preserving a family tradition \\ homemade Chinese red (rice) wine

we have a family tradition. as far as i can remember, e-mah (grandma) started it. the 'must-eat' dish on the first day of Chinese New Year is red (rice) wine chicken with wheat noodles. apart from Chinese New Year, we also have it on our birthdays. and if it's your birthday, you get a special poached egg too.
 

ever since e-mah past away, mum continued the tradition. good thing out of all the daughter in laws and aunties, mum learnt how to make red rice wine from e-mah before she passed away.she now makes the best rice wine and red wine chicken. none of the aunties seem to be able to master the art of rice wine making. for years, red wine chicken has been pretty much the only dish from home i can't have in Sydney. in order to make it, you need to make the rice wine first.  rice wine making is quite time consuming and fiddly. all equipment must be clean and free of oil or grease or your rice wine will be contaminated and turn bad. 
 

i've seen mum make it a handful of time and i may have taken notes on how to make it but I never got around to make it myself. last year, when i was on maternity leave i decided to ask mum for the recipe and i was determined to make it so that i can continue the family tradition. after speaking to mum on the phone for fifteen minutes, i got the recipe and instructions (scribbled on the back of a plain envelope) and off i went to make my own red rice wine. 

i've made it a couple of times now and i don't refer to the recipe anymore. i thought i had better document it properly in case my memory fails me. who knows, in thirty years time, i might be the only one in the family who knows how to make it. 
 

ingredients \\

1kg white glutinous rice

100g red rice

6 rice wine yeast balls

 

// makes approximately 1 litre of rice wine
 

method \\

soak glutinous rice overnight. 
 

prepare a jar with lid big enough to fill one kilo of cooked rice. 
 

steam rice for 15-20 minutes in batches. while the rice is steaming, blend the red rice and wine yeast balls into find powder. 
 

once the rice is cooked, put into a sieve or colander and run it under cold tap water until the rice is completely cool. 
 

drain the rice so that it is not too wet. mix cooled rice wine 1-2 tablespoon of the red rice/wine yeast mixture in a clean bowl. put the mixtures into the prepared jar. 
 

once all the rice is cooked and mixed with the red rice/wine yeast mixture, close the lid and put the jar in a dark and warm place. 
 

check on the progress of the fermentation on a weekly basis. stir the mixture with a clean ladle after the first and second week and let the fermentation continue for another 2-4 weeks. the wine is ready for bottling when the sediments sink to the bottom leaving a layer of clear wine on top. mum also taught me to taste the wine to check if it is ready to be bottled. it should taste sweet and alcoholic.