2. Growing and Making steamed white rice

Question 1

Parts of a rice grain

Answer 1

husk (removed after harvesting),
bran (removed entirely during polishing)
germ (removed entirely during polishing)
endosperm (removed partly during polishing)
shinpaku (pure starch core)

Question 2

Steps of making steamed white rice

Answer 2

1. Polishing
2. Washing
3. Soaking
4. Steaming

Question 3

During polishing, brewers can decide how much of the endosperm they want to remove - Most of the endosperm removed you will get…

Answer 3

Sakes with less acidity and umami with more fruity, floral aromas.

Question 4

During polishing, brewers can decide how much of the endosperm they want to remove - Only some of the endosperm removed you will get…

Answer 4

Sakes with more acidity and umami with cereal and lactic aromas

Question 5

The amount of polishing required to make sake is defined in Japanese Law

Answer 5

Polishing ratios

Question 6

Polishing ratios

Answer 6

70-100% (very rare)
up to 70% (honjōzō most junmai)
up to 60% (ginjō and junmai ginjō)
up to 50% (daiginjō and junmai daiginjō)

Question 7

Washing removes…

Answer 7

The dust residue over the rice grains after polishing.

Question 8

Soaking and steaming…

Answer 8

Soften the grain and ensure that it has the correct texture and level of moisture so that it is able to break up in the water during fermentation

Question 9

Process of growing rice:

Answer 9

Growing seedlings (March to May)
Transplanting seedlings (late-April to mid-June)
Draining and re-flooding the paddy (late June to late September)
Appearance of the ears (August to early September)
Ripening, harvesting, drying and removing the husks (late September to October)

Question 10

Sake can be made using table rice, but there are sake-specific varieties of rice that made the best sakes. These are all short-grained varieties that do not become especially sticky when steamed. The most important of these are:

Answer 10

Yamada-nishiki
Gohyakuman-goku
Miyama-nishiki
Dewa-sansan
Omachi

Question 11

What are enzymes?

Answer 11

Chemicals that helps chemical reactions to take place

Question 12

What are the key enzymes in sake?

Answer 12

starch to sugar

proteins to amino acids and peptides

Question 13

List three features that makes sake specific rice more suitable than table rice for high-quality sake production

Answer 13

Low protein content
Well defined shinpaku
Larges grains
Resistant to cracking when polished
Good water absorbency

Question 14

What are the aims during rice preparation?

Answer 14

Reduce the levels of proteins. lipids, vitamins and minerals in the rice grains

Adjust the amount and distribution of moisture in the rice grains

Gelatinise the starch