Ever think of what to do with all that spare time, well, why not make something new and different like the Chinese yellow wine? It will be worth your time.
Chinese yellow wine is a special liquor from the traditional Chinese recipes, with some tips and guidelines, you should be making this fantastic drink all by yourself.
What is yellow wine and what is it made of?
Chinese yellow wine (Huangjiu), popularly called “yellow rice wine” is made from cereals and grains like millet, rice, or wheat. The history of Huangjiu dates back to about 2500 years ago, making it one of the oldest alcoholic drinks in the world. It began as a by-product of mijiu manufacture and is basically partially digested and fermented rice.
The wine is brewed from fermented grains (mostly rice in recent times), it has an orange-yellow color and it is significantly low in alcohol.
The ancient Chinese people have used rice wine for different purposes alongside drinking; it was seen as a magical elixir and was used to pay homage to the gods (you should know by now that to the ancient Chinese people, this was no ordinary wine).
In recent times, rice wine mostly comes from eastern and western China and the taste ranges from extremely dry to extremely sweet. The best Chinese yellow wine of this age comes from a town called Shaoxing, located in Zhejiang province.
What are the typical dishes that require yellow wine?
Chinese yellow wine is for both selective occasions and casual drinking. And you can accompany this wine with wonderful traditional Chinese dishes like Chao Mein (stir-fry noodles), Chao Fan (fried rice), Chou Dou Fu (stinky bean curd), etc to have the full Chinese cuisine experience. And of course, not to forget the delicious Yellow Wine Chicken where the Chinese yellow wine is the main ingredient.
In the absence of any traditional dish, any regular plate wouldn’t make your yellow wine experience less fun.
What is the benefit of yellow wine?
Yellow wine isn’t just delicious, it is also healthy.
In ancient Chinese medicine, yellow wine is a recommendation for health issues like cold, because it warms the body and promotes blood circulation. It is in line with hairy crab, so it promotes cool yin energy.
This wine is brewed from rice, corn, millet, and wheat, these are all healthy grains that are rich in fiber, protein, carbohydrates, and amino acids, therefore it is highly nutritious. Traditional, people drink yellow wine warm, its alcohol content is low and it’s a body warmer, therefore, it is very good for old people.
How to make yellow wine at home (step-by-step)
With all that has been said, there is no doubt that you will be interested in making this incredible wine.
Read along as we guide you on how to make yellow wine on your own, in your home.
Ingredients: Grains (Rice, wheat, millet, and corn) and a wine yeast ball.
Note: whatever grain you have is fine but the most important grain is rice.
- Step 1: Remove any particles from your grains and wash them.
- Step 2: Soak your grains in hot water for an hour, then sieve out the water.
- Step 3: Proceed to boil your grains: put enough water in a pot, pour your grains into it and boil them. Make sure you boil them till they are soft.
- Step 4: Take out the boiled grains and spread them on a cooking sheet for them to cool off. You must do this before the fermenting process.
- Step 5: Crush your yeast ball till it’s in a powdered form. Then pour the powder onto the grains and mix them.
- Step 6: Put the combination of your yeast and grains into an airtight jar, place the jar in a warm and airtight space like a closed cupboard. After a week, you should notice the appearance of liquid at the bottom of the jar, this is the yellow wine emitting from the grains and also the result of their fermentation. You can taste the wine, if you’re fine with the taste, you can extract your wine and use it for whatever you want to use it for. It should taste kind of fruity and slightly sour at this point.
- Step 7: If you want to get a sweeter wine, let the fermentation process continue for about a month. By this time, your yellow wine should be very sweet.
- Step 8: Strain the wine into a container and store in the fridge. (You can drink immediately at room temperature if you want).
After spending about a day or two in the fridge, you will notice a layer of sediments forming at the bottom of the container, this won’t spoil the taste of your wine so you can give it a shake and mix it back up.
There you have it, your easy guide to a homemade Chinese yellow wine.
Tips to make yellow wine at home
The following tips will be beneficial for your winemaking process.
- Be patient while your grains ferment because the longer the better.
- You must let the rice cool off completely before mixing the yeast powder with it. There should be no heat before the fermentation process.
- Just follow the procedure and let your mind be at rest. Don’t panic at any point if not you’ll make mistakes.
- Finally, make sure everything is clean and well washed before you start so that your wine doesn’t become bacteria-infested.
Bottom line: Chinese yellow wine has a very simple procedure. We hope that this article helps you make a very delicious wine.
Check out our Yellow Wine Chicken recipe and let us know what you think.
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