convert the rice starch into sugar well, this will make it difficult to ferment.
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Add the crumbled koji to the rice bowl and mix it thoroughly. Then even out the surface, place the bowl back into the rice cooker, insert the thermometer into the rice mixture, cover the bowl with a paper towel, and set the rice cooker to keep warm and maintain the temp at 55-60C for about 8 hours. While you are letting it sit for 8 hours make sure to stir it 4 times throughout. This will even out the temperature inside and help the fermentation process. If the temp is too low add an extra paper towel.
- After it has been kept warm for 8 hours remove the bowl, let it sit to cool, pour the amazake into another container and put it into the refrigerator. It can be kept for 7-10 days in the refrigerator or you can freeze it.
It is a wonderful fermented drink that does not have alcohol in it so it can be consumed by all ages! Here are two ways you can prepare it:
Amazake Banana Smoothie
Ingredients:
50ml Amazake
150ml Milk
1 Frozen Ripe Banana
Sliced Banana for topping
Method:
Chill all ingredients all them all into a blender until smooth. Garnish with banana slices and serve.
Cold Amazake Recipe
Ingredients:
80-100ml Amazake
Small amount of Ice Water
Ginger Root, grated
Method:
Pour over and drink. This is a very popular drink in the summer! You can also add cinnamon on top for extra health benefits.
Amazake is rich in vitamins and amino acids and is also known as a medical drip for drinking in Japan. It is a great addition to your fermented foods journey and it is very simple to make. This amazing Amazake recipe came to us from the “Cooking with Dog” YouTube channel! Make sure to share your creations with us in the Gut Health Gurus Facebook Group!
