Rice
Rice contributes starch to flatbreads, steamed breads, batters and many distinct fermentations. Its species, milling and starch character shape how it cooks, binds, expands and feeds enzymes.
Modern method
White-rice yakju with rice-flour nuruk
약주 (yakju) · 藥酒
A 2021 study's white-rice yakju: steamed Hanareum rice ferments with rice-flour nuruk and takju yeast for 11 days, then the clear upper liquid is filtered and centrifuged.
History
The 2021 Korean study calls yakju a traditional alcoholic beverage and compares two separate batches: this white-rice arm and a pigmented-rice arm. Its white-rice batch used prepared white-rice-flour nuruk rather than traditional wheat nuruk. The white-rice wine reached 13.23% ethanol on day five and 13.5% on day eleven; its pH fell from 4.82 to 3.90 by day three before rising. Those results describe this experiment, not all yakju. Korean government background describes historical clear and cloudy rice wines but does not date the first use of the name yakju or this 2021 method.
Ingredients
Scaling: source batch only
White riceWash, soak for 5 hours and drain for 2 hours; steam for 1 hour and cool to 30°C.
2 kg
2018-harvest Hanareum white rice.200 g
Prepared white-rice-flour nuruk from the study. Its flour batch mass and the bases for the reported 40% water and 0.3% starter are not stated; the preparation cannot be scaled from this paper alone.Takju yeast
6 g
Commercial Bioland takju yeast; strain not identified.3 L
Brewing water added to the cooled rice; the soaking and steaming water are not counted.Method
Risks and precautions
Cooked-rice contamination
Cooked rice is a higher-risk starchy food for Bacillus cereus; spores and some toxins may survive cooking.
Hazard sourceKeep hands and equipment clean when handling the cooked rice and starter; do not hold cooked rice for later use without rapid cooling and refrigeration.
Control sourceCooked rice can carry Bacillus cereus even after steaming. The study reports analytical results, not validation of this procedure as a household safety process.
- Wash 2 kg of Hanareum white rice, soak it for 5 hours and drain it for 2 hours. Steam the rice for 1 hour and let it cool to 30°C.
- Add 200 g of prepared white-rice-flour nuruk, 6 g of takju yeast and 3 L of brewing water to the cooled rice.
- Ferment the mixture at 23 to 25°C for 11 days.
- Take the clear upper liquid, filter it through Advantec No. 2 filter paper, then centrifuge it with an MF-100 centrifuge.
Conditions
Fermentation11 days
Temperature23–25°C
Temperature controlIncubated
Places
South Korea
Traditional preparation · Country evidenceThe article identifies yakju as a Korean traditional alcoholic beverage. This national context does not locate the study's experimental batch or establish the drink's birthplace.
Related
Made from
White-rice-flour nuruk
A shaped, inoculated white-rice-flour starter prepared by Han and colleagues for a 2021 yakju comparison; the commercial baekguk strain was not identified.
Same method
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A clear Korean rice wine made with aromatic Dahyangheukmi pigmented rice, matching rice-flour nuruk and takju yeast.
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Sources
Korean Journal of Food PreservationIngredients · Method · History
Han et al., Quality and antioxidant characteristics of Yakju prepared with pigmented rice flour Nuruk (2021), 28(2):240-251Materials and methods: 2018 Hanareum white rice; prepared white-rice-flour nuruk, 2 kg rice, 200 g nuruk, 6 g Bioland takju yeast, 3 L brewing water, 23–25°C for 11 days, upper clear liquid filtered through Advantec No. 2 and centrifuged with MF-100.
Rice-flour nuruk method: 100-mesh flour, 400 mL hot water called 40% and 0.3% white-koji starter; flour batch mass and percentage bases are not specified in text; 48 h at 30°C and 85% humidity, 7 d at 25°C and 85% humidity, dried to about 10% moisture.
White-rice WY results: pH 4.82 to 3.90 by day 3, ethanol 13.23% day 5 and 13.5% day 11. The 14.6% day-11 result belongs to PY.
Figure 2 caption identifies panel C as white-rice-flour-nuruk yakju; it does not establish final clarity.
WikipediaBackground
Cheongju (drink)Previously used as a history lead; the current period and history text are based on the journal and government sources.
Food Safety Korea (Ministry of Food and Drug Safety)History
Types of alcoholic drinks and their history (Korean traditional liquor)Goryeo-period account of Korean liquor, the inference that Goryeo had cheongju and takju, the Yi Gyu-bo poem on pressing the mash for clear cheongju, and the court office Yangonseo brewing cheongju and beopju for the king.
Food Standards Australia New ZealandSafety
Bacillus cereus in foodCooked starchy foods including rice are a higher-risk setting for B. cereus; its spores and toxins may survive cooking; guidance advises clean hands and equipment and rapid cooling if cooked food is held. General food safety guidance, not validation of fermented yakju.