Cultured Living

Amazake is a traditional, sweet, and typically non-alcoholic Japanese beverage made from fermented rice. Amazake is created using koji (steamed rice inoculated with the Aspergillus oryzae culture). This releases enzymes that break down the complex starches in rice into simple, natural sugars (glucose), giving the drink its rich, signature sweetness without any added sugar. Amazake is packed with nutrients and probiotics and contains essential amino acids and B vitamins.

Amazake has a thick, creamy porridge like consistency and is consumed either hot in the winter or chilled in summer. Although traditionally made with rice it works well with other grains too.

Amazake is easy to make. RIce koji is added to cooked, cooled rice (equal amounts of each) and then fermented at a temperature of between 55°C to 60°C for 8 to 12 hours. Stir the mixture every 2 hours to ensure even fermentation. It is done when the mixture tastes sweet and has a slightly floral, sake-like aroma. I make my Amazake in my Instant Pot using the Sous Vide setting. When the Amazake is finished, move it to the refrigerator, where the enzymes will cool enough to halt the process. If you prefer a smooth texture, blend the amazake in a blender or food processor before cooling it down.

To Serve Warm: Dilute the amazake with an equal amount of water or warm milk and gently heat it to 60°C. Do not boil it, or you will lose the active enzymes. To flavour you can add freshly grated ginger, spices or even cocoa powder. There are many delicious suggestions in the book MIso, Tempeh, Natto and Other Tasty Ferments by Kirsten & Christopher Shockey (available for sale on the Cultured Living website) such as Amazake Golden Milk, scones and granola using Amazake.

To Serve Cold: Dilute it with chilled water, pour it over ice, or mix it into a smoothies

I added orange juice and zest and ginger into my latest batch of Amazake at the beginning of the fermentation stage. When ready some of this Amazake was added into my overnight oats together with milk kefir, nuts, seeds, sultanas etc…..highly recommend😋

If you are out gathering olives you may want to get some olive leaves at the same time to make an olive leaf extract. Olive leaves taste bitter due to a high concentration of oleuropein, a natural polyphenol compound. This compound acts as a defense mechanism for the plant and provides strong antioxidant health benefit.

Health benefits are said to include general well-being, immune support, reduces cardiovascular risk, anti-inflammatory, lowers blood pressure, helps lower blood sugar, fights herpes etc.

Most olive leaf recipes are made as an extract with 40% alcohol or glycerine. I made an olive leaf “concoction” a couple of years ago and it is still perfect in my fridge. Luckily for me I have a very good immune system and rarely get colds or flu but if I do feel like I might be coming down with something I grab for all the things in my kitchen to stop me getting sick – things like olive leaf extract and fermented honey/garlic. Some people also swear by Fire Cider.

With winter soon upon us now would be a good time to make some olive leaf remedies. To be completely honest I don’t know what recipe I used when I made my olive leaf extract but it definitely tastes like it has honey in it and I vaguely remember glycerin being in the mix as I probably didn’t want to make an alcoholic tincture. There is a good chance that I followed a recipe for a glycerin tincture and then added honey later to mask the bitter taste……making up my own “recipe” is absolutely the sort of thing I would do. Not recommending that you do this but just giving some ideas of the types of things you can do with olive leaves. I have also found recipes online for olive leaf oxymel using equal parts of honey and apple cider vinegar which sound good. And olive leaves can also be used to make a tea.