Strawberry Sweet Rice Wine (Strawberry Jiu Niang)

Homemade with fresh strawberries and sweet rice, this refreshing and mild Strawberry Sweet Rice Wine has such a balanced taste of sweetness and acidity. At the moment when I uncovered my strawberry Jiu Niang, a bumblebee was attracted by its fruity scent and landed on my balcony. What's more, this strawberry sweet rice wine is low in alcohol level (2.5% ~ 3.5%) and high in nutrients and beneficial bacteria!

Good

% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Step 1

Wash 500g sweet rice for 3 to 4 times, until the water becomes clear. Soak the sweet rice in cold water overnight.

Step 2

The next day, the soaked rice grains should be easily crushed with fingers. Drain the water.

Step 3

Use a large pot to boil the glass food storage container for 5 minutes to kill the germs. Or bake the glass food storage container at 275 °F (135 °C) for 20 minutes. Set aside and let cool.

Step 4

Line a steamer with cheese cloth (or parchment paper), pour the soaked sweet rice over the cheese cloth.

Step 5

Poke some holes into the rice with your index finger, so that it can be cooked more quickly and evenly. Steam the sweet rice over high heat for 40 minutes.

Step 6

Wash about 7 strawberries, remove leaves and stems (you will get about 200g strawberry fruit), cut each strawberry into halves.

Step 7

After the sweet rice has been steamed for 40 minutes, turn off the heat, open the lid of the steamer, place the strawberries over the sweet rice.

Step 8

Put the lid on, turn on the heat, steam the strawberries with the sweet rice over high heat for 5 more minutes.

Step 9

Transfer steamed sweet rice and strawberries to the sterilized glass container. Add 250g cold water to the sweet rice, mix well with a rice paddle. Set aside and let cool.

Step 10

Grind a Chinese wine yeast ball into powder. Weight 2 grams of the yeast powder (about ¼ of a yeast ball).

Step 11

Once the steamed sweet rice is cooled to 30 °C – 35 °C (85 °F – 95 °F. If you do not have a food thermometer, you can touch the rice with double-washed clean hands, it should feel similar to your body temperature), add the yeast powder to the sweet rice, mix until well combined.

Step 12

Press the sweet rice firmly and evenly, dig a hole in the middle.

Step 13

Sprinkle a tiny bit of yeast powder into the hole.

Step 14

Tightly cover the glass container with 2 layers of plastic food wrap. Put the lid on if there is one.

Step 15

Place the sweet rice in a warm and dark place to ferment. You can set your oven at 30 °C ( (85 °F ). Traditionally, Chinese elders would just cover the container with a blanket to keep it warm.

Step 16

The plastic wrap should be bloating if you have tightly sealed the container. Check the fermentation process daily. Once the hole in the middle is at least 80% filled with liquid, the strawberry sweet fermented rice is done.

Step 17

Remove the plastic wrap, always use a clean ladle to get the wine and the sweet fermented rice. Can be served either cold (cool in the fridge/ add ice cubes) or hot (boil with other ingredients, such as poached egg).

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