Traditional Japanese sake vodka is quite common throughout the world. And many people know about this. According to experts, Japanese vodka can be drunk both hot and cold. In addition, it is added to cocktails, used in the preparation of various dishes.
With alcohol from the country of the Rising Sun, they acquire a unique and refined taste. In this regard, many lovers of alcoholic homemade manufacture are interested in how to make sake at home? Judging by the reviews, it is not difficult to cope with this task. For work, you only need a sake recipe, ingredients and patience, since the manufacturing process is quite time-consuming. If you follow the instructions, you will become the owner of the original, distinctive alcoholic drink. Information on how to make sake at home is provided in this article.
Acquaintance with products
Sake is a national Japanese alcoholic beverage. According to experts, it differs significantly from the usual European alcohol. The fact is that the degree of sake varies within 14-18 revolutions. The manufacturing technologies of sake and beer, according to experts, have much in common.
True, the methods for preparing starter cultures for these drinks are somewhat different. For example, beer is made from germinated malt. At the heart of sake is rice, which is subjected to a fermentation procedure. This task is performed by the koji yeast. How to make sake at home? More on this later.
Where to begin?
An alcoholic drink is made from two types of starter cultures. You can use store analogues, however, according to experts, there is no certainty that they were made in compliance with all the rules, therefore it is better to prepare these starter cultures yourself. First they make a coma koji leaven. To do this, you need to buy round rice (800 g) and koji-kin seeds (10 g).
Fermentation Procedure
For those who do not know how to make the first leaven, experienced masters recommend that you perform the following steps:
- Rice must first be washed in running water. Rinse until water is completely clean.
- The washed rice is poured into a sieve and placed on a pan or cup - in this position, the rice will stand for at least an hour. This is necessary so that excess fluid can drain from it.
- Next, the rice needs to be boiled in a slow cooker or a double boiler. Experts do not recommend boiling rice in the usual way, since the necessary substances will go into the water.
- Ready porridge is cooled to room temperature, then koji seeds are poured into it.
- The mixture is covered with gauze or a cotton cloth well moistened with water. The porridge should stand for at least 15 hours. This is necessary in order to activate the fermentation procedure.
Sourdough is considered finished if it has acquired a pronounced smell of cheese and white. Now you can start preparing the sourdough moto.
How do they do it?
Fermented moto is prepared from 180 g of steamed rice, 75 g of koji seeds, 270 ml of boiled water and 5 g of dry baker's yeast.
As in the previous case, the rice is first thoroughly washed and allowed to drain excess moisture - about an hour is enough. Then the cereal is boiled in a slow cooker until cooked. Next, add koji sourdough to the rice and fill it with warm boiled water. At the end, the mixture is seasoned with dry baker's yeast and mixed thoroughly. Ferment will be infused in a glass vessel. After you transfer the mixture to the container, close it tightly with a lid and refrigerate. The procedure for preparing the motorcycle will take at least 10 days. Experts recommend that the jar is thoroughly shaken daily. Sourdough is considered finished if it acquires a delicate creamy consistency.
How to make sake at home?
A traditional Japanese alcoholic beverage is made from the following ingredients:
- Steamed rice. It will be enough 3 kg of product.
- 700 g koji sourdough.
- 500 ml moto.
- 4 l of water.
The cooking process is as follows:
- You need to start by washing the rice until the water is clear. Next, the cereals are boiled exclusively for steam. For work, you will need a separate bowl in which you need to put ready cooled rice (250 g), and then pour water (450 ml). After that, the rice is seasoned with two ready-made starter cultures: koji should be taken 200 g, and moto - 500 ml. The resulting mass is transferred to a glass container and left warm for a day. Previously, the neck of the jar is covered with a cotton or gauze cloth. Judging by the reviews, the rice will absorb liquid faster if it is shaken periodically. Therefore, it is recommended to shake the bottle at least three to four times during the day.
- At this stage, the remaining rice, water (1.2 L) and koji starter (225 g) are added to the vessel. The contents are thoroughly stirred and put back in a warm place. Ferment should be infused for 12 hours. Shake the mixture periodically.
- After this time, the rice mixture is again seasoned with the remaining components.
Experts recommend keeping the drink for at least 10 days. During this time, sake will acquire a minimum strength of approximately 15 revolutions. If there is a desire to make Japanese vodka stronger, then it should be held for 15 days. As a result, you get a soft drink in 20 revolutions.
Final stage
At the very end, the sake is filtered using a cotton or gauze filter. Now the home-made drink is considered ready, it can be bottled. It is advisable to consume a fully ripened drink. To do this, he must still stand for one week in the refrigerator. According to experts, sake can only be stored in a cool place and not longer than a month.
How to drink?
Despite the fact that this drink is made in a makeshift way, you need to drink it correctly. If you follow Japanese customs, then vodka should be served to guests in special jugs - tokkuri. They drink sake from small cups of choco.
Before you take a sip, you need to say "Campai!", Which means "to the bottom!" Drinking a drink right away with one sip in Japan is considered indecent. Real connoisseurs devastate choco slowly, for 2-3 sips.
What will experts advise?
Sake can be drunk hot, heated to 60 degrees, and chilled to 5 degrees. In Japan, there is a rule that only good vodka is consumed cold. This is due to the fact that warm vodka has a less attractive aroma and a weak taste. Many fans like this drink for its many-sided taste palette: with notes of grapes, cheese, apple, banana, fresh mushrooms and soy sauce. Sake with traditional Japanese dishes. For this purpose, rolls or sushi are well suited. Those who want to save money can be recommended to eat nuts or cheeses. If sake is hot, then it is best consumed with seafood, meat, vegetables and sandwiches. In order not to distort the taste of vodka, it is better not to drink it with spicy and spicy dishes.