Rice Wine

[Sugar Toad]

I am following a vague recipe out of a Wei-chuan book. I am using Plum Blossom brand sweet rice, is this the right rice to use? I have made a lot of beer and wine in the past, and I am wondering about the fact that the recipe is made in an open jar. I know you should at least put a cloth over the jar to keep the bugs out, but I cannot get use to the fact that there is no airlock. Will it not turn to vinegar in an open jar? Also is there anything good to do with the leftover solids? P.S. I posted this under elsewhere in asia, but should have posted it here. Sorry about that, I'm new at this.

[Ruth]

Yes you are using the correct rice. It is a long time since I made wine rice but I always used to cover it (not tightly) and leave it in a dark, fairly warm place for two or three days. After that cover tightly and keep in the refrigerator. As long as the rice is covered with the liquid you can keep it indefinitely. I have friends who just eat the left over rice as a dessert! I know of nothing else you can do with it. Wine rice is available now at the Chinese supermarkets and I find little difference between what I buy at the Hong Kong Supermarket and the wine rice I used to make for myself.

I hope that this has been of some help

Edited July 30, 2003 by Ruth (log)

[titus wong]

This is probably of very little help, but when I was a child, a friend of the family did serve us the wine rice as a dessert. I remember it vividly as they had used a candied preserved plum (suan mei) in its preparation. It was very unusual and extremely sour, but good.

[Gary Soup]

Rampant dyslexia here? Or am I the only one who thinks Sugar Toad is asking about making rice wine, not wine rice?

[Sugar Toad]

Rampant dyslexia here?  Or am I the only one who thinks Sugar Toad is asking about making rice wine, not wine rice?

Gary Soup, is right; I am trying to make rice wine, and I thoght the wine rice was a little use by-product. I pitched my yeast about 24-hours ago and nothing is happening yet do you think my yeast is dead?

[trillium]

How warm is the ambient temp? It might need a little more time to get going... I don't know about the Wei chuan recipe, but I've been told you need to use more than 1 cake for a kilo of glutinous rice. My friend's mum using 4 -5 cakes / kilo. I'm sure there is variation though.

Keep us updated!

regards,

trillium

[Sugar Toad]

How warm is the ambient temp?  It might need a little more time to get going...  I don't know about the Wei chuan recipe, but I've been told you need to use more than 1 cake for a kilo of glutinous rice.  My friend's mum using 4 -5 cakes / kilo.  I'm sure there is variation though.

Keep us updated!

regards,

trillium

The Wei-Chuan recipe calls for 3c. rice + 3c. water + 1.5g. of yeast. I weighed the rice and it was about 660g. 1.5g. of yeast is less than 1/2 a ball. My room temp is 78+/- and it is in the dark. I tried to bloom my yeast in a cup of warm water and I couldn't see anything happening. But I have never used this kind of yeast before.

[Shiewie]

I have friends who just eat the left over rice as a dessert!

There is a fermented rice dessert in Malaysia (probably Indonesia and Singapore too) called 'tapai' made much the same way as rice wine. It's sold in supermarkets in plastic containers or at markets in little banana leaf wrapped packages.

[soyamiso]

The Wei-Chuan recipe calls for 3c. rice + 3c. water + 1.5g. of yeast.  I weighed the rice and it was about 660g.  1.5g. of yeast is less than 1/2 a ball.  My room temp is 78+/- and it is in the dark.  I tried to bloom my yeast in a cup of warm water and I couldn't see anything happening.  But I have never used this kind of yeast before.

Any luck so far?

If yeast is the problem, this link may help: http://web.foodnetwork.com/food/web/encycl...70,1177,00.html

As for covering or not covering the wine container, I'd at least use cheesecloth. I had that same question with my salty eggs recipe (I finally decided to tightly seal them, since I found ONE jar sealed that way at the Chinese supermarket. Usually, they're just packed dry in styrofoam).

[Gary Soup]

As for covering or not covering the wine container, I'd at least use cheesecloth.  I had that same question with my salty eggs recipe (I finally decided to tightly seal them, since I found ONE jar sealed that way at the Chinese supermarket.  Usually, they're just packed dry in styrofoam).

Oddly enough, I just noticed the Hubei salted eggs in liquid (brine?) in a jar for the first time today, sitting right next to the ones in styrofoam (and from the same producer). The tight seal may be just for shipping purposes.

[Sugar Toad]

The Wei-Chuan recipe calls for 3c. rice + 3c. water + 1.5g. of yeast.  I weighed the rice and it was about 660g.  1.5g. of yeast is less than 1/2 a ball.  My room temp is 78+/- and it is in the dark.  I tried to bloom my yeast in a cup of warm water and I couldn't see anything happening.  But I have never used this kind of yeast before.

Any luck so far?

If yeast is the problem, this link may help: http://web.foodnetwork.com/food/web/encycl...70,1177,00.html

As for covering or not covering the wine container, I'd at least use cheesecloth. I had that same question with my salty eggs recipe (I finally decided to tightly seal them, since I found ONE jar sealed that way at the Chinese supermarket. Usually, they're just packed dry in styrofoam).

Yes my yeast did finally kick over but it took a few days. Is this the way this type of yeast is; or do you think my yeast is degraded a bit? I have some type of mold growing on the top; is this normal? I thought this would happen, I am used to brewing beer and you must have a sterile environment from outside containments. I was reading on some saki sites that they grow mold on the rice as part of the process. I want to make some type of muffin or cake from my wine rice, anybody got a good recipe?

[trillium]

I don't think you're supposed to have mold, but it probably won't hurt you all that much either. Next time you might try making it with more yeast, so you have a bigger population to start with.

regards,

trillium

[eatingwitheddie]

Also is there anything good to do with the leftover solids?

The rice solids that remain are often used as a sauce ingredient, particularly in some Sichuan dishes. I'm thinking of 'Kan Sau' Sauce, most often encountered as Prawns with Chile Sauce, a Hunan-Style Whole Crispy Sea Bass and in Sliced Fish Filet w. Wine Sauce.

To make Prawns with Chile Sauce:

Marinate 1 lb. of shrimp in 1 egg white, salt, sherry and cornstarch. Then velvet them in oil for a minute before braising them in the following sauce:

1) In a clean wok briefly saute in 2 t vegetable oil:

1 T minced ginger

1 t minced garlic

1 T chile paste w. garlic (more or less to taste)

2) then add:

1 1/2 T fermented rice

3 T catsup

1 T shaoshing wine or dry sherry

1 t soy sauce

4 t sugar

1 t white vinegar

1/2 t MSG (opt)

1/4 cup chicken stock

3) bring the sauce to a boil and then add the shrimp and cook for 30 seconds

4) thicken with cornstarch slurry (about 1- 1 1/2 T)

5) add:

2 T finely chopped scallion tops

at the last moment add: 1/2 t sesame oil

[lorea]

I've been making batches of rice wine and using them for sweet rice soup balls. I came upon Ed's recipe for Prawns with Chile Sauce and wow....that was good! I basically followed the recipe but made it less sweet (my rice wine has gotten much sweeter with age) and spicier.

The rice wine added a lot of complexity to the dish. I think I'll definitely be using my rice wine in more savory dishes from now on! Thanks for posting the recipe! Please feel free to post some more.

[eatingwitheddie]

I've been making batches of rice wine and using them for sweet rice soup balls.  I came upon Ed's recipe for Prawns with Chile Sauce and wow....that was good!  I basically followed the recipe but made it less sweet (my rice wine has gotten much sweeter with age) and spicier.

The rice wine added a lot of complexity to the dish.

So happy you enjoyed the recipe.

You can adapt it for a Whole Crispy Sea Bass.

To prep the fish:

Butchering the fish: Use a 2 1/2 lb. white fleshed fish such as a sea bass. Lay the fish on its side and holding your knife at a 45 degree angle to the cutting surface make 3 or 4 incisions across each side of the fish. Each cut should go all the way to the bone and be parallel to and about 1 1/2" away from the previous cut. When properly done you should have 4-5 flaps of meat on each side, with each flap firmly attached at the bone.

Dredging and frying the fish: Using a large wok heat 8 cups of vegetable oil until it is very hot: 375 degrees F. Make a cornstarch slurry (with cornstarch and water), and have 1 1/2 cups of dry cornstarch on a piece of wax paper. First dredge the fish in dry starch, then dip it in the slurry and then back in the dry starch. This triple starch application is a professional chef's trick for getting an extra crispy coating. Shake off any starch that doesn't cling to the fish , and then gently lower the fish into the oil. Make sure there is at least 2" between the edge of the wok and the level of the oil. This so the hot oil doesn't spill out when the fish is placed in the wok. Cook vigorously over the highest heat, until the fish starts to lightly color, about 5 minutes. Working gently (the fish will be fragile) remove the fish from the wok and let the oil reheat for a minute or two. When it is quite hot and almost smoking, 375 -400 degrees F., return the fish to the oil for about 2-3 minutes, until the batter is medium brown and quite crisp. Drain well and using a paper or kitchen towel dab away any extra oil that sticks to the fish.

Place the fish on a serving platter while making the sauce.

To make the sauce: use the technique and sauce recipe that I have listed above for Prawns with Chile Sauce, but add 2 T each of minced bamboo shoots and mushrooms (cut to the shape of pieces of rice) and omit the catsup. Also add 1/2 cup chicken stock and 1 T kikkoman soy and 1 T dark soy. Bring the sauce to a boil, thicken with cornstarch slurry and just before serving add some chopped scallions and 1 t sesame oil. There should be enough sauce to coat the fish and the plate around the fish. Serve immediately.