Rice, rice wine.... stay close to me.....don't let me be alone...it's tearin' me apart...
Oh, no it's not tearin' me apart but as I started this post, Bob Marley's "Red, Red Wine" kept running through my head.
So, back to rice wine. I've been playing with rice wine for a couple of months.
It's easy to make, sweet and delicious (but not cloyingly sweet). Unfortunately, two cups of rice yielded about a half cup of wine. So I 've been using -- and sharing -- it sparingly.Why, jus' this mornin' Mabel... I used it in a dish of sauteed Chinese broccoli with garlic. A little shot of sweet rice wine took the edge of the bitter greens.
But a half cup of rice wine is just not enough.
I need more so I made another batch. A double batch.
And this is how:
Rice Wine Recipe
4 cups Jasmine rice
8 cups water
2 dried yeast balls
Rinse rice in warm water. Bring eight cups of water to a simmer in a heavy-bottomed stock pot. Add rice, bring the mix back to a boil. Reduce heat to a low simmer and cook for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, remove from heat and allow to sit, undisturbed, for 10 - 15 minutes.
While the rice cooks, grind two yeast balls* in a mortar and pestle. Shopping for specialty ingredients is easy for me -- I live about ten minutes from Fubonn, a gigantic Asian mall anchored by a killer grocery store.
When the rice is done and rested, tip it out onto a butcher block and cool it by moving it around with a bench scraper, chopping it and moving it to keep it from clumping.
The goal is to cool the rice evenly.
Once cooled but still warm to the touch, use the bench scraper to mix the pulverized yeast with the rice.
Four cups of cooked rice will almost fill a gallon-sized jug.
Close the jar, seal it and put it in a warm place.
At my old apartment, I had a perpetual warm spot over the radiator. But in my new house, I have no constantly warm heat source.So, I put it on the heat vent in the living room.
Classy, huh?
I may have to use a heating pad to keep the rice warm.
I think you should make this at home. I can't think of an easier hooch to make without a still.
Cheers!
* The yeast balls are from the Asian market. I think I found them in the noodle aisle.
