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Vision Brewing is a Company that manufactures and distributes The Malt Rice Kit . We are also the makers of the Sake Home Brew Kit. Both these products contain Koji-seeds. These are the seeds used to grow the correct mould on rice to make malt rice. Please read below the instructions for making Malt rice(Kome-Koji).

Rice that has the correct mould growing on it will act like malt and convert further rice (starch) to sugar. We refer to this rice as MALT-RICE (correct terminology is Kome-Koji). Your Malt Rice Kit contains Aspergillus oryzae mould seeds (Koji- Kin): this material contains the seeds that will grow on rice to make enzyme rich malt-rice That can be kept in the freezer or dried in the sun for later manufacture of the listed products on the left side of this page..

A 10 gram packet will produce approximately 6 kilos of Malt Rice (rice that has been enriched with enzymes from the growth of Koji mold). This will produce approx 22 liters of Sake or 120 liters of beer. It is possible to make a batch of every product listed with 10 grams koji-seeds.

The koji seeds are dry and extremely stable and are stored in an air lock bag. They have an indefinite shelf life being dried conidia, they need no refrigeration and the packet can be opened and closed frequently without harm done to the contents. Postage (air mail, 7 working days) is the method of shipping.

If you like to order via PAYPAL(recommended) please click here Paypal

Each order comes with detailed description of how to make Sake and Beer. No other specialized materials are needed and the ingredients are available in your local super market.

Please click on the links on the left hand side to find out more about making these products using Malt-rice.  Click HERE If you would like to place an order.

 10 gram packet.....$16.50
 25 gram packet.....$20
 50 gram packet.....$35

The Making of malt rice (Kome-Koji)

Materials: 400 grams of rice (short grain): 0.5 teaspoon of Vision Brewing's Koji seeds (Koji-Kin).

Equipment:

One double steamer saucepan or one large saucepan.

One colander, sieve or bamboo steamer to contain rice.

Cotton cloth to absorb water condensation from the saucepan lid (see additional notes).

Procedure:

1.Wash 400g(0.9lb) of rice (short grain) until the water clears, soak the rice for about one and a half hours and then put the rice in a basket or sieve for at least 40 mins to drain off any excess water.

2.Steam cook the rice. Steam cooked rice looks slightly transparent, not white. (N.B. make sure that the rice is not in direct contact with the boiling water, see Additional Notes.)

3.Cool down the cooked rice to 30°centigrade(86° F). Put the rice into an enamel, stainless steel container or plastic take away container and add 1.5 grams (0.5 teaspoon)of mould-seeds (Koji-Kin), this can be mixed with a teaspoon of plain flour to help distribution. Cover the container with moistened cheese or cotton cloth to prevent drying. A very fine metal sieve /tea strainer is very useful for the distribution of seeds. The spore packet contents are unaffected by repeated openings.

4. Keep the inoculated rice in a warm place at 30 °centigrade (86° F). Stir the grains every 10 hours to distribute the mould evenly. Notice the rice becomes white after 15 hours accompanied by a strong cheese-like aroma. Your rice will become white colored and should be firm and slightly sweet. Maintain the rice at 30° centigrade(86° F) for 40 hours. The Malt-rice is now able to convert regular steamed cooked rice to sugar.

Additional information

Important: When you are making your malt-rice (Kome-Koji), you are growing a mould on rice. Providing you grow this mould and no other there are no health concerns. It is possible for the beginner to grow a strange exotic mould or bacteria in error and if used to make a brew, could be toxic and unpleasant to drink. Please use your common sense, if something is unpleasant smelling or tasting, don't consume it!. Below are a few tips to help you recognize and grow malt-rice (Kome-Koji). If you reed these instructions carefully it is almost impossible not to grow koji mould.

1. Malt-rice (Kome-Koji), is always white or slightly tan colored.

2. The smell of malt-rice (Kome-Koji) is a strong cheesy strong smell (not a mouldy smell), perhaps not a lovely smell but not an unpleasant "off" smell. This smell will disappear once the malt rice has been dried.

3.Small white fibers are seen to be growing from the rice in the later stages. If you grow fibers that are not white in color, do not use this batch as you are growing another mould as well as Koji.

4.To grow a mono culture of only Koji, distribute your Koji-Kin (seeds) very evenly and liberally using a fine metal sieve (tea strainer), making sure you thoroughly mix the rice and seeds.

Traditional Simple Method of making malt-rice (kome-koji ): If you are having trouble finding or creating a warm spot a 2 liter plastic bottle/container of warm water (50 ° C, 152°F) will act as a heater and remain warm for 12 hours when wrapped in a thick blanket with your container of inoculated rice with the lid on to prevent drying. The rice needs to be stirred every 12 hours, so this is a good time to refill the bottle with warm water. Although the temperature fluctuates, very good results can be obtained. Once the koji starts growing the rice will become exothermic ( after about 20 hours) and will generate heat, the temperature may reach as high as 40C; at this stage it is not necessary to use the warm water bottle just let the koji rice run is coarse and continue wrapping it a thick blanket. When finished either store the Malt rice in the freezer, or better still dry it slowly in a tray near a window. The light will stop any further unwanted growth. The dried malt rice will keep for12 months minimum.

Making malt-rice (Kome-Koji ) : An electric frying pan with a high lid can be used to help keep the rice warm in the making malt-rice (Kome-Koji ) stage, however care must be taken not to overheat the rice. Overheated rice will kill your fungus growth. Note that the growth of the mould (koji) will generate temperatures above 30°C(86°F), however as long as the environment around the rice is around 30°C(86°F) your growth will be healthy. Any warm dark spot, that will keep your rice away from light and around 30° centigrade (86°F) is perfect for making malt-rice(Kome-Koji).

Steaming Rice: Making good, enzyme rich, malt-rice (Kome-Koji) depends firstly on the quality of the steam rice. When steaming rice, make sure the rice has been soaked for one and a half hours and has been drained for 20 minutes of excessive water. Place the rice into a colander and then into a saucepan with an adequate amount of water and make sure the rice is not in contact with the boiling water. A double steamer saucepan is ideal for this. Place a thick cloth over the rice to prevent water (condensation) dripping from the lid of the saucepan onto the rice. Steam with the lid on for one hour (checking the water level occasionally).When cooked, the rice should be very slightly sticky, easy to separate and rubbery when tested between the front teeth. Great care must be taken to get the correct texture. It is best to use short/medium grain rice.

A bamboo steamer is very suitable for steaming rice. Place the soaked rice in a container in the steamer, place the steamer in a wok with water in the bottom and steam for one hour. Make sure the lid is on the steamer. There is no condensation problem as the lid is made from bamboo.

Massage and mix the rice 3 times during the 40 hour malt-rice (Kome- Koji) process to help distribute the mould growth. Don't let the malt-rice (Kome-Koji) get over ripe so it smells overpowering. This Kome- Koji will determine to a large extent the flavor of your Sake, if it tastes firm and sweet and looks white or slightly tan, then it is time to stop the process and move to the brewing stage.

Warm spots: devices used for creating warm spots for malt-rice production include, electric frying pans, hot water bottles in a polystyrene box, electric blankets, electric bulbs in boxes/ovens (shield rice from the light) etc. Any object that radiates some heat can be used with a cardboard or polystyrene box. A thermometer is indeed very useful .

Rice Steaming Images:

Above shows the soaked rice in the cloth ready for wrapping and placing into a steamer with a cloth on top to prevent condensation dripping onto the rice.

  email: Vision Brewing:  vision@kagi.com

Copyright 2016 Vision Brewing. All rights reserved 

 Vision Brewing, P.O box 108. Nedlands 6909 W.A