Vegan Honey (maltose syrup made from wheat grass)

In this step-by-step guide, we will walk you through the process of making vegan honey using cat grass seeds and glutinous rice.

Good

% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Step 1

Place the wheat grass seeds in a bowl of water and let them soak for about 12 hours. This will help speed up germination.

Step 2

Rinse a piece of cheesecloth under running water, gently squeeze out the water so that the cheesecloth is damp. Lay the cheesecloth flat on a tray or shallow dish. Evenly sprinkle the soaked cat grass seeds over the surface of the cheesecloth. Gently place a layer of kitchen paper over the seeds, allowing some space for air circulation. This helps retain moisture for germination. (For the best result, you can use a seed sprouter tray with a lid and small holes on the bottom. If so, the cheesecloth and kitchen paper is not needed).

Step 3

Twice a day, remove the kitchen paper and thoroughly wet the seeds by spraying water over them. After you wet the seeds, carefully lift up the cheesecloth (with seeds on it) from the tray and rinse the tray under running water, then carefully place the cheesecloth back to the tray, cover the kitchen paper back. (It's important to keep the tray clean and not to let the cheesecloth sit in water to prevent mold or rot.)

Step 4

The growing duration can vary depending on the season and room temperature. In my experience during the summer, it took approximately 5 days for wheat grass seeds to reach a height of 2 inches. Once the wheat grass reaches this height, wash, drain, and soak 5½ cups of glutinous rice in 6 cups of water overnight.

Step 5

The following day, transfer the soaked glutinous rice along with the soaking water into a rice cooker. Choose the "rice" mode and cook the rice until it is completely done.

Step 6

Once the glutinous rice has finished cooking, remove the lid of the rice cooker and fluff the rice using a spoon. This will help it cool down more quickly.

Step 7

Harvest the wheat grass. Make sure to carefully preserve the roots as you pull the wheat grass off the cheesecloth. The roots contain a great amount of enzymes, so it's important to keep them intact.

Step 8

Thoroughly rinse the wheat grass multiple times, at the same time remove any spoiled or non-germinated seeds.

Step 9

Use a food processor or a knife to chop the wheat grass and its roots as fine as possible.

Step 10

Once the cooked glutinous rice has been cooled to 60℃/140℉, add the chopped wheat grass into the rice cooker. Thoroughly blend them together with clean hands. (If you don't have a thermometer, you can touch the glutinous rice with your finger, at 60 ℃, it would feel hot, but not unendurably hot.)

Step 11

Place the lid on the rice cooker, choose the "keep warm" mode, and set a timer for 5 hours. (If your rice cooker doesn't have the keep warm function, you can also place the pot into an oven and set its temperature at 60℃/140℉ for 5 hours.)

Step 12

Set a fine mesh straining bag (or 3 layers of cheesecloth) over a large pan, pour the glutinous rice and wheat grass mixture into the bag. Lift the bag and squeeze it repeatedly to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard the solids remaining inside.

Step 13

Simmer the liquid over medium heat for approximately one and a half hours until it transforms into a syrupy consistency or until the overall temperature reaches 105℃/220℉. During the first hour, intermittently stir the mixture using a spatula. In the last half hour, increase the frequency of stirring to prevent the bottom from burning.

Step 14

Use a fine mesh skimmer to remove any floating foam. Transfer your homemade vegan honey into sanitized Mason jars. Let the syrup cool to room temperature before tightly closing the lid of the Mason jar.

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