Unripe Ume vs. Ripe Ume/青梅と熟した梅

Which to use to make ume syrup, unripe or ripe ume?
梅シロップを作るには、青梅と熟した梅のどちらを使うか？ 

The answer is simple: Both unripe and ripe ume can make tasty ume syrup, with some difference in color.
Left: Ume syrup made from unripe ume, together with leftover ume
Right: Ume syrup made from ripe ume, together with leftover ume
With my ume syrup recipe, which uses ume and sugar at a ratio of 1:0.5, instead of the more common 1:1, the leftover ume still contain a considerable amount of juice. You can eat them as a snack, make it into jam by adding some (20-50%) sugar, or make some more ume syrup by adding some (20-50%) sugar.
I personally like the leftover ume on the right because their texture is exactly the same as umeboshi although they are not dried and they are salt-free!
答えは簡単です：どちらの梅でも、色は少し異なりますが、美味しい梅シロップができます。
左：青梅で作った梅シロップと、残りの梅
右：熟した梅で作った梅シロップと、残りの梅
梅と砂糖を1:0.5の割合（通常は1:1）で使って作る私のレシピでは、残りの梅にも果汁がまだかなり含まれています。そのままスナックとして食べたり、砂糖を(20～50%)足してジャムにしたり、砂糖を(20～50%）足してさらに梅シロップを作ったりできます。
個人的には、右側の残り梅が好きです。干してないのに、食感は梅干しそっくりですし、その上、塩は入ってません！

Amazake as a Laxative?/下剤として甘酒を？

My mother suffers from constipation. She says that the laxative prescribed by the hospital does not work. Cold milk does not work, either.

The other day, my father got a bag of sake kasu (lees) from the supermarket. My mother drank a glass of the hot amazake that I made from the sake kasu, and reported that it worked like a charm.

母は便秘です。病院で処方された下剤は効かず、冷たい牛乳も効かないそうです。

先日、父がスーパーで酒粕を買いました。母もこの酒粕で作った温かい甘酒を一杯飲んで、それが嘘のように効いたそうです。

Sake kasu produced by Hakkaisan (a sake brewery located in my city, Minami-Uonuma!)

八海山（私の住む市、南魚沼市にある酒蔵）の酒粕 

Just put some sake kasu in a pot, add some water, and mix with a whisk while heating.
酒粕を鍋に入れ、水を入れ、加熱しながら、泡立て器で混ぜます。

Add the desired amount of sugar.
砂糖を好きなだけ入れます。

I hope the amazake keeps working for her!
甘酒が効き続けるといいのですが。

Uses of Ume Jam and Ume Syrup/梅ジャムと梅シロップの使い道

Here is one simple simultaneous use of ume jam and ume syrup.

梅ジャムと梅シロップを同時に使う簡単な方法です。

In a glass, simply put some ice cubes, ume syrup, shochu (Japanese distilled spirit), and ume jam.

グラスに、氷、梅シロップ、焼酎、梅ジャムを入れます。

The addition of ume jam makes this type of alcoholic drink (ume chuhai (chuhi), ume hai (hi), or ume sour) incredibly tasty. After one sip, I added some more jam (and syrup).
梅ジャムを入れると、この種のアルコール飲料（梅チューハイ、梅ハイ、梅サワー）は信じられないくらい美味しくなります。一口飲んで、梅ジャムをさらに足しました（シロップも）。  

You can use ume syrup in cooking in a variety of ways when both sweetness and sourness are called for.

I highly recommend home-making ume syrup and ume jam!

梅シロップは料理に色々と、甘酸っぱさが必要な時に使えます。

梅シロップと梅ジャムを自分で作ることを強く薦めます！

Amazake Made from Sake Kasu (Lees)/酒粕で作った甘酒

Today, I bought a bag of sake kasu from a local sake brewery, Takachiyo Shuzo.

今日は、地元の酒蔵、高千代酒造の酒粕を一袋買いました。

Well, I just had to, partly because I had to make another batch of amazake for my son, but mainly because this particular sake kasu was so cheap (2 kg, 500 yen).
息子のためにまた甘酒を作らなければいけなかったし、何と言っても、この酒粕はすごく安かったので（２キロで500円）、買わざるを得ませんでした。

It is more than five times cheaper than koji.
麹より５倍以上安いです。

I searched for good recipes for amazake made from sake kasu. Some recipes say to tear sake kasu and soak it in cold water overnight to dissolve. I didn't want to wait that long, so I just tore some sake kasu into pieces, put it in a pot, added some water, brought to a boil, stirred well, left it covered with a lid for several minutes, reheated, stirred again. I added some sugar. (I left out salt.)

Ingredients:
500 ml water
100 g sake kasu
3 tbsp sugar
Pinch of salt
Optional: Ginger juice
酒粕から作る甘酒の、いいレシピを探しましたが、酒粕を細かくちぎり、水に一晩漬けて、溶かすというレシピが幾つかありました。そんなに待てないので、ただ酒粕を細かくちぎり、鍋に入れ、水を入れ、沸騰させ、よく混ぜて、蓋をして数分置いて、また加熱して、また混ぜ、砂糖を入れました（塩は省きました）。

材料：
水　500 ml
酒粕　100 g
砂糖　大さじ３
塩　一つまみ
好みで、生姜汁

Right: Amazake made from koji and leftover rice
Left: Amazake made from sake lees
右：　麹と残りごはんで作った甘酒
左：　酒粕で作った甘酒

I'm not a big fan of amazake made from sake lees, but luckily, my son said he could drink it.
私は、酒粕で作った甘酒はあまり好きではないのですが、運よく、息子は、飲めると言っていました。

Amazake Recipe, Updated/甘酒レシピ更新

Just wanted to inform that I have updated my amazake recipe (Japanese only) on COOKPAD, which I previously described here in my blog.

I have slightly modified the amounts of water and leftover rice:

1,400 ml water (not 1,200 ml)

450 g leftover rice (not 400 ml)

400 g koji (unchanged)

The biggest difference is to put the microwaved leftover rice and half the boiling water to the thermos flask in an attempt to make the rice porridge-like.

The contents of the thermos flask will be at around 80 degrees C.

Let the remaining water to cool to around 55 degrees, and add it to the flask.

Make sure that the contents of the flask are at 67-65 degrees, and add room-temperature koji.

Mix well and check the temperature. It should be around 60 degrees.

Amazake will be made in 8-12 hours.  

I decided to heat the amazake this time to deactivate the enzymes.
Just heat the amazake to around 80 degrees, and simmer at that temperature for a few minutes.

Amazake Recipe/甘酒のレシピ

Today, I posted an amazake recipe to COOKPAD. Here's a translation of it. It's a simple, workable recipe, so I hope you consider trying it when you ever decide to make amazake.
今日は、クックパッドに甘酒のレシピを載せました。その翻訳です。簡単で実際的なレシピなので、甘酒を作る時は、試してみて下さい。

***

Making amazake with koji and leftover rice in a thermos/vacuum flask

Put koji and leftover rice in a thermos/vacuum flask to make amazake. Just keep them at 60 to 55 degrees C for 8 to 12 hours.

Ingredients
400 g fresh koji
400 g cooked rice (same amount of koji)
1200 ml hot water at 65 degrees C (3 times the amount of koji)
Small amount of boiling water (about 200 ml) for warming the thermos flask
Thermos flask with a capacity of about 2 liters
Thermometer REQUIRED.

Fresh koji, cooked rice, and water ratio = 1:1:3

1 My beloved thermos flask. One that won't get the water out when I press the button. Rather than just throwing it away, I use it as an invaluable tool for simmering soybeans, azuki beans, and so on. I have removed the tube (inside).

2 It's easy to handle because the lid is detachable. The capacity is 2.2 L. For a portable thermos bottle with a capacity of about 1 liter or so, use about 200 g of koji.

3 My favorite, locally produced fresh koji. 400 g. The koji, cooked rice, water ratio is 1:1:3, so for 200 g of koji, use 200 g of cooked rice and 600 ml of hot water.

4 On the back of the bag, directions for making amazake are written. The recipe uses no cooked rice. In that case, amazake can be made in 2 hours.

5 I've never used dried koji, so I'm not really sure but you may want to <1> Soften with hot water and/or <2> Add some extra hot water.

6 Crumble koji in the bag (into individual grains).

7 I took mine out of the fridge and placed it on the kitchen counter. 30 minutes later, it was 15 degrees. I wanted to wait until it reached room temperature (around 20 degrees), but I went on to the next step.

8 Bring 1,400 ml of water to a boil, and put 200 ml of it in the flask. Cool the remaining 1,200 ml to 65 degrees.

9 400 g of leftover rice. Microwave it. Cool it to around 70 degrees, by checking with a thermometer.

10 Drain water from the flask.
(I checked the temperature inside the flask, and it was more than 80 degrees, so I waited until it went down to around 70 degrees.)

11 Put koji in the flask.

12 Add 1,200 ml of water at 65 degrees. Add rice, too. Mix well with cooking chopsticks.

13 Check the temperature. Ideally, it should be 60 degrees. This time, it was 57.

14 I added some 70-degree water, and put on the lid. The flask was full!

15 Take care not to increase the temperature to 65 degrees or higher. Otherwise, the enzymes will be deactivated. Once deactivated, they will never be activated again when the temperature goes down.

16 The kojikin (Aspergillus oryzae) itself dies at around 50 degrees. It's not the kojikin but the enzyme produced by it that turns starch into sugar.

17 Amazake contains more than 100 types of enzyme. When you consume them, however, they will be decomposed in your body.

18 I placed a note so that my children wouldn't touch it.

19 This time, I made it at 8:00 p.m., and when I checked the temperature at 6:00 the next morning (10 hours later), it was 53 degree. Not bad. If it is 50 degrees or lower, you may want to reheat it (after transferring it to a pot).

20 You must reheat it up to 60 degrees. At 8:00 a.m. (12 hours later), it was 51 degrees. I decided to stop the fermentation.

21 I transferred it to a big pot.

22 And, then, to plastic containers. This time, I accidentally put a little more water than necessary, so I got a large amount (more than 2 liters).

23 Sweet and tasty. If the texture of the rice grains bothers you, you may want to <1> Make the cooked rice into congee and/or <2> Process it in a blender after it's made.

24 If you want to stop the workings of the enzymes, heat the amazake to 65 degrees or higher to deactivate the enzymes in step 21.

25 Personally, I like to put it in the fridge when it gets cool, rather than heating it, and use it up in, say, 7 to 10 days.

Tips:

Temperature control is the key to amazake making! A thermometer is a must!!! For success, be sure to use one!

How and why this recipe is created

When I studied amazake making, I found a lot of ways to keep the temperature to 60-55, such as using a yogurt maker, rice cooker, and kotatsu (traditional Japanese heating device), and I thought that among them, a thermos flask should be the easiest to use. As for a ratio, I wouldn't be able to get a lot without adding rice, and I settled on a ratio of 1:1:3.

Some Notes on Koji and Amazake/麹や甘酒に関して少し

Here are some notes on koji and amazake:
麹や甘酒に関して少し述べます。

Notes on koji:
1. In Japan, koji is available in two types, fresh and dried. The former has a higher potency (is more capable of turning starch into sugar) than the latter, but requires refrigeration (< 10 degrees C), and can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 weeks and in the freezer for up to 3 months. The latter does not require refrigeration, and can be stored at room temperature.
Both types can be used to make amazake. Some recipes say to soak dried koji in hot water to soften or use more water than with fresh koji.
2. It's not the kojikin (Aspergillus oryzae) but the enzymes produced by it that make amazake. At and above 50 degrees C, kojikin cannot survive.
麹に関して：
1. 日本では、麹には、生麹（なまこうじ）と乾燥麹（かんそうこうじ）の二種類があります。前者のほうが力価（りきか。つまり、でんぷんを糖類に変える力）が後者より高いですが、冷蔵（摂氏10度以下）が必要です。冷蔵庫では３週間、冷凍庫では３ヶ月保存できます。後者は冷蔵不要で、室温で保存できます。
どちらも甘酒作りに使えますが、乾燥麹はお湯に漬けて柔らかくする、または生麹の場合よりお湯を多く使うよう指示するレシピもあります。
2. 甘酒を作るのは麹菌ではなく、麹菌が作る酵素です。摂氏50度以上では、麹菌は生きていけません。

Notes on amazake:
1. To make amazake, you must keep the koji and water (and cooked rice) mixture in the temperature range of 55-60 degrees C for 2 to 12 hours, depending on the koji, cooked rice, and water ratio, the method to use to keep the temperature, and other factors.
One recipe says to keep 400 g of fresh koji and 1 liter of water (and no cooked rice) at 60 degrees C for only two hours.
2. Avoid heating the mixture to 65 degrees C or higher because this deactivates the enzymes. Once deactivated, the enzymes will never be activated again when the mixture is lowered in temperature.
3. Once you have made amazake, you have two options: simply keeping it in the fridge and using it up in, say, 7-10 days; and reheating it above 65 degrees C to deactivate the enzymes.
Considering the fact that amazake contains more than 100 types of enzyme, including amylase and protease, I would suggest not reheating amazake.
4. Amazake contains glucose, vitamins B1, B2, and B6, and essential amino acids, among others.
5. According to one source, limit the daily consumption of amazake to 200 ml.
6. Finally, amazake made from sake kasu (lees) is also healthy, and contains less carbohydrate and more vitamins and protein than amazake made from koji, according to one site.
甘酒に関して：
1. 甘酒を作るには、麹とお湯（とご飯）を混ぜたものを2～10時間程度（麹、ご飯、お湯の割合や温度を保つための方法などにより異なる）摂氏55～60度の温度範囲に保つ必要があります。
例えば、生麹を400 g、お湯を１リットル（ご飯なし）を摂氏60度に、わずか２時間保つだけ、というレシピもあります。
2. 摂氏65度以上に加熱するのは止めて下さい。でないと、酵素が死活します。一旦死活すると、温度が下がっても活性化することはありません。
3. 甘酒ができたら、そのまま冷蔵庫に保存し、7～10日程度で飲み切るか、摂氏65度以上に加熱して、酵素を死活させて下さい。
甘酒には酵素（アミラーゼやプロテアーゼなど）が100種類以上も入っていることを考えると、私としては、加熱することはお薦めしません。
4. 甘酒には、ブドウ糖、ビタミンB1、B2、B6、必須アミノ酸などが含まれます。
5. 或るサイトでは、甘酒の一日の摂取量は200 mlに抑えたほうがいいそうです。
6. 最後に、酒粕で作る甘酒も健康に良く、或るサイトによれば、麹で作る甘酒より炭水化物は少なく、ビタミンやタンパク質は多いそうです。

Making Amazake/甘酒作り

Two days ago, my son said something incredible. He said he wanted to have amazake. A few months ago, when I went to the Echigo-Tsumari Art Field, I bought several souvenirs for my family and relatives, which included a bottle of amazake for my wife. The bottle was sitting in the fridge for months, and finally, my son had it all by himself. Now, he wants to have more amazake. I first thought about simply getting some store-bought amazake, but changed my mind to make it myself.

To clarify, there are two types of amazake, one made from koji (expensive but tasty, contains no alcohol) and the other made from sake kasu (lees) (less expensive but less tasty (some people may argue about this), contains a small amount of alcohol). By amazake, I mean the former type.

二日前（ふつかまえ）、息子が信じられないことを言いました。甘酒が飲みたいそうです。数か月前、越後妻有アートフィールドに行った際、家族や親せきにお土産を買ったのですが、その中に、妻への甘酒が一本ありました。それが数か月も冷蔵庫に入れっぱなしで、とうとう息子が一人で飲んでしまいました。それで、甘酒をもっと欲しいというわけです。最初はただ市販の甘酒を買おうと思ったのですが、考えを変えて、自分で作ることにしました。

誤解のないように言っておくと、甘酒には二種類あります。麹（こうじ）から作るタイプ（高価だが美味しい。アルコール分なし）と、酒かすから作るタイプ（安いが、あまり美味しくない（反論する人もいるでしょうが）。アルコール分が少しあり）。私が言うのは前者のほうです。

Unlike the previous attempt, in which I used koji and water, but no cooked rice, I decided to use a recipe that calls for a cooked rice, koji, and water ratio of 1:1:3.

Thus, I used about 400 g of leftover rice (frozen).

ご飯を使わず、麹と水だけを使った以前の方法とは異なり、ご飯、麹、水の割合が１：１：３のレシピを使うことにしました。

というわけで、残りご飯（冷凍）を約400 g使いました。

  

I purchased the same brand as the one I used previously.
以前使ったのと同じ麹を購入しました。

The bag contains 400 g of hand-made koji.
手作りの麹が400 g入っています。

First, I microwaved the frozen rice to thaw, and put it in a pot. Then, I added 400 g x 3 = 1,200 g water.
まず、冷凍ご飯を電子レンジで解凍し、鍋に入れ、次に、水を400 g x 3 = 1,200 g入れました。

I should have used a bigger pot! I heated the rice for a few minutes in an attempt to make some kind of porridge. Before adding the koji, I had to transfer most of the rice to the thermos...
もっと大きな鍋を使うべきでした！ご飯をおかゆのようにしようと、数分加熱しました。麹を入れる前に、ご飯を大半、魔法瓶に入れなければなりませんでした...。

Naturally, I cleaned the inside of the thermos and pre-heated it with some hot water beforehand.
もちろん、魔法瓶の内部はきれいにして、前もってお湯で温めておきました。

After making sure that the rice in the pot had cooled below 60 degrees C, I added the koji.
Be sure to crumble the block of koji into individual grains before adding.
ご飯が摂氏60度以下に下がったのを確認してから、麹を入れました。
麹は、入れる前に崩して、一粒づつにするのをお忘れなく。

I heated the pot, constantly stirring, until the contents reached 60 degrees C. Then, I transferred the contents into the thermos. I checked the temperature of the contents of the thermos, and it was 59 degrees C, so I added some hot water microwaved to 65 degrees C to the thermos.
常にかき混ぜつつ、鍋の中身が摂氏60度になるまで温めました。それから、中身を魔法瓶に移しました。魔法瓶の中身の温度を測ると、摂氏59度でした。電子レンジで摂氏65度に温めたお湯を少し魔法瓶に入れました。

At around 6:30 the next morning, about ten hours later, I checked the temperature of the contents of the thermos, and it was 50 degrees C. I transferred them to a pot,
翌朝、6:30頃、約10時間後、魔法瓶の中身の温度を測ると、50度Cでした。中身を鍋に移し、

reheated them to 60 degrees C, and 

60度Cまで加熱し、

and put them back to the thermos.
魔法瓶に戻しました。

At around 11:00, more than 14 hours later, I checked the temperature again, and it was 59 degrees C. I transferred the contents to a plastic container and a pot.
11:00頃、14時間以上過ぎてから、温度をまた測ると、59度Cでした。中身をプラスチック容器と鍋に移しました。

I was so glad it was a success.
成功して良かったです。

***
I really regretted having made amazake in such a haphazard way this time. If I make another attempt, I will use a recipe like this:
1. Take out a bag of koji from the fridge and let sit on the kitchen counter until it reaches the room temperature.
2. In a pot, put 400 g cooked rice and 1,200 g water. Bring to a boil, simmer until the rice turns soft.
3. Leave the pot until the temperature of the contents goes down to 65 degrees C.
4. Put some boiling water to the thermos to preheat, and drain.
5. Put the koji in the thermos.
6. Add the contents of the pot.
7. Check the temperature. It should be around 60 degrees C.
8. Leave for 10-12 hours.

今回は、こんないい加減な方法で甘酒を作って、本当に後悔しています。今度作るとしたら、次のようなレシピを使おうと思います。
1. 麹を冷蔵庫から出し、室温になるまで台所に置いておく。
2. 鍋にご飯を400 gと水を1,200 g入れ、沸騰させ、柔らかくなるまで煮る。
3. 中身が65度Cになるまで鍋を放置しておく。
4. 魔法瓶に沸騰水を入れ、温め、お湯を捨てる。
5. 魔法瓶に麹を入れる。
6. 鍋の中身を入れる。
7. 温度をチェックする。60度C程度になるはず。
8. 10～12時間放置する。

Ume Syrup in 2015/2015年の梅シロップ

Today, I got a box of ao (unripe) ume from my father. More than 11.5 kg! 

今日は、父から青梅を一箱もらいました。11.5 kg以上です。

Removing the stem end from each ume, with a bamboo skewer, is tedious and time-consuming.
それぞれの梅からへたを取るのは退屈で、時間がかかります。

But, I accomplished that task because I wanted to taste home-made ume syrup again this year.
でも、今年も自家製の梅シロップを味わいたくて、やり遂げました。

I have kept these seven bags of sugar in the storage space for that purpose.
そのために、収納スペースに砂糖を７袋もとっておきました。

First, put 1 kg of ume in the jar, and then 1 kg of sugar.
まず、梅を１キロ、瓶に入れ、次に砂糖を１キロ入れます。

Then, 1 kg of ume, followed by 1 kg of sugar.
それから、梅１キロ、次に砂糖１キロ。

Then, another 1 kg of ume, followed by another 1 kg of sugar.
それから梅をさらに1キロ、次に砂糖をさらに１キロ。

Thus, 3 kg of ume and 3 kg of sugar in total.
(Well, actually, the top sugar layer is about 0.5 kg.)
よって、全部で梅３キロと砂糖３キロ。
（実は、一番上の砂糖の層は約0.5キロです。）

I made two batches first.
まず２つ作りました。

I later made another batch, with less (about 2.9 kg) ume and less sugar (about 1.5 kg), due to the small size of the jar.
後で、もう一つ、梅を少な目（約2.9キロ）、砂糖も少な目（約1.5キロ）で作りました。瓶が小さいせいです。

The remaining ume (about 2 kg) are now soaked in cold water.
残りの梅（約２キロ）は冷水に漬けてあります。

I'm going to make ume jam tomorrow!
明日は梅ジャムを作ります。

To be continued.
続く。