Amazake (甘酒) comes in two types: one made from sake lees, as the name sake implies, and the other made from rice malt. The amazake introduced here is the latter type, based on rice malt. This type of amazake also has a medicinal role and is recommended when you feel tired or want to prevent colds. Amazake also contains dietary fiber and oligosaccharides, which help regulate the intestinal environment.
This is the time of year when plums are available in large quantities, so why not prepare plum syrup for the coming summer heat?
The general practice is to take the heck out of each plum that is still green, but if you want to take it a little easier and quicker, we recommend making it from frozen yellowed plums. The finished ume syrup can be mixed with water or soda water to make ume juice, with soy milk or black tea, or with honey or vinegar to make ume dressing.
