Keep continue ‘KOJILAND’ post.

So i was playing all around with amazakes – usually with a mistake of leaving it fermenting a touch longer than i wanted to.

Sweet amazake: 1 part koji rice, 1 part steamed rice and 2 parts of water (for example, 250g koji rice with 250g steamed rice and 500g water) incubate in 60 degrees (if u aim for more amylaze activity which give sweeter result) for 10-14 hours.

After managing to develop a lovely sweet rice-rice amazake – was starting to work on an icecream/sorbet recipe of course why not? So in one of my book there was a basic ‘koji sorbet’ recipe but i tried to get a ‘one step further’ recipe – including a second fermentation using actual amazake not only koji. Took me a couple of trials but i was pretty happy with my very last version.

Frankly with the first test was a bit of a ‘mix and match’ – i was trying to start an alcoholic fermentation in my finished amazake without proper sake yeast (hoping to catch some wild ones in my kitchen surroundings… but well hm hm it never happened LOL). Was a bit of bubbles and jiggles but unfortunately the mix didnt reached my expectations. I even mixed in some ‘koji sweet wine rice’ i found in a suspicious basement chinese store hoping to imitate the sake kasu itself.

NOT MUCH SUCCESS. So basically i was trying to ‘save what i can’ turning this overfermented sour amazake into a sorbet with measuring solids and liquids adding extra sugar. EVEN LESS SUCCESS after blending, freezeng and churning.

Second trial was a bit more focused as i was actually planning to get something enjoyable out from it. So i did make my rice amazake (of course did forgot in the chamber so got it a touch more sour i wanted). Working by the koji sorbet recipe (modified version) i was ending up using 500g solids with 300g liquid after straining my amazake. Adding 100g extra normal caster sugar seemed to be enough to my pallette and a touch of salt of course. Blended, strained, froze and churn with the pacojet. NOT BAD AT ALL. The texture was a bit grainy (not more than any other sorbet using only water) and no stabilizer whatsoever. Only thing was that the flavour ‘turned out’ a bit more sour (some said bitter what i could not feel actually) by the cold as it was in room temperature when i tasted after seasoning.

Third and final test delivered a BANGING result. Normal rice amazake – managed to stop the fermentation after 12 hours!!!! Half success, then measuring out the same ratio with 500g solids and 300g of the amazake water and blend this with 170g of sugar and a pinch of salt. YES. YES. AND YES.

I spent a week after trying to find the best garnish for serving. Because it tastes like ‘umami’, very refreshing – first it shocks the mind and the tastebuds afterwards. Not easy pairing. For some reason i was looking for a caramel to hit with it – with nut, with coffee, with seaweed…. then the roasted kelp powder seemed to work while the too sweet caramel was overpowering everything. I almost gave up,,, and decided to have some of the sorbet in my breakfast bowl where i sliced a pear before (as im trying to eat a piece of fruit with every breakfast in the morning)… having my own mixed up cornflakes and muesli with different flavours depending on my daily mood… i spooned a couple of my roasted kelp cornflakes to have with the sorbet and pear. HIT. HIIT ME.

It was a thrillingly great combination OMG made me so happy. The slight sweetness of pear, umami sorbet and nutty kelp were just dancing in my palette for a while together like a naughty dream. Was happy – having this cheeky breakfast for several times till finished the sorbet. NOmNom.