Fermented Sweet Rice (Jio Nian)

Our next cooking lesson is on fermented rice (jio nan).  This is an ingredient used in many of my favorite Chinese dishes from dessert soups to stir fry shrimp .   I remember when I used to sneak into the bathroom to eat many bowls of this stuff.  I discovered at a young age that I like sweets…and alcohol!

The total process for this dish takes between 5-7 days to complete.   To begin, the rice needs to be soaked in water for at least 6-8 hours prior to cooking.  With our 1 p.m. cook time, I promised Puo (grandmother) I would wake up at 6 a.m. to start the soaking process.  She told me the recipe would be ruined if we soak it for too short or long of a period of time.  Since I am terrified of Puo when she is angry, I decided to play it safe.  

Ingredients:  
4 cups uncooked sweet rice

½ cup water
1 tbsp + 1/2 tsp yeast, finely ground from 1 yeast ball
½ cup of whiskey (we decided to always use whiskey instead of rice wine)

Sweet rice and yeast ball

Directions Part 1:

1. Place 4 cups of uncooked sweet rice into bowl.  
2. Pour water until it just covers the rice.   
3. Let soak for 6 - 8 hours.

Directions Part 2:

1. Drain water from bowl.
2. Start steamer.  When the water begins to boil, place bowl of rice into steamer.  
3. Let steam covered for 45 minutes.
4. Transfer rice into another large bowl.  Let cool until slightly warm.
5. While rice is cooling, grind 1 yeast ball until extremely fine powder (see picture below).
6. In a separate bowl combine water and whiskey. 
7. When rice is cooled, add 1 tbsp and 1/2 tsp of yeast and mix well with hands.  
8. Dip hands into whiskey / water to keep rice from sticking to hands.
9. Slowly add most of the whiskey and water mix.  Continue kneading rice with hands.
10. Transfer rice into a glass or ceramic bowl with lid.
11. Pat down the rice until tightly packed and even.
12. Create a hole in the middle of the bowl with an object that is small enough to be covered.  We used a short shot glass (it was the only item I could find in a hurry).
13. Pour remaining liquid evenly onto rice.
14. Cover with a tight fitting lid.  
15. We then wrapped the bowl in two beach towels and placed it in a dark warm location.  I chose my husband's closet!  Puo uses a heating pad on the rice.
16. Let sit for 5-7 days.  Rice is ready when it becomes naturally sweet.  
17. Place in refrigerator after fermented. 

Ground yeast until fine powder

Rice with shot glass in the middle, ready to be covered

First layer 

Second layer, place in closet for 5-7 days

Finished rice (after 9 days)

Problems I encountered (6:30 a.m.):

My grandmother told me to use about half of the 5 lb bag of rice.  Of course I listened and poured half the bag (measured to be about 6 regular cups) into a bowl.  Then I realized that the rice would expand as it soaked and this would cause a problem.  

   

All 6 cups in bowl, 6 a.m.

Rice after soaking for 30 minutes

I  do not have a bowl large enough to hold all the rice that would also fit into my steamer.  So I took out about 2 cups and placed them into the rice cooker bowl.  The remaining 4 cups of rice is now in the original bowl and waiting for grandma's instructions.

2 cups in manufacturer's bowl

4 cups rice soaking

Problems with finished product:

My rice did not ferment properly after seven days.  I had to use a heating pad in order to finish the fermenting process.  I should have listened to Puo the first time. 

Stay tuned to find out what we did with the extra rice...
Bao Bo Fan