The
first time that I heard about Chinese fermented rice, it was from a fellow
American student in Taipei. She told me with singular excitement that she had
just seen people there eating rice wine soup for breakfast. And that she had
tried a bowl. And that it was really, really good.
Intrigued at the thought of enjoying a hot toddy some time between getting up
and yet another day of slogging through my impenetrable Chinese textbooks, I
sped down to the alley she had described and ordered a big bowl of jiuniang dan, or fermented rice with a poached
egg. Sweet, perfumed, and definitely alcoholic, this was sheer heaven. I broke
out in a big sweat and turned up for class with a shiny red face, happier than
usual to be where I was, and very sure of where I was going to dine the next
morning.
Then
I discovered that this could be served with little rice balls - sort of like
bits of mochi - at the Beijing-style shop, or with sliced rice cakes
(niangao) at the stand run by a guy
from Ningbo, or with larger rice balls stuffed with ground black sesame at the
Shanghainese place, or in a bunch of other ways. Once I had gotten over the
sheer novelty of this spectacular winter breakfast, I looked up and noticed
that the locals usually clutched something crunchy in their one hand while
spooning up the sweet soup with the other. Yet another instance of
enlightenment descended upon me. Yes, of course, I thought... hard with soft,
crunchy with chewy, plain with sweet, cool with hot - all the Chinese
principles of yin and yang right there before 8 a.m.
When
we returned to the States, one of my first orders of business was to make big
crocks of homemade fermented rice throughout the cold months. Toe warming and
chock-full of what must be nothing short of massive amounts of alcohol-induced
endorphins, we not only had bowls of this hot sweet soup for breakfast and as
late night snacks, but also started to use it in such marvels as the
Sichuan-style fish with spicy bean paste (la
douban yu) that became nothing short of heavenly when fermented rice was
used instead of rice wine.
And
what is particularly endearing about homemade fermented rice is that it is
incredibly easy and cheap. The only unusual ingredient is the yeast, which you
can get from almost any Chinese grocery store, and which keeps practically
forever as long as you close it up in a Ziploc bag and freeze it. (Do note that
if it's kept outside, such as in a pantry or cupboard, it will often turn
buggy; check the yeast carefully before you buy it, and only take it home if
the yeast is a pure white with no suspicious dust clinging to the bottom of the
bag.)
You
can of course probably buy jiuniang already
made in the refrigerated section of your favorite Chinese grocery store. But
it's expensive that way and of course never as good as homemade. Besides, if
you have a big batch of it sitting in your fridge, you will have many more
opportunities to enjoy it.
I
have made this for years and have finally perfected the technique. When I started
out, every Chinese recipe I read informed me in no uncertain terms that the
rice should be fermented v-e-r-y s-l-o-w-l-y. So, I did what they said
and watched as batch after batch lost out in the race between yeast and mold.
My secret that I am about to share with you is this: get the yeast off to a
roaring start, and there will be no contest at all. Once the yeast has taken
over the jar - preferably in less than 24 hours - the rest of the fermentation
process is pretty much clear sailing.
The
other caveat that I can't stress enough is that everything that touches the
fermented rice at every stage must be absolutely clean. If there is even a
whisper of oil or contamination anywhere along the way, the whole batch could
go south in an instant. So, wash every utensil and rinse them clean, including
bamboo steamers, cheesecloth, and of course your hands. If some steamed rice
hits the counter instead of the jar, just eat the wayward grains rather than
risk throwing away the rest of the rice.
After
the rice has started to exude liquid, it will smell faintly yeasty and fruity,
but not yet alcoholic; that will take a couple more days of fermentation.
As the yeast grows, it will release lots of carbon dioxide, which will create
bubbles in the rice and cause the mass of steamed rice to eventually float, and
the jar will need to have a safety valve to keep it from exploding. For this
reason I put a couple layers of cheesecloth and a sheet of plastic wrap between
the jar and the lid, and this also keeps any curious fruit flies from invading
my precious horde.
The
way I get the yeast to take off so quickly and subdue any errant mold spores
that might try to make headway is threefold:
- First, I use a bit of cornstarch and sugar so that the yeast can have
something to immediately feed on without waiting for the rice to break down
into manageable bites.
- Second, I use boiled, filtered water so that the rice mixture stays clean
clean clean.
- And finally, I put the inoculated rice into a very warm place for the first
24 hours, by which time fermentation will have begun. I've been refining this
recipe for fermented rice for over three decades now, and it's the best you'll
find anywhere.
And,
as I discuss in a later column, Fermented
Rice Deja Vu, I've hit upon an easier way to steam the rice. Rather
than use the bamboo steam baskets outlined below, this rice can be done in a
rice cooker! This saves lots of trouble and time, and it works like a dream;
see the Modern Method below for more about this.
Both
Shanghai and Beijing lay claim to fermented rice, and it's used throughout most
of China, so it is one of those things that are almost universally Chinese and
seems to have worked its way into the good graces of just about every cuisine
that allows alcohol.
It can be enjoyed as a simple hot soup with nothing more than a quick boil with
some water and sugar -- and this is also terrific chilled as a Chinese summer
aperitif -- or with an egg cooked in it, or with those rice cakes or rice balls
I mentioned above, but try it too in savory dishes, in almost any place that
calls for rice wine, for the grains can be strained out if needed. You can also
turn this into any number of magical dishes, from fish to pickled
cucumbers.
Feel
free to double or triple this recipe once you get the hang of it. The
directions are very detailed, but you will find that it is not at all hard
after the first time around. Versatile, cheap, easy... this is a great recipe
to master, and you also get to look incredibly competent cooking away with your
own homemade hooch.
Homemade fermented rice
Jiuniang 酒釀
All
over China
Makes
a large jarful
3 pounds round, polished sticky (also called "glutinous" or
"sweet") rice; don't use long grain, brown, or other rices
2
cups cooled filtered, boiled water, divided (for fermenting)
1
Chinese wine yeast ball (jiuqu)
Lots
of cooled filtered, boiled water (for rinsing and for cooking when using the
modern method)
2
tablespoons sugar
1
tablespoon cornstarch
Traditional
method:
1.
You will need a very clean 2-quart glass jar with a lid, very clean
cheesecloth, and very clean steamer baskets. Start by scrubbing the jar and
baskets with soap and water, pouring boiling water over them, and allowing them
to air dry. Launder the cheesecloth if it isn't brand new, rinse it out well,
place it in a clean colander, and pour boiling water over it before letting it
air dry, too.
2.
Rinse the rice three times in running water, and then cover it with cool water
by at least 2 inches; allow the rice to soak for 8 hours or overnight. If you
are not going to steam it right away, place the soaked rice in a clean
container and refrigerate.
3.
The next step is the steaming. Prepare a pot or an old wok for under your
baskets and fill them partway with water; have a pot of boiling filtered water
ready, as well as a very clean slotted spoon.
4.
You will need four steamer baskets, or you can use only two baskets and steam
the rice in two batches. Do not try to steam the rice in only two baskets all
at once because the rice layers will be too thick, the rice will cook unevenly,
and it will take forever. (I know this from personal experience since I'm
always looking for shortcuts...) Line the baskets with at least two layers of
the clean cheesecloth so that there is enough to go up the sides of the baskets
all around and even drape over the edges; this will keep all of the rice in the
baskets and not dribbling out of the sides. Drain the rice, if you haven't done
so already.
5.
Use the slotted spoon to layer about a quarter of the rice into a basket,
spreading out the rice so that it is an even layer of about half an inch thick.
Fold the cheesecloth over the top of the rice and repeat with the rest of the
rice if you have four steamer baskets, or half if you have only two. Cover the
baskets with their lid and steam the rice for about 20 minutes. Remove the lid
and reverse the position of the baskets so that the top basket is on the
bottom, and so forth. Pour a pot of boiling water over the top layer of rice;
this will filter down through the rest of the rice and help the rice plump up,
as well as fill up the bottom of your steamer. Cover and steam the rice for
another 15 to 20 minutes, or until the rice is cooked but not soggy. Remove the
baskets from the pot and let them cool off for about 10 minutes.
6.
Put the yeast ball in a small, clean bowl and pour in ¼ cup of the cooled,
filtered boiled water for fermenting, and allow the yeast to soften while you
rinse the cooked rice. Place a very clean sieve with medium holes in the sink.
Dump one basket of cooked rice into the sieve and peel off the cheesecloth; if
it sticks to the rice, run some water over the cloth and it will come free.
Rinse the rice under cool tap water to break up any clumps; shake off the water
and pour some cooled boiled, filtered water over the rice. Drain the rice again
and put it into the clean jar. Repeat this step with the rest of the rice until
all of it has been rinsed.
7.
When all of the rice has been rinsed and placed in the jar, sprinkle the sugar
and cornstarch on top. Mash the softened yeast ball with a clean spoon and add
it to the jar; use the rest of the cooled, filtered boiled water (1¾ cups) to
rinse out the bowl and into the rice so that you get every last bit of the yeast.
Wash your hands thoroughly and use one hand to gently toss the rice with these
ingredients. Pat the rice into a smooth-ish layer, and then form a well in the
center of the rice, which gives the wine a place to gather the first day. (See
the picture at the top.)
8.
Clean off the top and insides of the jar with a clean paper towel, cover the
jar with a piece of clean cheesecloth and plastic wrap, and then put the lid on
so that it is loose enough to allow air to escape, but secure enough so that
the cheesecloth and plastic wrap will keep any insects out. Use a felt pen
to write the date on the jar so that later on you know when you made it.
9.
Wrap the jar with a kitchen towel and place it in a very warm place, like a gas
oven with only the pilot light on or an electric oven with only the oven light
on. Let the jar sit undisturbed for 24 hours. Check it after that time -- there
should be liquid in that well you made in the rice, and the top of the rice
should not have any mold on it. (If mold forms on the rice, it either was
contaminated somewhere along the line or the rice wasn't fermented in a warm
enough place. When you have mold on top, it's best to toss everything out and
start over, but it's up to you.)
10.
Remove the jar from the oven and place in a relatively warm place, like on the
kitchen counter, so that you can watch the wine formation take place. After two
or three days, the mass of rice will float on top of the wine, and you can
start mixing the rice and wine together and further deterring any mold by
gently swishing the jar around. It will be ready in around a week, but it only
improves as the wine ages. Take whiffs of it now and then -- and even a taste
(with a really clean spoon) -- to make certain that the flavor is sweet and
alcoholic. At the point where you're pleased with it, you should store the
fermented rice in the refrigerator to keep it from fermenting any more and
turning sour. It will keep for many months, but I doubt that it will be hanging
around that long once you try it.
Modern
method:
1. You will need a very clean 2-quart glass jar with a lid and an
electric rice cooker. Start by scrubbing the jar and the insert for the rice
cooker with soap and water, pouring boiling water over them, and allowing them
to air dry.
2. Rinse the rice three times in running water, drain the rice in a sieve (note
that because of the size of most rice cookers, you'll probably have to wash and
cook the rice in two batches), and put half of the rice (24 ounces or
3 cups) in your rice cooker. Add 2¼ cups filtered water, cover, and
turn on the cooker. When the rice is fully cooked, repeat with the other half
of the rice.
3. Put
the yeast ball in a small, clean bowl and pour in ¼ cup of the cooled, filtered
boiled water for fermenting, and allow the yeast to soften while you rinse the
cooked rice. Place a very clean sieve with medium holes in the sink. Dump one
portion of cooked rice into the sieve and rinse the rice under cool tap water
to break up any clumps; shake off the water and pour some cooled boiled,
filtered water over the rice. Drain the rice again and put it into the clean
jar. Repeat this step with the rest of the rice until all of it has been
rinsed.
4. When all of the rice has been rinsed and placed in the jar,
sprinkle the sugar and cornstarch on top. Mash the softened yeast ball with a
clean spoon and add it to the jar; use the rest of the cooled, filtered boiled
water (1¾ cups) to rinse out the bowl and into the rice so that you get every
last bit of the yeast. Wash your hands thoroughly and use one hand to gently
toss the rice with these ingredients. Pat the rice into a more or less smooth
layer, and then form a well in the center of the rice, which gives the wine a
place to gather the first day. (See the picture at the top.)
5. Clean off the top and insides of the jar with a clean paper towel,
cover the jar with a piece of clean cheesecloth and plastic wrap, and then put
the lid on so that it is loose enough to allow air to escape, but secure enough
so that the cheesecloth and plastic wrap will keep any insects out. Use a
felt pen to write the date on the jar so that later on you know when you made
it.
6. Wrap the jar with a kitchen towel and place it in a very warm
place, like a gas oven with only the pilot light on or an electric oven with
only the oven light on. Let the jar sit undisturbed for 24 hours. Check it
after that time - there should be liquid in that well you made in the rice, and
the top of the rice should not have any mold on it. (If mold forms on the rice,
it either was contaminated somewhere along the line or the rice wasn't
fermented in a warm enough place. When you have mold on top, it's best to toss
everything out and start over, but as always it's up to you.)
7. Remove the jar from the oven and place in a relatively warm
place, like on the kitchen counter, so that you can watch the wine formation
take place. After two or three days, the mass of rice will float on top of the
wine, and you can start mixing the rice and wine together and further deterring
any mold by gently swishing the jar around. It will be ready in around a week,
but it only improves as the wine ages. Take whiffs of it now and then - and
even a taste (with a really clean spoon) - to make certain that the flavor is
sweet and alcoholic. At this point where you are pleased with the flavor, you
should store the fermented rice in the refrigerator to keep it from fermenting
anymore and turning sour.
