Miki (Amami Fermented Rice Drink)

Name: Miki (Amami Fermented Rice Drink)
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 20 min
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients: rice flour 500 g; water 1400 ml; peeled sweet potato 100 g; white sugar 100 g

Quick answer

Active time: 40 min
Waiting: See the steps
Level: Medium
Servings: 8 servings
Ingredients: 4

About this dish

Thick, sweet, and slowly turning sour, miki comes from the Amami area of Kagoshima, where cooked rice flour, sugar, and water are fermented with juice pressed from raw sweet potato.

Only the juice is used; the grated solids are left out. Freshly made, it tastes plainly sweet. Over the following days a sour tang builds behind that sweetness, and how much tang you like decides when the jar moves to the fridge, more than the calendar does.

Ingredients

servings

IngredientAmount

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Instructions

5 steps

1

Bring the water to a boil in a large pot.

Reduce to medium-low heat and add the rice flour gradually, whisking continuously so no lumps remain.
2

Add the white sugar and cook for 15 to 20 minutes, scraping the bottom with a spatula.

Stop the heat when the rice flour is fully cooked, smooth, and thick.
3

Finely grate the sweet potato, wrap it in clean cloth, and squeeze firmly to collect only the juice.

The grated solids are not used in this preparation.
4

Cool the rice mixture to about 30°C.

Add the sweet potato juice and stir thoroughly with a clean spatula until the color and consistency are uniform.
5

Transfer to a clean jar or container, cover, and keep in a cool, dark place.

Ferment overnight in summer or for two to three nights in winter, stirring occasionally with a clean spatula. Refrigerate when the desired acidity develops and serve chilled.