How To Make Jiu Niang (Chinese Sweet Fermented Rice)
Course: Condiment
Cuisine: Chinese
Prep Time: 15 minutesminutes
Cook Time: 40 minutesminutes
Fermentation: 4 daysdays
Total Time: 4 daysdays55 minutesminutes
Servings: 4servings
Calories: 471kcal
Author: Marvellina
Learn how to make Chinese sweet fermented rice using Chinese wine yeast balls and sticky rice. The result is an amazingly sweet fermented rice that you can use in both sweet and savory dishes.
Rinse glutinous rice in several changes of water and drain off the water completely
Cook the glutinous rice using Instant Pot pressure cooker:
Put the rice in a round cake pan. Aluminum pan as it is a good heat conductor. Pour 450 ml of water to cover. You don't need to soak the rice if using a pressure cooker
Pour 1 cup of water inside the inner pot of the instant pot. Put the trivet in and place the pan on the trivet. Close the lid and turn the pressure release valve to "sealing". Set the timer to 20 minutes on "high pressure". Then do natural release, it will take about 10-15 minutes for the pressure valve to collapse on its own
Unlock the lid. Be careful of the hot steam coming out from the pot. Remove the pan from Instant pot
Cook the glutinous rice on the stove:
Soak the glutinous rice with water for at least 4 hours or overnight. Drain off the soaking water.
Line your steamer with a clean cloth or cheese cloth. Spread the pre-soaked rice on it. Create an empty spot in the middle so the steam can go through. Steam for about 40 minutes over medium-high heat or until the rice is cooked through. Proceed to the next step
Let the cooked glutinous rice cool down completely:
Spread the rice on a clean large tray to let the rice cool down completely
Sterilize the container and other things you will use:
I use glass containers, the lid, spatula, and a spoon (or whatever you will use) and boil them in rolling boil water for about 5 minutes
Boil about 150 ml of water. I recommend to boil extra because some will evaporate during the boiling process. We will only use 120 ml of this later. Let this water cool down completely before using
Prepare the starter:
Put the yeast balls inside a bag, push the air out and seal. Use a rolling pin or other object to crush the wine yeast starter into very fine powder
Use a clean spoon to sprinkle the yeast all over the cooled-down rice. Add 120 ml of pre-boiled and cooled down water. You can use a clean spoon or clean spatula to mix the rice, the yeast starter, and the water evenly. Transfer this to sterilized containers or jars. I recommend using glass or ceramic. Don't use plastic
It is also best to use several smaller jars or containers so you don't have to finish all jiu niang in a week time
If you use jars, create a "hole" in the middle of the rice using a clean chopstick all the way to the bottom. It's easier to check on the progress this way
Cover with the lid but don't tighten it to allow some air to encourage fermentation, but don't allow any obvious gap where bad bacteria or other microorganisms to enter and ruin the batch.
Put this at a warm dark place, about 86-95 F degrees. Make sure the temperature is maintained at least 86 F and no more than 95 F.
Fermenting in the oven:
I use my oven bread proof's function for this. Let it sit in the oven for 3-4 days and check on it daily
Fermenting using an Instant Pot:
If you have an Instant Pot, you can also use the yogurt function. Simply put a trivet in there and put the container on top. Close the lid but don't tighten it to allow some oxygen to allow fermentation, but don't allow any obvious gap where bad bacteria or other microorganisms to enter and ruin the batch. Let it ferment for 3-4 days and check on the progress daily
Check on the progress:
The first day, the rice may appear dry. Don't be concern. Start checking at day 2 again. You may start to see some liquid sipping out. On day 3, have a taste test. The rice should be soft, mushy and sweet and you will smell the alcohol smell. If it doesn't taste sweet enough for you, let it ferment a bit longer. By day 4, the rice will float up. There will be quite a bit of liquid inside the container. Have a taste again. It took mine almost 4 days. It may take longer sometimes.
Storage:
Seal the container/jar well with the lid and store in the fridge. The cold temperature will slow down the fermentation but it doesn't mean the fermentation has stopped completely because the yeast is still alive. The longer you leave this, the stronger the aroma of alcohol will be
Both the rice and the liquid can be consumed and used in dessert and cooking. The sealed jars can be stored in a fridge for about a month if you sterilized your equipment well, but once you open the jar, it is recommended to consume it within 5 days for the best result. Always use a clean spoon to get the jiu niang to avoid contamination and unwanted bacteria/mold grows in there
Notes
You can use short-grain or long-grain glutinous rice. I used short-grain glutinous rice because it's sweeter but you can use either one.