[Samia`s food facts and recipes] Makgeolli bread?

Last week, I went on a field trip to the eastern coastline of Korea for two days with the Corea Image Communication Institute. We visited a cement factory - yes, a cement factory - that is run by a French company. I learned some pretty baffling facts about the making of cement, but surprisingly, I also learned about some fascinating aspects of Korean specialty foods.

I bought some dried Korean namul and a large bottle of "makgeolli," or creamy rice wine. At dinner, I drank lots of the wine, and it lifted my spirits enough that I was able to sing at the "norebang," or karaoke room. Mind you, I cannot sing two bars in key, never mind singing a complete song. The next morning, I woke up with a pounding headache and a sour stomach, and I started thinking about what to do with the remaining makgeolli. I certainly didn`t want another night of drinking anytime soon. A friend of mine once told me that her grandmother, who still lives in North Korea, made bread using makgeolli. My friend remembered the smell of the makgeolli bread fondly, and she praised its unique flavor. With that in mind, I decided to set out on an adventure: I wanted to develop a makgeolli bread recipe that would be both nutritious and delicious. I decided to mix all-purpose flour with sweet rice flour to give it a more delicate touch, and it worked!



Calling makgeolli a rice wine isn`t really accurate, because the word wine indicates the use of fruit. Fruit is usually the main ingredient in making wine. Grapes are the most popular, but wine is also made from plums, apples, etc. Rice wine is unique for several reasons. First, rice wine is about 6 percent alcohol, while grape wine is about 10-20 percent alcohol. Although the processes for making rice wine are similar to those of beer, the taste is almost the same as wines made from grapes. The process for beer-making uses mashing techniques to change starch to sugar, while rice wine uses the amylolytic technique. Makgeolli is made by fermenting a mixture of boiled rice and water. Makgeolli literally means "roughly filtered wine," and is also called "takju," which means cloudy wine.

Makgeolli enjoyed great popularity in the 1970s, but beer soon replaced it. Today however, makgeolli is making a comeback. The Korea Herald reported that the 21st century is seeing a rice wine renaissance, even though it has not been internationalized yet. Rice wine holds a special place in the hearts of Koreans - it is forever intertwined in the story of Korea`s sad and happy times.

About 25 different types of rice wine are made today. Korea, China, Japan, Vietnam, the Philippines, India, and Malaysia all produce rice wine. Korean rice wine is made in different regions, each with a different flavor. There is Cheongju rice wine, and Gamju rice wine, which is milky and sweet.

Makgeolli is a traditional milky rice wine indigenous to Korea, and that is what I used to make my rice wine bread. Soju is sometimes confused with rice wine, but soju is made with very different ingredients, such as sweet potatoes, barley and wheat. Sake is a Japanese rice wine, and choujiu, popular in Xi`an, China, is made from glutinous rice.

Makgeolli is also called "nongju," which means farm liquor in Korean because it has traditionally been a beverage of farmers. Today, it is becoming fashionable to drink makgeolli. People who go mountain claiming in Korea often pack a bottle of makgeolli to drink once they arrive at the summit. According to some, makgeolli can satiate both hunger and thirst. Whether or not this is true, it is probably smart to do the climbing before drinking the makgeolli.

Once used during ancestral rites, makgeolli is traditionally served in a wooden bowl with a ladle. It is shaken before being served because the white portion tends to settle to the bottom of the container.

The first recorded confirmation of the existence of rice wine, in the form of inscriptions on bones and tortoiseshells, dates back to the Jia Gu Wen era. Rice wine was developed during or before the Hang Dynasty, around 200 BC. Ancient Confucian documents suggest that rice wine was available then, because the King said, "If you want to make Jiu, you should use Qu; and if you want to make Ki, you should use malt." I am not sure what that means, but it sounds very wise.

The nutritional value of makgeolli is insignificant. Vitamins and minerals are not even listed. A 150-gram serving of of makgeolli has 69 calories and 10 grams of carbohydrate. The result of drinking a bowl may lift your spirits, but eating the bread will satisfy your appetite. Enjoy!



Makgeolli bread



l 1 3/4 cups makgeolli (warmed)

l 1/4 cup olive oil

l 2 tablespoons sugar

l 1 teaspoon salt

l 1 package fast-acting yeast

l 3 cups all-purpose flour

l 1 cup sweet rice flour

l 1/4 cup sesame seeds for garnish (optional)

Mix all-purpose flour, rice flour, sugar, and salt. Set aside. Pour oil in breadmaker, add flour mixture. Add makgeolli and then sprinkle with yeast. Start the breadmaker to dough. Start machine and keep an eye on it to make sure the dough is being mixed and enough liquid is added.

If you are kneading the dough by hand, place the flour in a bowl and add oil and makgeolli in the center and mix and knead dough.

Let dough rise in a warm place for about 1 hour. Shape the dough to a desired shape, let rise again, and bake at 190 degrees Celsius for about 25 minutes or until lightly brown.

Note: the reason for using salt is to regulate yeast activity. Salt will control the activity of the yeast, resulting in the yeast working slowly. Without the salt, the yeast works too quickly.

Sugar is needed to make the yeast grow. Too much sugar will result in the yeast over-reacting.

All types of flour are affected by a variety of factors, including humidity, amount of water, and type of flour used. Adjust the liquid accordingly.

(Samiamounts@yahoo.com)





Dr. Samia Mounts is a long-time nutritionist and gourmet aficionado. She is the Assistant Principal at Seoul American elementary School. - Ed.



By Samia Mounts