Home-made Sweet Potato Makgeolli

I have always been fascinated with making your own home-made wine. This was my 2nd attempt at making it. My first attempt was Plum Wine.

Some of the things needed from the adapted recipe, i could not find them. I tried to create it with what i could find and experimented on it and adding my own Mama Bear touches.

Adapted from:

kimchimari.com

How to make Makgeolli (Korean Rice Wine)

Makgeolli is a traditional home brewed Korean rice wine that's creamy, sweet and tangy drink with added benefits of fermentation.

Ingredients

• 1st you need to invest in a glass 5L Jar that can be closed air tight

• Cotton Filter Cloth at least 15 x 15cm

  

• 4 cups short grain rice, /glutinous rice, washed and soaked in cold water for at least 2 hours

• 1 1/3 cups nuruk (starter culture) (powdered enzyme amalyse)

  **can be bought at korean stores (I could not find it at korean stores but found it sold in Shoppee)

• 1 package of dry yeast

• 5 quarts of water (15 cups)

• 1 pkt rock sugar

• Infusion 1: (I tried this and it was delicious)

  • Red dates

  • Cinnamon sticks

  • Pine nuts

  • 150 g sweet potato, steamed, with skin on

• Infusion 2:

  • Ginger & Plum

• Infusion 3:

  • Strawberry / Dried rose buds & osmanthus

• Infusion 3:

  • Dried Longan & chestnut

• Infusion 4:

  • Ginger, dried longan, chestnut

Instructions

• Original recipe mentions using a heavy pot. I used a rice cooker instead: Using glutinous rice mode

• Recipe next step is transferring to an electric dehydrator. For me, i continued on keep warm function, with lid openned

• Put the rice into the 5L glass jar.

• Add nuruk, yeast, and 8 cups of water and 1 pkt honey rock sugar, mix well with a wooden spoon.

• Place a cotton cloth under the lid when you close it, to let some air circulate in and out.

• Let sit for several hours, then uncover and mix well with a wooden spoon. At this point, the rice will have absorbed a lot of the water to create a thick paste. Cover and let sit overnight.

• Open the crock and you’ll see a lot of bubbles popping to the surface, and the mixture will be a lot thinner than yesterday. Stir it well with a wooden spoon and cover again. Stir it a few times a day for the next few days.

• On day 4 or 5, it will be bubbling a lot less and will have separated to a clear liquid on top and a milky mixture on the bottom. Mix well, and keep mixing a few times a day for a few more days.

• On day 8 or 9, there will hardly be any bubbles at all. The liquid on the top will be clearer and more amber. It’s now perfectly fermented and ready to drink.

• Add infusion ingredients:

• 150 g sweet potato, steamed, with skin on, use a fork to poke holes. Grill in oven for 45mins in 220°c\

  Notes from orginal recipe:

• Unopened pasteurised makgeolli can have a shelf life of up to a year and can usually be stored at room temperature until you are ready to open them

  (I kept mine for 6 months and served it to my family during Christmas)

• When ready to drink, Strain the makgeolli into a large bowl, pressing on the solids with the back of a wooden spoon to squeeze as much liquid as possible out of it. Discard the solids. Add 8 cups of water to dilute. Add the optional sugar and mix well.

• Strain the makgeolli one more time and put it into glass jars or BPA free plastic beer bottles.

• Serve cold, and stir or mix well before drinking. Serve with kimchi or some side dishes. It can keep in the fridge up to 2 to 3 weeks.