Imagine a dessert which is sweet, but not sweetened with added sugar. A dish that has umami flavors usually associated with non-dessert items and found in many fermented dishes. Creamy. Crunchy and bitter from cacao nibs. Hints of vanilla. And all comes together in delicious harmony! Then you would be thinking of Forbidden Amazake.
Amazake is a fermented rice dish popular in Japan. It is a refreshing drink or can be part of a rice pudding. It is often eaten for breakfast. I was experimenting with koji and other ferments, learned about amazake, and really wanted to try it. I love the color and taste of Forbidden rice and Forbidden Amazake was born!
The longer the amazake ferments, the sweeter the dish will be. The sugars in the dish come from the koji converting starches and other carbohydrates in the rice into sugars.
Ingredients
- Rice Koji
- Forbidden Rice
- Cashews
- Vanilla
- Cacao Nibs
See recipe card for quantities.
The rice koji is necessary to ferment the amazake. The rice is inoculated with the koji mold. I have purchased rice koji from Cultures For Health.
Forbidden Rice was chosen for the color and nuttiness it gives the dessert. The rice is purple from anthocyanins, which are powerful antioxidants.
The cashews give a creaminess to the dish.
Cacao nibs give both a crunch and a bitterness to the dish that contrasts well with the other textures and flavors.
Substitutions
The dish can be made with other rices. Forbidden rice was used for the color and the flavor, but white rice or brown rice could be used as well
Variations
The Amazake can have a variety of garnishes. For example, the picture below is using shiso, also known as perilla, and is popular in Korean, Japanese, and Chinese cooking.
Though the previous pictures showed the amazake with pomegranate seeds, berries would be excellent in the dish, such as raspberries or blackberries. The picture below shows the amazake with only cacao nibs, which is quite good and really showcases the taste of the amazake.
Chopped nuts, such as toasted walnuts, would be excellent!
Equipment
Something that can keep a steady temperature of 149 degrees F is necessary. I have used both a Brod and Taylor Proofer and Slow Cooker, and a Professional Instant Pot on a custom yogurt setting. The regular Instant Pot does not have exact temperature control for the yogurt setting.
A high speed blender is necessary to have the cashew cream be smooth and creamy.
A bowl for fermenting the Amazake.
Storage
I have kept this in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Top tip
Keep tasting while the amazake is fermenting, perhaps every hour, to get to your desired sweetness. There is a limit to how sweet it will get, but there is a wide range.
Related
Looking for other dessert recipes? Try these:
Recipe
Forbidden Amazake
Equipment
- 1 Brod and Taylor Proofer or Professional Instant Pot Something to maintain 149 degrees F (65 degrees C) for a long period.
- 1 high speed food processor Needed for a creamy cashew cream
- 1 measuring cup Has milliliter markings
Ingredients
- 1 cup cashews raw
- water filtered, for soaking cashews
- 1 cup Forbidden Rice cooked and completely cool, also known as black rice
- 200 ml water filtered, my US measuring cup had ml markings as well
- 3 ½ ounces koji rice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- cacao nibs
Instructions
- Soak the cashews in filtered water. Soak for at least 3 hours. It is convenient to start when the amazake is put together.
- Mix the koji rice, the cooked Forbidden rice and the filtered water together. If the rice is not fully covered with water, add more filtered water.
- Place the rice mixture into the incubator. Set the temperature for about 149 degrees F (65 degrees C).
- Ferment for at least 9 hours. Taste at 9 hours for sweetness. I let it go for 14 hours, tasting every hour after 9 to see where it was. Stir every hour.
- After fermentation completes, place the amazajke in a high speed blender. Drain the soaked cashews and add to the blender with the vanilla. Blend until smooth and creamy.
- Sprinkle with cacao nibs and any other topping.
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