Amazake - quick, simple and steeped with history.

Amazake has been a staple of Japanese food culture for millennia, first mentioned in 720 AD in one of the oldest known writings in Japan - the Nihon Shoki. And its as historic as it is versatile, amazake can be consumed as it is for a sweet, probiotic treat or turned into incredible desserts like the ones I post on Instagram. "Ama" in amazake translates to "sweet", after all. Its active enzymes also make it a great marinade for both sweet and savory dishes alike! (Think amazake marinated mangoes - oooooh!) And it's just 3 ingredients: rice koji, cooked rice, and water.

How to Make Amazake

How to Make Amazake

NOTE: All ferments, by nature, will be completely unique. And that's a beautiful thing! Ferment times are relative to ambient temperature, humidity, and freshness of ingredients - keep an open mind and taste your ferments as they mature to see what you like best!

Prep Time: 10 mins
Ferment Time: 1-3 days @ 140°F

Ingredients and Measurements:

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Step by Step Guide

  • 1. Koji

    A sweet style rice koji is best for amazake. A shorter grain not only contains the highest proportion of carbohydrates, but is also the perfect host of amylase-producing koji.

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  • 2. Ratios

    1:1 ratio of cooked starch : rice koji
    You can swap the cooked rice in this recipe for any starch you like - steamed sweet potatoes, cooked oats, the possibilities are endless!

  • 3. Water

    Ratio is going to hover around 1:1, water to other ingredients. Spring water is best. Just make sure everything is covered by water with no dry areas at the surface.

    Ex: 100g cooked rice: 100g koji: 200g water

  • 4. Salt

    Amazake requires NO salt. No preservation is required since this ferment generally takes 12-24 hours to be ready.

  • 5. Time and Temperature

    This ferment is quick. Usually done in 12-24 hours at 140°F. If you go past that, there's a high chance the amazake will start develop more sour notes - I personally love this, but to each their own!

  • 6. Equipment

    The chief sweetness-producing enzyme, amylase, operates best at a consistent 140°F. This temp can be achieved in certain ovens, or any sous vide machine, dehydrator, crockpot, or InstaPot. Your choice! Just be sure to check your temperature throughout the fermentation process.

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Notes and Key Reminders

  1. This is a quick ferment - virtually the quickest koji-based ferment you can come by. Amazake typically doesn't take longer than a day to achieve maximum sweetness, after which point the ferment will become more acidic - but this can be to your favor! I quite like a balance of sweet/tart flavors, so play around with time (the most important ingredient of all) and see what you like!
  2. Amazake, much like shio koji can be leveraged as a super effective marinade due to the active koji enzymes. They're especially active in this format, so go wild with any proteins you like. I like to marinade melons to accentuate their sweetness and add a subtle earthiness.

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