What is amazake?
Amazake (pronounced ah-muh-zah-kay) is Japanese for “sweet sake.” It is a creamy, non-alcoholic, fermented drink with an ambrosial, nectar-like natural sweetness.. The sweetness is brought about by enzymes in kome-koji (cultured rice inoculated with Aspergillus mold) which break down starch in cooked sweet rice into simple sugars. Commercial amazake in stores is likely pasteurised, which kills desirable probiotics. Homemade amazake is best and easy to make! While amazake is the first stage in the Japanese sake-making process, it is also regarded as an independent beverage.
Two-stages of fermentation in Amazake
In the first stage, steamed rice is inoculated with spores of Aspergillus oryzae mold, and incubated (typically in shallow wooden trays called morobuta) in a warm place (27-30°C or 78-86°F) with occasional stirring for 36-48 hours until the rice is covered in a fragrant white mycelium. The product, called kome-koji, serves as a rich source of enzymes in stage 2 – amazake fermentation. In Japan, it is sold in sake breweries or supermarkets and available in fresh or dried form. It is used as a starter for amazake, miso, soy sauce, mirin and vegetable pickles.
In the second stage, abundant enzymes in kome-koji, especially amylase, hydrolyse the starch in both koji and freshly cooked rice to simple sugars, which impart the surprisingly concentrated natural sweetness. When making amazake, you can determine how sweet the product will be by the amount of koji you use – the more koji, the sweeter the amazake.
How to make Amazake
The basic recipes calls for one part uncooked sweet rice (white or brown), two parts water, and one to one-half parts koji by weight, depending on the desired sweetness. For example, 200 g (1 cup) of rice is steamed until done, cooled to 60°C (140°F) or moderately hot to the touch, then mixed with 200 g (2 cups) of kome-koji. The mixture is transferred to a wide-mouth jar or crock, covered tightly and incubated at 60°C (140°F) for 10-14 hours with occasional stirring. An immersion circulator or thermos flask can be used to maintain the temperature. At 60°C (140°F), bacteria and mold will die, but enzymes in koji are active to convert starch to sugar. The fermentation is complete when the mixture has a rich, sweet fragrance and the individual grains are very soft.
Cheat Amazake from Sake Lees
Another way of making amazake is from residual sake lees. This does not require fermentation and contains added sugar. It is also known as amazake, which can be confusing. While sake lees still contain some active enzymes, the quantity, quality and benefits of the resulting drink is less than fermented amazake. The directions for this method are in the recipe card below.
How to enjoy Amazake
The traditional Japanese way of serving amazake is to combine 1 part of this base with 2 parts water in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Season lightly with rock salt, pour into cups, and top each portion with a dab of grated ginger root. I like to flavour my amazake with matcha, or use other types of tea/herbal tea as the base such as hojicha, mugicha, chai or coffee.
Health Benefits of Amazake
Amazake is packed with other nutrients, including vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin B6, folic acid, ferulic acid, dietary fibre, glutamine, and a large amount of glucose.
- 200 g (1 cup) sweet brown or white rice (you can experiment with other grains such as millet)
- 480 g (2 cups) filtered water
- 200 g (1 packet) kome-koji
- 200 g (1 cup) sweet brown or white rice (you can experiment with other grains such as millet)
- 720 g (3 cups) filtered water
- 454 g (1 lb) sake lees
- 200 g (1 cup) black sugar
- 720 g (3 cups) filtered water
- 120 g (1/2 cup) amazake
- 240 g (1 cup) filtered water or beverage of choice (tea, herbal tea, coffee etc.)
- Grated ginger, to taste (optional)
- Cook rice with water in a saucepan or rice cooker. Allow the cooked rice to cool to 60°C (140°F) or moderately hot to the touch. Mix in kome-koji. Transfer the mixture to a wide-mouth jar, cover tightly and incubated at 60°C (140°F) for 10-14 hours with occasional stirring. An immersion circulator or thermos flask can be used to maintain the temperature. The fermentation is complete when the mixture has a rich, sweet fragrance and the individual grains are very soft.
- Cook rice in water until porridge (okayu) consistency. Allow the cooked rice to cool to 60°C (140°F) or moderately hot to the touch. Mix in sake lees. Wrap the pot with towels to maintain the temperature at 60°C (140°F) an incubate in a warm place for 2-3 hours. When the mixture becomes soft, add sugar and the remainder water, then bring to a simmer until sugar dissolves.
- Mix amazake with water or beverage of your choice. Enjoy hot or cold. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container.
Twink
Hi Sabrina, beautiful website! I love your photography. Q: is the 2 cups of water for cooking the rice that the kome koji will be added too and left, or is the water added after rice is cooked together with the kome koji.
Also are there shops in Sg that sell the spores or kome koji?
Thanks
Sabrina @ Straits Road Kitchen
Hi Twink, the 1 cup of rice is cooked in 2 cups of water, just like how you would cook normal rice. Then the kome koji is added to the cooked rice; no further water is required. Hope this clarifies your doubt! In Singapore, I have not come across any retailers of koji spores. Most places only have kome koji (koji-inoculated rice). Previously I placed an advanced order from Meidiya Supermarket. You can also try Zairyo online shop though personally I have not tried ordering from Zairyo. Good luck!
Regards,
Sabrina
Twink Lim
Hi Sabrina😊, I made one batch i think it kinda formed but not as sweet as the ready packed amazake. After the 10-14hrs incubation, do you boil the amazake to stop fermentation? Or just putting it in the fridge wld be ok? Can you use amazake to inoculate the next batch of cooked rice( kinda how you save some yoghurt and use as starter for next batch of milk)
Sabrina @ Straits Road Kitchen
Hi Twink, I do not boil the amazake after fermentation. I store it in the refrigerator or freezer, where it is cold enough to inactivate the enzymes and stop fermentation. In the refrigerator it can last up to 7 days. From frozen, thaw it overnight in the refrigerator. You could boil it, but this will kill off the probiotics – the good stuff.
I have not tried using a current amazake to inoculate the next batch. A thing to note is that at the fermentation temperature of 60°C, the koji fungus dies off; only the enzymes (eg amylases) persist and help to break down the starches in rice. In other words, you “use up” all the koji in every batch that you make. The enzymes alone in the old batch could be sufficient to culture a new batch. If you do try, do share your results. Thank you!