Laozao, Fermented Rice (醪糟/酒酿)

Laozao, or Jiuniang. This is a mildly sweet fermented rice product that you can find throughout the country - from Sichuan to Shanghai - widely used in varioius cuisines and dishes.

Laozao (醪糟), a lightly fermented sticky rice 'wine'. Depending on the region, Laozao is also called Jiuniang (酒酿). It's a widely used ingredient in Chinese cooking – it has a very delicate sweetness, and an almost undetectable alcohol hint. You can see it in Chinese desserts, it can also be used in savory and spicy dishes for its umami and balancing effect.

But before getting started, let's talk about rice leaven. Rice leaven is a type of fungus that's used to make rice wine. In the early stages of fermentation it will facilitate saccharification – that means breaking starch down into sugar, and the sweetness we taste in Laozao comes from that process. Here in China, the rice leaven is called tianjiuqu (甜酒曲), sweet rice wine koji – the fungus in it is 'Rhizopus' (根霉菌). Traditionally it comes in little balls mixed with dried herbs, but nowadays you can get these little packets from supermarkets… we saw it on Amazon, and I think your local Chinese supermarket may also carry it.

Then there's another kind of rice leaven, which is the Japanese rice koji. The fungus in it is called 'Aspergillus oryzae', which is a different species than the Chinese type. We got this bag from an online koji workshop, and we'll also show you how to use it to make some sweetened rice wine as well.

Just a note on the difference between the two fermented rice, the Chinese one is slightly milder and has a stronger alcohol hint while the Japanese one is quite sweet. The Japanese one is often viewed as a drink, in fact, you can get bottled amazake at Japanese supermarkets at soft drinks section.

Laozao, Fermented Rice (醪糟/酒酿)

• Sticky rice (糯米), 500g

• Rice leaven, Rhizopus spp (甜酒曲), 2g

• Bottled water, 150g

Process

Rinse the sticky rice. You want to be a bit more paranoid rinsing it that you would for, say, white rice. Rinse it 4-5 times, or until the water runs (mostly) clear.

Soak the sticky rice - 3-4 hours in summer, overnight in winter (or just overnight regardless of the season if you'd rather).

Lay a cloth out on a bamboo steamer, then place the soaked sticky rice on top. Make some holes in the rice with your fingers to allow for better airflow. Steam for 45 minutes.

Every 15 minutes, come back to the rice to (1) check on the water level in your steamer (add more water if things're looking a bit dry) and (2) pour additional water over the rice - about 1/2 cup to a cup. This is to make sure things don't dry out near the top.

Remove the rice, flip it occasionally, let it come down to 35 degrees.

Mix the Rhizopus with the water, drizzle over the steamed sticky rice bit by bit. Mix well.

Gently press the rice down, make a little 'hole' in the middle. Cover with seran wrap.

Ferment at 30 degrees celcius for 36 hours.

Once you can see liquid within the observing hole and the liquid level is reaching the surface of rice, that means it’s done. Keep in a clean, oil free container in the fridge, covered. It keeps well as long as there’s no colorful mold (orange/greyish green being most common) growing.

Japanese Amazeke (甘酒)

• Sticky rice (糯米), 500g

• Bottled water, 1.8L

• Rice koji (米曲), 200g

Process

Rinse the sticky rice in the same way as above.

Add the 1.8L water, cook in a rice cooker using the congee setting (most rice cookers will have a congee setting).

Once done, mix the congee around a bit and let it come down to 50C.

Break up the rice koji a bit with your fingers, add to the congee, and mix well.

Cover with seran wrap, ferment at 60C for 12 hours, stirring every 3-4 hours.

If you are going to make the Japanese drink, blend it up. To use as a Laozao substitute, leave unblended.