Amazake is traditional Japanese drink made from fermented rice. Alcohol less than 1%. It can replace caster sugar in cooking or serve as drinks. Dilute the Amazaka with (hot/iced) water to the consistency you like
1. Rinse glutinous rice. Don’t rub. Keep the starch. Drain off the excess water. Let the rice rest on the sieve.
2. Blend the rice with new water to rice puree.
3. Cook at low heat 3 ~ 4 minutes. Stir constantly to prevent burning. The rice puree is very thick when done.
4. Remove from heat. Stir to cool down to 60ºC. Combine the crumbled koji rice to rice puree. Stir thoroughly to incorporate. Bubbles coming up shortly. Allow the rice to ferment for 6 ~ 8 hours at 50ºC ~ 60ºC. I use steam oven to keep the temperature. Rice cooker, yogurt maker. Anything that can keep temperature stay between 50ºC ~ 60ºC is fine.
5. Fermented 2 hours. Rice mixture become watery. Fermetned 8 hours. The mixture release sweet fragrance.
6. Heat the mixture above 70ºC to stop fermentation. Koji mold will stop ferment above 70ºC.
7. When it’s cooled, transfer the Amazake into a large sterilised container. It can be kept in the refrigerator up to one month, or freezer for up to 3 months.