Can rice vinegar be drunk directly?

Rice vinegar can be drunk directly, but if you drink it directly, it is actually quite irritating to your gastrointestinal tract. Especially for patients whose gastrointestinal tract is not so good, it is better to use it as a seasoning. In this way, it is easier for people to accept it. Moreover, rice vinegar is mainly fermented from glutinous rice, which makes the nutrients it contains richer.

Main raw materials

50 kg of glutinous rice, 2 kg of yeast, 80 kg of wet starch, 80 kg of fresh distiller's grains, 50 kg of bran, 50 kg of rice bran, 20 kg of koji, 10 kg of yeast, and 6 kg of salt.

Equipment and tools

Steamer jars, vats and pots.

Preparation method

1. Steam and mix with koji: Soak the glutinous rice so that the water layer is about 20 cm higher than the rice layer. Debt immersion time: 12 to 16 hours in winter and spring when the temperature is below 15℃; 8 to 10 hours in summer and autumn when the temperature is below 25℃. Then scoop it out and put it on a steamer to steam until steam rises, then steam it for another 10 minutes, sprinkle an appropriate amount of clean water on the rice layer, and steam it for another 10 minutes; when the rice grains swell and become shiny, loose and soft, and do not stick to the teeth when chewed, they are cooked. At this time, take the rice out of the steamer and rinse it with clean water to cool it down; after draining the water, pour it out and spread it on a bamboo mat, and mix in the koji. If other raw materials are used, they must be crushed into wet powder, then steamed in a steamer, and mixed with koji after cooling.

2. Fermentation in the jar: The wine-making jar should be a ceramic jar with a small mouth and a large belly. Pour the raw materials mixed with koji into the jar. In winter and spring, surround the altar with burlap or straw mats to keep it warm, and in summer and autumn, pay attention to ventilation and heat dissipation. The temperature in the brewing room should be between 25℃ and 30℃. After 12 hours, the microorganisms in the koji will gradually multiply. After 24 hours, a slight aroma of wine can be smelled. After 36 hours, the wine will gradually seep out, with a golden color, sweet and slightly sour, and a tangy aroma. This shows that saccharification is complete and alcoholization is normal.

3. Add water to make vinegar: During the fermentation process in the jar, saccharification and alcohol fermentation proceed simultaneously, with saccharification being the main focus in the early stage and alcohol fermentation being the main focus in the later stage. In order to complete the saccharification, fermentation must be continued for 3 to 4 days to produce more alcohol. When the wine starts to turn sour, add 4 to 4.5 times the amount of water for every 50 kg of rice or starch to reduce the alcohol concentration in the wine, thereby facilitating the growth of acetic acid bacteria and naturally turning it into vinegar.

4. Coloring of finished product: The vinegar becomes sour and mature after fermentation in the jar, usually 40-50 days in winter and spring, and 20-30 days in summer and autumn. At this time, the yeast dough has a thin layer of acetic acid bacteria film and a pungent sour smell. The upper layer of mature vinegar is clear orange-yellow, while the middle and lower layers are milky white and slightly turbid. The mixture of the two is the white finished vinegar. Generally, 450 kilograms of rice vinegar can be produced from every 100 kilograms of glutinous rice.

Adding five-spice powder, sugar color and other seasonings to white vinegar makes fragrant vinegar. It takes 1 to 2 years for aged vinegar to have a higher concentration and acidity, a darker color, and better quality due to the alternating effects of high and low temperatures.

Process flow: ingredients → steam and mix with koji → ferment in jars → add water and vinegar → color the finished product.