Brown Rice Amazake (玄米甘酒) is the Japanese sweet sake made by combining brown rice and koji (Aspergillus Oryzae) and fermenting the ingredients. Compared with white rice amazake, brown rice amazake has a unique and earthy taste of brown rice. It's very delicious even for those who don't consume brown rice daily.
Keep reading to find the brown rice amazake recipe with only 2 simple steps! (mixing and fermenting)
The brown rice amazake contains glucose, vitamin B complex, amino acid, and oligosaccharide, which shows good effects on health.
Glucose
By taking glucose, you will get energy, and it will refresh your brain. Amazake said to have the same ingredient for the IV drip from the hospital to help you energize but with healthy and natural ingredients.
Vitamin B Complex
Plenty of vitamins are produced during the fermentation process. Vitamin B complex functions to improve metabolism and converts sugar into energy. It also works to eliminate fatigue, stress, and rough skin.
Amino Acid
The human body is composed of about 20 kinds of amino acids, and when it lacks the essential amino acid, the body condition tends to collapse more easily. Amazake contains lots of the essential amino acid that is good to maintain the body condition.
Oligosaccharide
Oligosaccharide becomes food for good bacteria like Bifidobacterium. It increases the good bacteria in the intestinal and therefore fits up the intestinal environment. It helps to relieve constipation and boost immunity.
How to Make Amazake (Sweet Sake)
Japanese sweet sake (Amazake) is known for its health benefits since Japan's Kofun Period. Learn how to make homemade amazake easily using fermenter, rice cooker, or thermos (3 ways). You can also find the grainless amazake recipe: simple and delicious amazake without rice grain made with rice koji powder. Read more
Types of Amazake
There are two types of amazake; one made from sake lees and one made with koji and rice.
The amazake made from sake lees (sake kasu) has plenty of nutrients, so it looks good for your health. However, we can not hope for good health and beauty benefits because this type of amazake has a high calorie and little alcohol that remains for the sake lees. If you can't drink alcohol or want to make amazake for children, let's not choose the amazake made from sake less.
Meanwhile, the amazake made from rice and koji doesn't contain any alcohol. It also tastes sweet without using any sugar. Therefore the calorie is low.
This article will cover the brown rice amazake recipe. The recipes below will be using brown rice and koji only. Thus the resulted amazake is alcohol-free and full of nutrients.
Making homemade brown rice is very simple and fun, so let's try it by all means!
How to Make Brown Rice Amazake
with Brown Rice and Koji
In this recipe 1, we will introduce the steps necessary for making the Brown Rice Amazake by only using brown rice and rice koji. Find the well-balance taste of brown rice and white rice in one amazake!
* Note: please choose either using fermenter or rice cooker. We will include both methods in the recipe explanation below.
Important Point!
It's best to wash appliances to prevent the growth of bacteria. It is safe to boil and disinfect all the tools before using them.
Steps
Let's make Brown Rice Amazake with rice koji and brown rice!
1. Mix cooked brown rice and lukewarm water in the bowl.
Put 400ml of lukewarm water and 200g of cooked brown rice into the prepared bowl. Mix well so that the mass of rice will disappear. Leave it until the temperature reaches 60℃.
2. Add rice koji and mix well.
When the temperature reaches about 60℃, add rice koji and mix well. Make sure all of the mass is mixed with water. If there is a mass of koji or rice left there, it would not be finished as a good amazake.
3.1 If you are using a fermenter: Warm it at 55-60℃ for about 6 hours.
Transfer the mixture of the ingredients to the fermenter.
Please keep it warm at the estimated time (6 hours) to make the taste not too sour or cause discoloration. You can easily manage the temperature if you have a Yogurt Maker or fermenter appliances such as Yogurtia and rice cooker.
3.2 If you are using a rice cooker: Warm it with the warm-keeping mode for about 6 hours.
Transfer the ingredient mixture to the rice cooker. Set the rice cooker in the warm-keeping mode, and leave the lid a little open. Please use a dishtowel or a cloth to cover the lid and pressure the top with a heavy object.
Please keep it warm at the estimated time (6 hours) to make the taste not too sour or cause discoloration.
Amazake is completed!
After warming it for 5-6 hours, the sweet smell of koji drifts in the air.
Stir the container well, and the brown rice amazake is finished.
It is a delicious brown rice amazake made only from brown rice and koji, without sugar, and contains 0% of alcohol.
Homemade Brown Rice Amazake: Preservation Method
Preservation in the refrigerator: around 5-7 days.
Preservation in the freezer: about 3 months.
The homemade amazake needs to be kept in the freezer for long-term preservation to keep the yeast alive. But we recommend consuming it as soon as possible to taste the fresh amazake flavor.
How to Make Brown Rice Amazake
with Brown Rice Koji
This recipe 2 will show how to make Brown Rice Amazake only with brown rice koji. You can expect the full brown rice unique flavor in the finished amazake!
* Note: please choose either using fermenter or rice cooker. We will include both methods in the recipe explanation below.
Important Point!
It's best to wash appliances to prevent the growth of bacteria. It is safe to boil and disinfect all the tools before using them.
Steps
Let's make Brown Rice Amazake using only brown rice koji and water!
1. Mix brown rice koji and 55-60℃ of hot water in the bowl.
Put 400ml of hot water and 300g of dried brown rice koji into the prepared bowl. Mix well so that the mass of brown rice koji will disappear. Leave it until the temperature reaches 60℃.
2 Warm it at 55-60℃ for about 6 hours.
Transfer the mixture of the ingredients to the fermenter.
Please keep it warm at the estimated time (6 hours) to make the taste not too sour or cause discoloration. You can easily manage the temperature if you have a Yogurt Maker or fermenter appliances such as Yogurtia and rice cooker.
If you are using rice cooker,
Transfer the ingredient mixture to the rice cooker. Set the rice cooker in the warm-keeping mode, and leave the lid a little open. Please use a dishtowel or a cloth to cover the lid and pressure the top with a heavy object.
Please keep it warm at the estimated time (6 hours) to make the taste not too sour or cause discoloration.
Amazake is completed!
After warming it for 5-6 hours, the sweet smell of koji drifts in the air.
Stir the container well, and the brown rice amazake is finished.
It is a delicious brown rice amazake made only from brown rice koji, without sugar, and contains 0% of alcohol.
Homemade Brown Rice Amazake: Preservation Method
Preservation in the refrigerator: around 5-7 days.
Preservation in the freezer: about 3 months.
The homemade amazake needs to be kept in the freezer for long-term preservation to keep the yeast alive. But we recommend consuming it as soon as possible to taste the fresh amazake flavor.
How to Make Brown Rice Amazake FAQ
What is brown rice amazake?
Brown Rice Amazake (玄米甘酒, genmai amazake) is the Japanese sweet sake made by combining brown rice and koji and fermenting the ingredients. This drink is low-calorie, rich in nutrients, and naturally gluten-free. Use it as a sugar alternative to make smoothies, baking, and making baby food.
Check the ingredients you need to make brown rice amazake here.
My finished amazake has a sour taste. How can I fix this?
If the finished amazake has a sour taste, there is a possibility that you ferment it for too long. Please warm the amazake for just about 6 hours. Keep the time (6 hours) and temperature (55-60℃) in the correct number and check the finished amazake once the fermentation reaches 6 hours.
Also, if the leftover amazake has a sour taste, let's discard it immediately.
Is it okay if I don't track the temperature when making brown rice amazake?
Please make sure that you warm the amazake at the right temperature (between 55-60℃). Keeping the temperature right will result in delicious amazake.
If you use fermenter appliances to ferment the amazake, you can set the temperature at a constant number, which is convenient. However, if you use the appliances without an automatic temperature setting, please check the temperature periodically with thermometer and make sure it is between 55-60℃.
Is brown rice amazake is consumable for children?
The brown rice amazake made of brown rice and koji is alcohol-free and has no additional sugar, so it's completely safe and consumable for children.
There is also amazake made with sake lees that has a low alcohol content. If you want to make amazake for children, please choose the amazake made without sake lees.
How to make amazake with white rice?
If brown rice amazake isn't really your style, you can also make original amazake with white rice and rice koji. Find the white rice amazake recipe here.
Recommended Amazake Products
White Rice Amazake 300g × 2pc - Non-Alcoholic, Additives-Free, Amazake Made Using Organic Rice Koji
A handmade amazake made at a factory in Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture, using only organic rice from California. This amazake is made with the traditional method by using only rice without using any sweeteners such as sugar. JAS organic certified and FDA certified. A pack of 300g x 2.
White Rice Amazake 300g × 3pc - Non-Alcoholic, Additives-Free, Amazake Made Using Organic Rice Koji
A handmade amazake made at a factory in Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture, using only organic rice from California. This amazake is made with the traditional method by using only rice without using any sweeteners such as sugar. JAS organic certified and FDA certified. A pack of 300g x 3.
Recommended Products for Making Brown Rice Amazake
Find the ingredients needed to make delicious homemade brown rice amazake below.
Japanese Organic Dried Brown Rice Koji 860g - Additives-Free, Carefully Made By Skilled Craftsmen
It is a handmade dried brown rice koji made by craftsmen using only white rice with organic JAS certification from Okayama prefecture. No additives are used here so you can enjoy the original aroma and flavor of the material.
Japanese Organic Dried White Rice Koji 860g - Additives-Free, Carefully Made By Skilled Craftsmen
It is a handmade dried koji made by craftsmen using only white rice with organic JAS certification from Okayama prefecture. No additives are used here so you can enjoy the original aroma and flavor of the material.
It is an organic, pesticide-free, and non-chemical fertilizer cultivation (such as herbicide) brown rice for around 10 years—the Japanese brown rice with small grains but high energy and no impurities.
Ogata Health Farm's Hinohikari Organic Brown Rice 2.5kg
For around 20 years, Hinohikari brown rice is rice of non-chemical agricultural without any pesticide, chemical fertilizers, herbicide, etc. A pure brown rice with small grains but contains high energy in every grain. The production volume is limited to a small quantity. This rice is very ideal for you who want to fix an atopy or rice all energy.
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