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Rice wine, a familiar dish to Vietnamese people, is particularly enjoyed during the Tet Doan Ngo festival. Not only delicious in taste, but it also provides essential nutrients from the rice bran. Let's learn how to make rice wine through the article below and showcase your culinary skills for your family to enjoy!
What is Rice Wine?
Rice wine, also known as sticky rice wine, is made from glutinous rice fermented with yeast. The glutinous rice is cooked into sticky rice, cooled, mixed with yeast, and then fermented for about 3 – 4 days. The finished rice wine has a spicy, warm, sweet, sour, and bitter taste. Therefore, in folklore, rice wine is often used on the Parasite-Killing Day (Tet Doan Ngo).
Different types of glutinous rice used for making rice wine will result in different types of rice wine, such as white glutinous rice, brown glutinous rice, glutinous rice with yellow flowers, charcoal glutinous rice, etc.
Currently, the use of rice wine not only carries cultural significance but also has become widely adopted by people due to the numerous health benefits it offers.
Rice wine, a culturally significant dish, provides numerous health benefits (Source: Internet)Benefits of Rice Wine
Rice wine brings many health benefits, but you need to ensure proper consumption. Here are some benefits:
- Prevents diabetes: Glutinous rice and purple rice still retain their outer bran layer. Therefore, rice wine made from these types contains plenty of fiber, carbohydrates, B vitamins, protein, lipids, etc. These are essential nutrients that help reduce blood sugar levels and prevent diabetes.
- Reduces harmful cholesterol in the blood: Patients with high blood pressure can regularly consume rice wine to reduce bad cholesterol levels in the blood and stabilize blood pressure. Additionally, rice wine provides active compounds like lovastatin and ergosterol, improving cardiovascular health and reducing the risk of stroke.
- Enhances digestion: Rice wine supplements fiber and acids that promote digestion, reducing indigestion and bloating.
- Provides iron, prevents anemia: Rice wine is rich in iron, especially in purple rice wine. Iron helps stimulate red blood cell production and prevent anemia.
- Beautifies the skin: Vitamin B, vitamin E, and other essential nutrients in rice wine help the skin fight oxidation and moisturize from within. Additionally, rice wine can be used as a facial mask for skincare.
- Efficient weight loss aid: Rice wine boosts protein and fat metabolism and enhances metabolic processes, aiding in effective weight loss.
- Prevents bone disorders: Rice used for making rice wine contains plenty of calcium and remains unaltered during fermentation. Therefore, consuming rice wine correctly and sufficiently strengthens the skeletal system, preventing osteoporosis, joint degeneration, etc.
Using rice wine correctly and sufficiently will bring effective health benefits (Source: Internet)Traditional Southern rice wine making method
Ingredients
To make traditional Southern rice wine, you will need the following ingredients:
- 500g glutinous rice
- 5g sweet yeast
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Glass jars or plastic containers for storage
- Banana leaves (optional)
Ingredients for making Southern rice wine include glutinous rice, yeast, ... (Source: Internet)Steps to Follow
Step 1: Soak the Glutinous Rice
- When you buy glutinous rice, wash it thoroughly and soak it in diluted salt water for about 2 – 3 hours. Using diluted salt water to soak the rice will enhance the flavor of the rice wine.
- Note: Do not soak for too long, as the rice will become too soft, resulting in a mushy and less tasty rice wine.
Step 2: Cook the Glutinous Rice
Step 3: Roll the Men and Sprinkle on the Glutinous Rice
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Step 4: Wrap the Rice Wine Balls
- Prepare a bowl of diluted saltwater to start wrapping the rice wine balls.
- After washing your hands thoroughly, dip them in the bowl of diluted saltwater and roll the glutinous rice into balls. You can use banana leaves to wrap each rice wine ball, enhancing its aroma after fermentation.
- Then, place the rice wine balls in a jar, seal tightly, and ferment for 3 days.
- During fermentation, it's best to keep the jar in a cool, shaded place away from direct sunlight to speed up the fermentation process.
Step 3: Complete the Traditional Rice Wine
After fermenting for 3 days, your delicious rice wine is ready. Enjoy it now!
See more: Make Southern Rice Wine with Lock & Lock EJR716IVY 0.8L Electric Rice Cooker
After 3 days of fermentation, the Southern rice wine is almost ready (Source: Internet)Guide to Making Northern Rice Wine
Ingredients
- 500g glutinous rice or purple glutinous rice
- 6g traditional Chinese wine yeast
- Lotus leaves (or bamboo leaves)
Northern rice wine uses characteristic glutinous rice or purple glutinous rice (Source: Internet)Step-by-step Instructions
Step 1: Soaking the Glutinous Rice
When you bring the glutinous rice home, wash and clean it thoroughly, then soak it in water for about 4 – 6 hours to allow the rice to swell evenly, which will make it cook faster.
Step 2: Cooking the Glutinous Rice
After soaking, rinse it again with water and put it in a pot to cook. It's best to use an electric rice cooker with water level slightly covering the rice surface to ensure the glutinous rice cooks evenly, becoming soft and sticky.
Step 3: Rolling the Fermentation Starter and Mixing it with Glutinous Rice
Step 4: Fermenting the Glutinous Rice
Wrap the mixture of glutinous rice and fermentation starter with lotus or banana leaves, then place it in a bowl and put it in a cool place for about 3 – 4 days. Cover tightly with a lid during fermentation.
Step 5: Completing the Authentic Northern Style Glutinous Rice Wine
Glutinous rice wine will have the distinctive aroma of wine combined with the sweetness of glutinous rice, with a glossy, enticing appearance. Enjoy it now to experience this delicious flavor!
See also: Making Northern Style Glutinous Rice Wine with Toshiba 1-liter High-Frequency Rice Cooker RC-10IX1PV
Northern-style glutinous rice wine made from brown and purple glutinous rice is delicious and attractive (Source: Internet)Making Central Vietnam-style Rice Wine
In addition to the distinctive rice wines of the North and South, Central Vietnam-style rice wine also has its own enticing flavor. Let's explore how to make this Central Vietnam-style rice wine with Mytour!
Ingredients
The ingredients for making Central Vietnam-style rice wine:
- 500g glutinous rice
- 6g rice wine yeast or 3 tablets
- Salt
The main ingredients for making Central Vietnam-style rice wine are glutinous rice, yeast, and a little salt (Source: Internet)Procedure
Step 1: Prepare the ingredients
- Soak the cleaned glutinous rice in water for about 4 - 6 hours, then drain and let it dry.
- Grind the rice wine yeast until finely ground, which can be done with a mortar and pestle or using a grinder for convenience.
- Prepare a bowl of diluted saltwater.
Step 2: Cook the sticky rice for making rice wine
- Mix about ½ teaspoon into the rice and stir well. Then, put the rice in an electric rice cooker to cook with water covering the surface.
- When the rice is cooked, use chopsticks to stir evenly to make the grains soft and evenly cooked.
Step 3: Mold and ferment the rice wine
- Spread the sticky rice on a tray and let it cool slightly. When the rice is still warm, evenly sprinkle rice wine yeast over the surface, and do the same with the remaining rice.
- Dip your hands in the bowl of diluted saltwater prepared earlier to prevent the rice from sticking to your hands while molding. Mold the sticky rice into bite-sized balls and proceed to ferment.
- Place all the rice wine balls in a bowl or jar, seal the lid tightly, and ferment for 3 - 4 days.
Step 4: Enjoyment
After completion, the rice wine from Central Vietnam will have a balanced sweetness, with the rice wine having a glossy yellow color and the rice balls being chewy.
See more: Making rice wine from Central Vietnam using Tefal mini rice cooker 1L.
Distinctive preparation of Central Vietnam rice wine (Source: Internet)How to make rice wine with charcoal glutinous rice
Charcoal glutinous rice wine (sticky rice) is a distinctive type of rice wine from the North. With the combination of rice wine yeast blending with the aroma of charcoal glutinous rice, it will create a very enticing charcoal glutinous rice wine. The method of making charcoal glutinous rice wine is extremely simple, let's prepare the ingredients and get started with Mytour!
Ingredients
Ingredients for making charcoal glutinous rice wine include:
When buying charcoal glutinous rice, you need to choose grains that are plump, shiny, ensuring the natural purple color of glutinous rice. Charcoal glutinous rice should have a slight aroma, not moldy or have a strange smell. For the type of Northern medicinal wine yeast, it will have a size as large as the mouth of a cup, slightly swollen and have a distinctive aroma.
Ingredients for making charcoal glutinous rice wine include charcoal glutinous rice, Northern medicinal wine yeast, and a little salt (Source: Internet) Implementation steps
Step 1: Soak and cook charcoal glutinous rice
- When you buy charcoal glutinous rice, wash it thoroughly and soak it in water for about 6 hours with a teaspoon of salt. Then, take out the charcoal glutinous rice and let it drain.
- Put the glutinous rice in an electric rice cooker to cook with enough water covering the surface of the rice, then turn on the cooking mode. When the charcoal glutinous rice is cooked, open the lid of the cooker and let it cool down.
Step 2: Crush yeast and spread it on charcoal glutinous rice
- Crush or finely grind 6g of yeast.
- Spread out the charcoal glutinous rice on a tray, when the charcoal glutinous rice is still warm, evenly spread the yeast on both sides.
Step 3: Ferment charcoal glutinous rice
- After thoroughly mixing the yeast with the charcoal glutinous rice, put all the rice into a jar and tightly cover it to ferment in a cool place. You can wrap the rice in lotus or bamboo leaves to give the finished charcoal glutinous rice a more fragrant aroma.
- After 3 – 4 days, the charcoal glutinous rice has fermented and developed its characteristic aroma. At that point, it's ready to be used.
See more: Making charcoal glutinous rice in Central Vietnam with Chigo 0.8L mini rice cooker.
Charcoal glutinous rice (black glutinous rice) prepared for Northern Vietnam (Source: Internet)What should you pay attention to when making rice wine?
Below are some things to keep in mind when making rice wine:
- Choose glutinous rice with large, round, uniform grains, avoiding broken grains that can make the rice wine mushy
- For the yeast, select bright-colored yeast balls with a light fragrance and no signs of mold.
- When fermenting the yeast, ensure that it has been finely ground before mixing with the glutinous rice to avoid killing the yeast.
- It's best to ferment for 3 – 4 days in a cool place. If you prefer a sourer and stronger flavor, you can ferment for an additional day. However, do not ferment for more than 5 days.
Choose glutinous rice with large, round, unbroken grains for delicious and chewy rice wine (Source: Internet)Frequently Asked Questions
How long should rice wine be kept?
After fermentation, you can store rice wine in the refrigerator and consume it gradually within 3 – 5 days.
When is the best time to eat rice wine?
You can enjoy rice wine at any time of the day, but it's best in the morning. However, avoid consuming it on an empty stomach as the acidity of rice wine may cause stomach discomfort.
With the rice wine making methods shared above, you can create delicious rice wine dishes from the three regions of North, Central, and South Vietnam. Rice wine brings many health benefits to you and your family, so why wait any longer? Get started now. If you're looking for quality products and ingredients for making rice wine, you can find them at Mytour.vn. Visit Mytour to receive the best special offers.
