Step 1

Drain the rice and put it into a heavy pot. Add 4 cups of water. Cover and cook over medium high heat for 15 minutes. Stir and turn the rice over with a wooden spoon. Cover and simmer it for another 15 minutes over low heat.Remove from the heat. Transfer the rice to a basket of your electric dehydrator. Spread the rice evenly, and fill as many baskets as you need. Cover, set the temperature to 160° F, and dry for 3 hours, until the outside of each grain is hard, but the inside is still moist. If you don’t have an electric dehydrator, you can dry your rice for several hours in a shallow basket set in breezy, sunny place. Put the rice into the earthenware crock. Add nuruk, yeast, and 8 cups of water and mix well with a wooden spoon.Place a cotton cloth under the lid when you close it, to let some air circulate in and out.Let sit for several hours, then uncover and mix well with a wooden spoon. At this point, the rice will have absorbed a lot of the water to create a thick paste. Cover and let sit overnight. Open the crock and you’ll see a lot of bubbles popping to the surface, and the mixture will be a lot thinner than yesterday. Stir it well with a wooden spoon and cover again. Stir it a few times a day for the next few days. On day 4 or 5, it will be bubbling a lot less and will have separated to a clear liquid on top and a milky mixture on the bottom. Mix well, and keep mixing a few times a day for a few more days. On day 8 or 9, there will hardly be any bubbles at all. The liquid on the top will be clearer and more amber. It’s now perfectly fermented and ready to drink. Strain the makgeolli into a large bowl, pressing on the solids with the back of a wooden spoon to squeeze as much liquid as possible out of it. Discard the solids. Add 8 cups of water to dilute. Add the optional sugar and mix well. Strain the makgeolli one more time and put it into glass jars or BPA free plastic beer bottles. Serve cold, and stir or mix well before drinking. Serve with kimchi or some side dishes. It can keep in the fridge up to 2 to 3 weeks.

Step 2

timpope Dorset, UK joined 12/20 & has 1 commentPosted December 14th, 2020 at 8:36 am | Log in to reply. Hi Maangchi,Got your book for a birthday present and until then didn’t even consider I could make my own Makgeolli!Just ordered my Nuruk to do this recipe – looking forward to trying it.Nuruk is pretty difficult to get over here (I’ve ended up ordering it from eBay and it’s coming from South Korea).With the Nuruk/Yeast that you strain out of the Makgeoli before bottling… Is it possible to save this and use as the starter for another batch?I’m hoping the answer is yes so I can make a lot more and also pass some on to friends to use to make their own also :-)ThanksTim Jess121 Canada joined 11/20 & has 1 commentPosted November 23rd, 2020 at 5:31 pm | Log in to reply. Thanks for the recipe! I am making makgeolli. It is day 2 and the rice is only partially liquified. However, the smell and taste is already strong (burns a little), and not sweet at all– did I do something wrong? Should I keep fermenting, or strain it now? Haakasaurus Seattle joined 7/20 & has 1 commentPosted July 10th, 2020 at 5:23 pm | Log in to reply. I’m not sure if I’m missing something or if something was left out. I have 5 cups of rice, I’m supposed to add only 4 cups of water then cook those 5 cups on medium-high for 15 minutes. After those 15 minutes the rice is already starting to burn and stick to the bottom of the pot. Then I’m supposed to not add any more water and just cook it for another 15 minutes? If I don’t add more water the rice will be burnt to a crisp and have an inch of burnt rice stuck to the bottom of the pot… BrianKrecik United States joined 3/15 & has 3 commentsPosted July 14th, 2020 at 6:45 pm | Log in to reply. Did you cover the rice? When it starts to boil turn it down to simmer. Tiirsys Western Washington joined 8/20 & has 1 commentPosted August 7th, 2020 at 2:17 pm | Log in to reply. I am trying this out with brown rice. Have you ever done it Maangchi? Day seven here is how it looks.See full size image Maangchi New York City joined 8/08 & has 12,051 commentsPosted August 31st, 2020 at 8:42 am | Log in to reply. I’ve never made makgeolli with brown rice. How did it turn out? BrianKrecik United States joined 3/15 & has 3 commentsPosted July 14th, 2020 at 6:45 pm | Log in to reply. …or use a rice cooker. ;-) LadyDee PA joined 7/18 & has 2 commentsPosted October 8th, 2020 at 8:31 pm | Log in to reply. Did you first soak the rice for the recommended time? Soaked rice has absorbed some of the liquid that’s why she says only 4 cups water. When making my rice tho i used equal parts rice and water and it turned out fine. Miss Tina MD USA joined 4/20 & has 1 commentPosted April 27th, 2020 at 11:04 pm | Log in to reply. Hi Maangchi,I was watching several videos for making rice wine and I found yours to explain it best. ;-) But I’ve started a batch which I added crushed Chinese yeast balls but I didn’t have nuruk. I found a place to order it. Can I add it later (which would be half way through 4-5 days) or just let this batch go which would be more Japanese style? This way has clear liquid forming at the bottom separating from the porridge on top which you strain off. I can always make another batch with nuruk later for comparison.. versokeen Seattle, WA joined 8/19 & has 2 commentsPosted April 16th, 2020 at 1:46 pm | Log in to reply. Hi Maangchi! I have a 1 gallon onggi pot. Can i still make this recipe? How do I scale down this recipe to make sure it can all fit? Thank you so much I am sooo excited to start fermenting!!! Katznaperr Elk Grove Village, IL joined 3/20 & has 4 commentsPosted April 17th, 2020 at 11:22 pm | Log in to reply. I used a 2 gallon food grade bucket. My local donut shop gives them away for free or you can get at a home brew shop for under $10. It works great.See full size image jel Delaware joined 10/20 & has 3 commentsPosted October 1st, 2020 at 1:32 pm | Log in to reply. Good tip. I’ve made Chinese Rice Wine using the Rice Balls (actually enzymes + microbes) in a large glass jar with a fermentation gas trap in the lid. I don’t have an Onggi or earthenware jug of the proper size and wonder if I can use a glass jar with the gas trap lid for making Makgeolli also? If so, will enough air get in without leaving the screw-top lid loose? I notice that you use the same gas trap with the food grade bucket. Was the lid on tightly?Appreciate any tips here for my first run of Makgeolli.JEL Texaspete363 Maryland joined 4/20 & has 2 commentsPosted April 15th, 2020 at 12:18 pm | Log in to reply. Here’s the large jar I used for fermentation.See full size image Texaspete363 Maryland joined 4/20 & has 2 commentsPosted April 15th, 2020 at 12:17 pm | Log in to reply. I’m not sure how, but I ended up with more than a gallon. The recipe is so easy and works perfectly! I couldn’t find an onggi at our Korean market, so I used a glass jar, but it worked fine. I just wrapped the jar in a towel to keep out the light and hold in the heat. The end result was so tasty!See full size image medusagurlyeah Adelaide joined 1/14 & has 31 commentsPosted March 23rd, 2020 at 7:56 pm | Log in to reply. Hi Maangchi!Please teach us how to make Makgeolli bread in your next video. Thank you. Xx Katznaperr Elk Grove Village, IL joined 3/20 & has 4 commentsPosted March 22nd, 2020 at 2:01 pm | Log in to reply. Day 1: I’m going to give this a try. I use to live in Korea over 20 years ago and remember drinking Makgeolli at summer festivals and at college hangouts. I’ve been brewing beer for over 15 years so I am going to apply some of that process as well. Wish me luck!See full size image Maangchi New York City joined 8/08 & has 12,051 commentsPosted March 29th, 2020 at 8:27 pm | Log in to reply. Have you made it? If so, how did it turn out? Katznaperr Elk Grove Village, IL joined 3/20 & has 4 commentsPosted April 8th, 2020 at 1:33 am | Log in to reply. I’m really happy with the results, it turned out great. Just as I remembered when I lived in Korea 25 years ago drinking it at summer festivals. I fermented in the basement which was cooler so I had to let the fermentation go about 13 days.See full size image Maangchi New York City joined 8/08 & has 12,051 commentsPosted April 8th, 2020 at 11:49 am | Log in to reply. It looks awesome! Yay! Now you can make Korean makgeolli! lizlewis71 Twin Falls, Id. joined 11/13 & has 4 commentsPosted March 16th, 2020 at 12:06 pm | Log in to reply. Hi. How do I make it different flavors? Katznaperr Elk Grove Village, IL joined 3/20 & has 4 commentsPosted April 13th, 2020 at 1:23 am | Log in to reply. Hello lizlewis71, I am planning to give flavors a try now that I have mastered my first successful batch. I have been home brewing for over 20 years including beer, wine, soda and cider. I think there are 3 possible ways to add flavor to makgeolli. (1) The most easy would be to simply add flavor extract to the final product before bottling. This is how soda and seltzer are flavored. Soda Stream sells a large variety of flavors and they can be easily purchased at Walmart or online. (2) add flavor enhancers known as Nibs during fermentation. Nibs can be purchased at any home brew shop and are common to use in flavoring beer. I just made a stout beer that I used coco nibs to give it a Chocolate flavor. These are limited in choices though, I am considering using orange nibs in my next batch. (3) you can use frozen juice flavor concentrate to dilute your brew before bottling. This is how ciders get their punch. For example at the end before you bottle your brew instead of diluting with water as the recipe suggests you could use frozen juice concentrate instead of water. I think this would be the best result except for the fact that frozen concentrate has a lot of sugar and the fermentation in your brew might go into overdrive if you add it. This would result in extremely high alcohol content, very foamy makgeolli and exploding bottles if you cap the bottle too tight. If you use this method I think it would be wise to first use some Potassium Sorbate tablets from your home brew supplies store first. This will kill the yeast with out affecting the flavor. I hope this helps. I think I am going to do a double batch next and try all these techniques to see what gives the best results. I’ll be sure to post how it went when I am done. ErwinV Amsterdam joined 1/20 & has 3 commentsPosted January 19th, 2020 at 5:53 pm | Log in to reply. Hi, i am afraid i did not pay attention to you receipe and managed to put in the 20 cups all at once, bit stupid i know It is fermenting strongly but i am still wondering if this has a chance of succeeding?Can you tell me if it is best to throw it and start over or to see what happens?Thanks for your time.Erwin ErwinV Amsterdam joined 1/20 & has 3 commentsPosted January 20th, 2020 at 2:57 am | Log in to reply. … this morning i took some water out. I’m now at day 2. Thinking of adding 1/2 kg of rice in the afternoon. I do not have any Nuruk anymore. The 1 1/2 cup was all i had.Maybe you have some advice on what to do now .. :) ErwinV Amsterdam joined 1/20 & has 3 commentsPosted January 20th, 2020 at 2:55 pm | Log in to reply. …Added 1/2 kg of extra rice, will see what happens… just put it in and when opening it i could smell some alcohol already so that’s good :) Iffyskyes Nigeria joined 1/20 & has 1 commentPosted January 4th, 2020 at 6:05 am | Log in to reply. Hey… I just wanted to ask what I can substitute the earthen Crock… Will it taste different deeping on where it’s left to ferment? KP Nashville joined 10/19 & has 1 commentPosted October 21st, 2019 at 9:09 pm | Log in to reply. Maangchi I hope you see this and can help me (I posted this in two different places sorry!). I am making this for the 10 time maybe and I am on day 8 and this is still looking like day 5. There is no clear clear layer, there is still a lot of bubbles/yeast activity so I am not worried that that yeast was not good (I have had that problem before and I knew it wasn’t a good batch by day or 5). And the smell is right, sweet smelling like alcohol. I will say that I went a little heavy on the rice and it was probably about half a cup more than 5 cups. So what do I do? Do let is ferment for a few more days and see if the amber layer appears? Or should a harvest it now? If it doesn’t appear should I just harvest it or throw it out?