Making sake at home. Sake at home. Established in cooking

The necessary ingredients for making sake at home can be purchased at your local supermarket.

Koji rice starter can be purchased ready-made, although it is much cheaper and more reliable to make it yourself. Koji is moldy rice that begins to ferment under the influence of a fungus. You can prepare the starter and store it in a regular freezer for use at any time.

To make koji starter, you need to take raw rice and rinse it well in running water. You need to wash the rice until the water is completely clear.

Please note that the washed rice should be thoroughly dry from the water. Place the rice in a sieve or fine colander and leave for 40-50 minutes - all excess liquid should drain off.

High-quality sourdough is prepared only from steamed rice, so use a slow cooker or double boiler. Cool the finished rice slightly to room temperature, sprinkle with koji-kin seeds and leave to ferment for 14-16 hours. To prevent the rice from drying out, you will need to cover it - moisten a piece of cotton cloth or gauze folded in several layers.

Determining the readiness of the sourdough is very simple - snow-white rice should have a sharp smell of cheese.

Before you make sake, you need to make a moto - a living starter. Steam steamed rice, mix it with koji starter, add a little warm water and dry yeast. It is better to take baker's yeast - for drinks and baked goods.

Transfer the resulting mixture into a glass jar, close it with a lid, stir and place in a cool place or refrigerator.

For ten days you need to shake the moto starter daily. The finished moto looks like a cream soup.

Once the malt starter is ready, you can start making homemade sake.

The preparation process is quite long and takes a total of more than 30 days. Despite this, the result will not disappoint you and next time it will be easier for you to prepare this amazing drink.

Before making sake, cook rice, cool 375 grams to room temperature and mix with 450 ml of water, moto starter and a glass of koji in any glass container. It is best to use a three-liter bottle for this - it will be more convenient to observe the process.

Leave the resulting mixture in a warm place for a day - during this time the rice should absorb all the liquid.

Stir well several times throughout the day.

On the third day, you need to add another 750 grams of steamed rice, 225 grams of koji starter and 6 glasses of water. Mix well and leave in a warm place for 12 hours. Shake the resulting mixture every 10-12 hours!
The next day, add the remaining cooked rice, koji and water, stir and place in a warm place.

From day 5, strong fermentation will begin. Depending on the desired strength of the drink, soak the sake for 2-3 weeks. On day 20, the strength of the drink will be approximately 19%. On day 10, the strength of the drink is 15%.

Before drinking, the drink must be strained through cheesecloth and poured into glass bottles.

This sake can be stored in the refrigerator for a month. If you have prepared a large quantity and want to make old sake, before bottling it will need to be heated in a bathhouse at 60 degrees for 5 minutes.

To enjoy the taste of this wonderful drink, you should know how to drink sake correctly.

The Japanese recommend drinking the drink slightly warmed from small glasses. The optimal temperature is considered to be 15-25 degrees. If you have the opportunity to purchase special cups of choko, you can experience the real taste of the traditional Japanese treat.

Rice vodka (sake) has become widespread due to its unique, incomparable taste. The product is the national drink of Japan. It does not belong to any category of alcoholic beverages. It can be consumed either hot or chilled. The Japanese often add sake to various dishes to emphasize their sophistication and uniqueness. What are the secrets of making original rice vodka? How to get it at home?

History and features of the preparation of the national Japanese drink

Sake first appeared in Japan about 2000 years ago. Initially, the process of preparing this drink was simple and primitive. It involved chewing and fermenting rice. After the discovery of the koji mold, technology changed. This substance became a replacement for saliva during fermentation. Today in Japan, rice vodka is produced in large quantities. Almost every locality in the country has a plant where this drink is produced. There are hundreds of recipes for its preparation.

The production process begins with special preparation of rice. For this purpose, a special coarse-grained cereal is grown. It is carefully polished, washed, and stored for some time in a room with high air humidity. The last preparatory stage is steam treatment. Next, moldy fungus koji is introduced into the grain mass. Its peculiarity lies in its ability to convert starch into alcohol. The resulting mixture is combined with yeast. Fermentation takes place over three months. After their expiration, the drink is filtered and bottled.

Sake is classified into several types. Based on the level of strength, spiciness and sweetness, there are both light and scalding drinks. Young vodka has a light yellow color, while aged vodka is dark. The taste of this type of alcohol has fruity notes. The reason for this fact is unknown even to experienced specialists.

How to cook at home

It takes about three weeks to make sake at home. To get a drink with an original taste, you must carefully follow the technology. The following ingredients will be required:

high-quality polished rice – 180 g;
purified water – 300 ml;
special moldy rice fungus – 100 g;
freshly squeezed lemon juice – 3 ml;
yeast – 3 g.

The cooking process is step-by-step. The following technology must be observed:

Preparing rice. The grains are sorted and filled with water for 12 hours to obtain a more pronounced taste. After washing, the cereal is boiled. A steamer is used for this. Traditional cooking in a saucepan over low heat is acceptable.
Fermentation. The cooled mixture is placed in a pre-sterilized container. Lemon juice, fungus and yeast are introduced here. The mass is thoroughly mixed. It should occupy a third of the volume of the dishes. The latter is placed in a dark, cool place. The mash is mixed daily. Close the container with a regular rubber glove or water seal.
Filtration and storage. During the fermentation process, small bubbles appear. After about three weeks, gases stop being released. Sediment forms at the bottom. This indicates that the drink is ready and can be filtered. For filtration, cotton wool is used, placed between several layers of gauze. Sake is poured into a glass, hermetically sealed bottle. Rice vodka is stored in a cool place.

Based on this recipe, you can get 500 ml of the drink. The strength will be about 20 degrees. To prepare more sake, the amount of ingredients must be increased proportionally. For long-term storage of rice vodka, the drink should be pasteurized after filtering for 10 minutes at a temperature of 60 degrees.

The Japanese have a unique national cultural tradition, which is in many ways different from other neighbors in the region. It has many expressions, and in the production of alcohol too. Every resident of Japan knows exactly how to drink sake, from what container, chilled or heated, to drink it. Scientists from Tokyo believe that in small doses the drink stimulates mental activity.

The third millennium of the “sake era”

The Japanese have known for a long time how to make their own alcohol from available raw materials. The first mention of this product dates back to 720 BC. e. Ancient technology had differences. Rice grains were chewed in the mouth to initiate the fermentation process. The technological cycle and recipe for sake were finally “modernized” by the 12th century. The saliva was replaced with koji, a moldy product. It is considered the basis of the national cuisine of Japan. Today, the drink is produced by more than 2,000 enterprises scattered throughout the country.

True technologies and names

To consider a Japanese alcoholic product “rice vodka” is blasphemy. This is not beer or wine. A person who knows how to make sake will never classify it as any type of alcoholic beverage. The famous Far Eastern alcohol is original; it does not fit into the European classification of wines or any other.

Name by mistake

In the language of the cherry blossom country, alcohol made from rice is called "nihonshu". The term “sake” (“o-sake”) means any alcohol. An error by the translators made the latter position a well-known brand.

Especially about production

Technologically, the production cycle is divided into several stages, which have some similarities with the production of beer (mold fermentation) and distillates (distillation should be understood as nothing more than pasteurization!). The final consistency is at the level of liqueurs.

First, a special starter is prepared from 1/4 of a grain of rice. Rice, with the addition of koji, is placed in a room (chamber) with high humidity (35 hours).
The remaining rice is steamed and mixed with the resulting mixture of wort and yeast.
Fermentation (fermentation) lasts for 90 days.

He's so different

The alcohol strength level is 18–20°. It is customary for the Japanese to dilute their “business card” to 14-16°. The color scheme varies in light green-yellow tones. The taste variety is extremely wide. There are types with shades of apple, grape berries, cheese, banana and even mushrooms. Sometimes the drink can be very spicy, like chili sauce. It is not known for certain where such a spread comes from.

We can cook at home

The question of how to prepare sake at home has certain difficulties. All of them are surmountable if you have the necessary components, sufficient time and patience. List of ingredients (sourdough):

Round grain rice (800 g);
Steamed rice (187.5 g);
“Koji” rice (75 g);
5 grams of yeast;
Koji-kin (seeds) 1 teaspoon.

The last item will have to be ordered online or searched in specialized markets.

Preparing rice sourdough. Steam 400 grams of rice and cool. Add koji-kin spores. Cover the container with a damp cloth (drying out is unacceptable) and let it sit for 15 hours. If you smell cheese, that's a good sign.
“Steam” 187.5 grams of rice grain, cool. Mix with koji rice, adding water and yeast. Keep in the refrigerator for 10 days. Shake the mixture periodically. The result is a starter for homemade sake.
The time cycle for preparing the drink will take several days. First (day one), pour 375 grams of rice, 150 grams of koji and the entire starter into 450 ml of cold boiling water.

Stir and leave to ferment for 15 hours. On the second day, continue stirring the mixture.
Day three. Stir the fermented mixture, add 750 g of processed grain, koji (225 g), add water (1170 ml). After 10 hours, mix everything and continue stirring cyclically (every 2-3 hours).
Day four: 1125 g of rice, koji (335 g), add water (2250 ml). Mix thoroughly. Do this for the next 2 days. Then leave it to ferment. After 20 days, the yeast will lose its activity. Pour the 18.5° strength drink into bottles.

The recipe may “scare off” the amateur with its apparent complexity and labor-intensive nature, but in reality, any connoisseur of homemade alcohol can produce it at home.

Correct traditions

How to drink sake correctly? Our own consumption culture is the answer to this question. The drink is served in a ceramic jug and drunk from small cups in 2-3 sips. Each serving is poured just before toast. The drink develops most fully at a temperature of 15–30 °C. Sometimes fans prefer to heat it up, and some drink it chilled (with an ice cube). The difference in consumption methods is influenced by the peculiarities of the perception of taste of an individual and a group of connoisseurs.

According to tradition, in summer it is recommended to drink a light drink, and in winter it is better to try strong sake, which should be warmed up a little. This method is called “kanzake”. It is very important not to overdo it with heating, otherwise the unique aroma will be lost.

The snack is regulated by Japanese dishes and snacks accepted in Europe: nuts, chips, cheese. A more “strong” type can be combined with sea-caught/raised products and meat. The drink is weak in strength (about 14–18°) and drinks quite easily. Differs from beer with low calorie content.

Established in cooking

The Japanese know not only how to drink sake, but how to cook with it. In cooking, the drink is suitable for preparing many dishes. It goes well with fish and eliminates its unpleasant aftertaste. Sake is used to prepare chicken fries, a national Japanese dish.

Clear benefits

The amino acids contained in the drink “inhibit” the growth of cancer cells and help protect the human body from various ailments. Minimizing cholesterol levels and positive dynamics in the circulatory system are common positive effects from any alcohol consumed in moderation. Compresses flavored with sake are applied to bruises, bruises, wounds and sprains by Japanese sumo wrestlers.

Educational information about Sake

Sake or rice vodka is a traditional alcohol in Japan, China, Vietnam and other Asian countries.

More precisely, sake is a common name for all types of alcohol, and the Japanese call a drink made from rice nihonshu.

The taste of rice vodka is so far from European ideas about alcohol that it is difficult to attribute it to wine, beer or another type.

Tasters say the sake has notes of sherry, grapes, cheese, bananas, mushrooms and other unexpected flavors. The strength of the drink is approximately 15% vol.

Sake cannot be called vodka, because it is produced not by distillation, but by pasteurization. The drink does not fall under the concept of “wine”, since fermentation with mold is not fermentation. The original technology determines the unusual taste and aroma of rice alcohol.

How sake is prepared in Japan

Two thousand years ago, sake was available only to royalty and Shinto monks, but in the Middle Ages, peasants mastered the production.

The ancient technology, fortunately, is not used today - chewed rice was spat into a vat and waited for fermentation. Then they started using koji- a mold fungus, and they refused to chew it. Rice vodka began to be produced on an industrial scale in the 17th century. in Kyoto, Osaka, Hyogo and Nara.

Now there are several types of drink:

25% Futsushu wine accounts for 75% of production.
The rough "Honjozo" is made with the addition of distilled alcohol.
In "Jummai" only rice is used, no additives are provided.
Fruity-floral Ginjo may contain special yeast.
"Daiginjo" consists of the best varieties of rice.

Only special varieties of large rice with heavy starchy grains are suitable for Japanese sake. Special requirements apply to water, it should be rich in potassium, magnesium, phosphorus and calcium, but completely free of manganese and iron. Only a few sources on the Japanese islands are considered suitable.

The cooking process includes the following steps:

Rice is polished to remove the bran. They do this to minimize the content of fats and proteins. The price and category of sake depend on the thoroughness of the polishing; expensive varieties are made from rice that has been ground to 65%, but the percentage of polishing is rarely below 30. Polishing takes about three days.
The washed grains are soaked and carefully steamed to the desired condition.
Prepare the dough. Koji mold is spread on the steamed grains and kept at a consistently elevated temperature and humidity for one and a half to two days.
After fermentation of the fungus, the mass is mixed with yeast, water and steamed rice and wait until alcohol is formed. Thus, after a month, a mash is obtained - moto, which, after the next addition of rice and water, turns into the main mash - moromi. This is a multi-step process lasting four days.
Fermentation of expensive types of alcohol continues at a temperature of 10 o C for more than a month. Cheaper sake matures at room temperature for about three weeks.
After fermentation, the liquid is filtered or pressed, separating it from the sediment. The resulting alcohol can be called sake only after the sediment has been completely removed. Alcohol is suitable for sale in a completely transparent form. True, there are cloudy varieties, to which sediment is specially added to create a “haze”.
Filtered sake is passed through activated carbon to remove odor and color. But some varieties are left in their original form.
To eliminate bacteria and yeast, finished sake is pasteurized and kept in sealed containers for six months to a year.

Usually the result is a 20-degree drink, which is diluted to 15% vol. before bottling.

Vietnamese variety

In Vietnam, rice vodka is a national drink; it is made at home; there are always several types of different prices and quality on store shelves. Based on this alcohol, tinctures are produced with herbs and such unexpected ingredients as lizards, snakes and seahorses.

For high-quality alcohol, yellow rice from the Hong Ha River valley is used; aromatic lychees are added for taste - these sweet tropical fruits are distinguished by a rich bouquet of aromas. Only the Vietnamese like red rice vodka, but the product made from sticky white grains deserves attention.

Chinese Maotai

In China, a special variety of rice is grown to produce vodka. Shanlan. The grains are ground and fermented with yeast at high temperatures.

This is followed by repeated distillation over a month and distillation. After this, maotai is kept in cellars for three years, but even then the vodka is considered young. Three-year-old alcohol is mixed with older alcohol; the finished maotai must reach 53 degrees strength.

Maotai in China is called the drink of diplomats; strong rice vodka is well known in the world and is considered national Chinese pride.

Homemade recipe

Sake recipes are very similar to the production process, the main difference is the starter - for beer, the malt is sprouted, and the rice is fermented.

For fermentation, you will need a koji culture, which is sprouted on starchy foods. The seeds are white, yellow, green and black, and differ in purpose and taste. White grains are universal; the Japanese dish miso is prepared from yellow and green grains; black grains are suitable for alcohol that requires distillation.

Sake requires frozen koji on rice; without them, rice vodka cannot be made. You can buy frozen koji in a specialized store or online store.

Koji Sourdough

Ingredients:

A teaspoon of koji.
800 g round rice.

Preparation:

Rinse the rice until the water runs clear.
Place in a fine colander or sieve for an hour until the water drains completely.
Cook the rice in a steam or multicooker, you can arrange a regular steam bath. You cannot cook rice like porridge - it will not ferment.
When the rice has cooled to 20°C, sprinkle koji and cover with a wet cotton or gauze napkin.
After 16 hours, the rice will become snow-white and a cheesy aroma will appear - this is a sign that the sourdough is ready.

Sourdough Moto

Ingredients:

Koji starter - 75 g.
Round steamed rice - 180 g.
Filtered water - 270 ml.
Dry baker's yeast - 5 g.

Preparation:

Place the well-washed rice in a sieve and let the water drain completely. This will take about an hour. Steam it.
Mix the cooled rice with koji starter, cover with warm water, add yeast. Stir.
Transfer the mixture into a three-liter glass jar, close the lid and refrigerate for 10 days. Stir the rice every day.
The finished starter will have the consistency of thick sour cream.

Put sake for fermentation

Ingredients:

15 cups steamed round rice;
700 g Koji starter;
500 g Moto starter;
4 liters of clean water.

Preparation:

1-2 days. Mix 375 g of chilled steamed rice with Moto (500 g), water (450 ml) and a glass of Koji starter. Leave the mixture in a three-liter glass jar warm, stir several times a day so that the liquid is completely absorbed.
3rd day. Add 750 g rice, 225 g Koji (sourdough starter) and 6 cups water (1200 ml). Stir and leave for 12 hours.
4th day. Add all the remaining ingredients, mix well and leave for a day.
5th day. At this time, fermentation should begin. Age the sake, periodically measuring the strength.
10th day. The sake will acquire a 15-degree strength.
Day 20 The strength will increase to 19% vol.
Filter the finished sake and bottle it. The drink can be stored in the refrigerator for one month.

Continue watching the video on how to ferment rice raw materials using koji in two ways:

Good sake is drunk cold

The Japanese have long established a rule according to which high-quality sake benefits when cooled to +5 o C. If the rice alcohol is questionable, it is better to heat it until it is hot. At a temperature of +60 o C, taste and aroma almost disappear.

Traditionally, sake is drunk from choko - small cups that are filled from a special tokkuri jug. Before drinking, you need to say “Compay” (to the bottom). In Japan, national alcohol is eaten with local dishes, but cheese, nuts and chips will also be welcome.

What are the benefits of sake?

Japanese scientists, with their usual meticulousness, studied the properties of rice alcohol and came to the conclusion that sake in small quantities is good for health. Thanks to its rich mineral composition, it normalizes blood pressure, strengthens memory, and activates blood circulation.

It is not forbidden to take a cup of sake as a medicine for minor heart problems and as a prevention of malignant tumors. But even without medical reports, the inhabitants of the Celestial Empire call sake a sacred moisture that prolongs youth.

Small doses of alcohol from rice help to fall asleep in case of insomnia, and invigorate in case of chronic fatigue. Baths with a glass of sake and compresses also have a positive effect; Japanese women like to use rice alcohol to wipe the skin, which clears acne, tightens and becomes softer.

The drink has also found effective use in cooking - fish is dipped into the solution before cooking, sake is added to dishes with chicken, and poisonous fugu fish is prepared with it.

Calling sake vodka can only be conditional - its consistency is closer to liqueur, and the taste does not in any way resemble the usual alcohol. The color of sake can be soft yellow, golden, amber. It’s worth making rice alcohol at home, at least for variety. If you decide to experiment, be sure to tell us about the results.

Sake is drunk hot - that's all the average person knows. And it doesn't sound very attractive. Who in Russia will drink warm vodka? Nevertheless, curiosity is a strong thing, and at least for its sake, this exotic drink is worth trying.

Every prefecture has at least two types of sake. There are forty-seven prefectures in Japan. It immediately seems like there are many varieties of this drink. However, the subtleties of distinguishing one from another are subject to only the most partial Japanese people, and for a European resident this task is hardly feasible. Sweet additives play a significant role in the variety of sake flavors.

Homemade sake recipe

There is nothing complicated about making sake. The rice is washed in water until it is completely clean. After this, the processed rice is steamed, the resulting broth is drained, and the rice must dry for the next forty minutes.

Next you need to mix the rice with koji starter, warm water and dry yeast. Yeast for drinks and baking is the most suitable option. The resulting mixture should be placed in a glass jar, stirred, close the lid and put in a cool place - the refrigerator, for example. This is how you get moto starter.

The finished moto starter resembles a cream soup, but this requires shaking it daily for ten days. And only after such simple operations can we move on to preparing sake.

Preparing sake takes no less than thirty days, but it is worth it, and each subsequent time it will become easier and easier to cope with this task.

Before you start, you need to cook the rice, cool 375 g to room temperature, mix with 450 ml of water and starter in any glass container. A three-liter bottle is the ideal choice for monitoring the process.

Over the course of a day in the warmth, the rice will absorb all the liquid. Do not forget to stir it several times throughout the day, and only on the third day should you add 750 g of steamed rice, 225 g of starter and 6 glasses of water to the mixture. Stir thoroughly, keep warm for 12 hours, shake every 10-12 hours, and the next day you can add the remaining rice and water. Then you need to mix again and return the result to a warm place.

The stage of strong fermentation will begin on the fifth day. Sake needs to be aged for 2-3 weeks, depending on what strength you want the drink to be. Everything is simple here: 20 days - 19%, 10 days - 15%. At the end of aging, you need to filter the drink through cheesecloth and store it in a glass bottle.

Watch a video of making homemade sake.