Japanese Amazake: Warm Sweet Fermented Rice Drink with Fresh Ginger and Cinnamon

Rinse the rice until the water runs clear, then simmer it with the 900 ml water in a covered saucepan for 25 to 30 minutes until it is a very soft, loose porridge. Add a splash more water if it looks thick.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 200 g short-grain Japanese rice
• 900 ml water, plus more to thin
• 200 g dried rice koji (kome koji)
• 1 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger, plus more to serve
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Pinch of fine sea salt
• 1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup (optional, for extra sweetness)
• Toasted sesame seeds or a dusting of cinnamon, to garnish

Instructions

1. Rinse the rice until the water runs clear, then simmer it with the 900 ml water in a covered saucepan for 25 to 30 minutes until it is a very soft, loose porridge. Add a splash more water if it looks thick.
2. Let the porridge cool to about 60°C (140°F), warm enough to feel hot to the touch but not scalding. This temperature is essential: hotter will kill the koji enzymes, cooler will slow them down.
3. Crumble the dried koji into the warm rice with your fingers and stir well until evenly combined.
4. Keep the mixture at 55 to 60°C (130 to 140°F) for 8 to 10 hours: a rice cooker on 'keep warm' with the lid propped open with a chopstick and a cloth over the top works perfectly, as does an oven with just the light on or a yogurt maker. Stir every couple of hours.
5. The amazake is ready when the rice grains have softened into a thick, creamy and distinctly sweet porridge with a mild fruity aroma. Taste it; it should be as sweet as a dessert with no sugar added.
6. For a smooth drink, blend the amazake in a blender with a little water. For a traditional texture, leave the soft grains whole.
7. To serve, spoon 3 to 4 tablespoons of amazake per cup into a saucepan, thin with water to a drinkable consistency and warm gently without boiling. Stir in the ginger, cinnamon, salt and honey if using.
8. Pour into cups and top with a little more grated ginger and a scatter of sesame seeds or cinnamon. Any unused amazake keeps in the refrigerator for a week or freezes well.
9. Amazake, literally 'sweet sake', is a drink older than written Japanese history, made by letting koji mould convert the starch in cooked rice into natural sugar; it contains no alcohol and is so nourishing it was once sold as a summer tonic and is now called 'drinkable IV drip' by Japanese nutritionists. With ginger stirred through, it becomes the warming cup handed out at shrines and temples through autumn and the cold months, and it is well worth the overnight wait.

Nutrition (estimated, per serving)

• Calories: 160 kcal
• Protein: 3g
• Fat: 0g
• Carbohydrates: 36g
• Fiber: 1g
• Sugar: 18g
• Sodium: 40mg