Preparing steamed rice

Question 1

What are the 4 stages of preparing rice?

Answer 1

Polishing, washing, soaking, steaming

Question 2

What are the 3 layers of a grain of rice?

Answer 2

Outer layers, middle layers, starch core

Question 3

What is the polishing ratio?

Answer 3

The percentage of the original rice grain that remains

Question 4

What is the polishing ratio for Junmai/Honjozo?

Answer 4

70% or less

Question 5

What is the polishing ratio for a ginjo?

Answer 5

60% or less

Question 6

What is the polishing ratio for a diaginjo?

Answer 6

50% or less

Question 7

Washing

Answer 7

after polishing the grains have rice dust all over them made up of outer and middle layers so need to be washed

Question 8

Why do you use Soaking and Steaming

Answer 8

necessary to soften the grain and ensure that it has the correct texture and level of moisture so that it can break up in fermentation

Question 9

What are the 4 stages of making koji?

Answer 9

1. Cooling the steamed rice
2. Spreading the mould over the steamed rice
3. Initial mould growth
4. Controlling and stopping the mould growth

Question 10

How is the steamed rice cooled before koji making?

Answer 10

spread out on mats to cool naturally. it is initially too hot to put koji on.

Question 11

What step in koji making is spreading the mould spores over the rice?

Answer 11

Step 2

Question 12

What is Koji?

Answer 12

mouldy rice

Question 13

In initial mould growth, what tempurature is the room?

Answer 13

the warmest most humid room

Question 14

to slow or stop mould growth, what is done?

Answer 14

the rice is moved to a cooler part of the koji room or completely removed

Question 15

What are the two things in the fermentation process that can influence the style of sake produced?

Answer 15

Yeast strain and temperature control

Question 16

Cooler fermentation temperatures produce?

Answer 16

fruity and floral aromas - ginjo

Question 17

Warmer fermentation temperatures produce?

Answer 17

spicy, earthy and cereal aromas - Honjozo