Rice vinegar has a milder flavor than many other types of vinegar. Since rice gives it slightly sweet notes, it is great for sweet or pungent recipes, such as salad dressings. While it's easy to find, making it at home is easy. To make a bottle of fresh homemade rice vinegar, you'll need cooked rice, mother of the vinegar or rice wine, water and a little patience.
Ingrediants
- 2 cups (500 g) of rice cooked with water
- 30-60 ml of mother of vinegar or rice wine
- 1 liter of water
Doses for about ½ l
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Mix the Rice, the Mother of the Vinegar and the Water
Step 1. Transfer the rice and cooking water to an airtight container
You will need 2 cups (500 g) of cooked white rice to make the vinegar. Put the remaining rice and cooking water in an airtight glass or porcelain stoneware bottle or jar.
Have you decided to use a glass jar or bottle? Choose a dark container, which allows for better fermentation
Step 2. Pour the mother of the vinegar over the rice
To prepare the vinegar, you will need a culture called the "mother of the vinegar". If you have homemade rice vinegar that hasn't been filtered, you can take 30-60ml of it and pour it over the rice. In the absence of this ingredient, use the same amount of rice wine instead. Preparing vinegar with wine takes longer, but the process is just as effective.
- The mother of vinegar is easily found online.
- Shaoxing rice wine is a good option for making rice vinegar. It can usually be found in Asian product stores.
Step 3. Finish filling the container with water
After putting the rice and mother of the vinegar in the bowl, pour in about 1 liter of filtered or bottled water. Do not use tap water, as it contains bacteria or other impurities that would alter the fermentation process.
Part 2 of 3: Ferment the Vinegar
Step 1. Cover the container with cheesecloth
Vinegar needs air to ferment properly, however it is best to avoid contamination with dust, dirt or insects. Place 2 or 3 pieces of cheesecloth over the opening of the container and secure them with a rubber band.
Step 2. Put the mixture in a dark and warm place
Fermentation occurs faster in hot environments, therefore it is advisable to place the container in a place that has a temperature between 15 and 28 ° C. Also make sure it is dark, as fermentation also requires this condition for it to take place properly.
The cellar and pantry are ideal places to ferment the vinegar
Step 3. Check the mixture after 3 weeks
The time required for the fermentation of the vinegar depends on the temperature, the type of mother used and the bacterial proliferation. It can therefore take from 3 weeks to 6 months. Open the container and smell the mixture after 3 weeks. Does it have the classic vinegar smell? Taste it also to check its flavor. Cover the container and let the mixture rest if the process has not been completed and has not yet turned into vinegar.
- It is normal for vinegar to emit strange odors during the fermentation process. How to know when it is ready? It should smell pungent and sour, the same as vinegar sold in the supermarket.
- The taste should be sour and pungent, just like bought vinegar. It shouldn't taste like alcohol.
Step 4. Keep trying the mixture until it turns into vinegar
It is best to check it once a week or a month, depending on how it smells and tastes the first time you tried it. It will be ready once it has acquired the typical smell and taste of vinegar.
There are no precise rules regarding the duration of fermentation. The flavor of the vinegar changes as you let it ferment, so it is possible to define the duration of the procedure according to your tastes. Let it ferment longer if you prefer to avoid it having a particularly pungent and sour taste
Part 3 of 3: Strain the Vinegar
Step 1. Filter the mixture using cheesecloth
When fermentation is complete, remove the cheesecloth, then place it on the edge of another clean container and slowly pour the vinegar into it to filter the rice and any other solid particles.
- Some people find it easier to place cheesecloth on a funnel and pour the vinegar into it to prevent it from spilling.
- In case you want to prepare larger quantities of vinegar in the future you should set aside the slime film that remains on the cheesecloth after filtering it. This substance is the mother of vinegar, which in the future will allow you to prepare it faster. Store it in a stoneware or dark glass bottle covering the opening with a piece of cheesecloth. This way the vinegar will be covered, but it will still receive the air it needs so as not to go bad. Keep it in a place with a temperature between 15 and 28 ° C.
Step 2. Store the vinegar in the fridge for a couple of hours
Hot vinegar is cloudy, so it helps to let it cool. Cover the container again with cheesecloth and chill in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 hours.
Step 3. Use cheesecloth to filter the vinegar again
Take it out of the fridge once it has cooled and become more transparent. Place clean cheesecloth on the opening of another clean airtight container and pour the vinegar over it to filter it again. Once filtered, it will be ready to be used in any recipe.
- Fresh vinegar should be kept in the fridge. You can keep it for 3-4 months.
- You should pasteurize it to make it last longer and store it at room temperature. Pour the vinegar into a pan and bring it to a temperature of around 80 ° C. Let it hold this temperature for 10 minutes. This procedure is usually easiest to do using a slow cooker set on low for 1 to 2 hours. Pasteurized vinegar lasts for years, if not indefinitely.
