Hello everyone,
Rice wine, or tuak or burak, is a traditional beverage in Sarawak, Malaysia. It's made from fermented rice and has a sweet, alcoholic taste. Sarawakian rice wine is typically served during celebrations and special occasions, and is also often given as a gift to guests.
My aunt's homemade burak
According to my aunt and grandmother, making burak is a tedious but rewarding process. There are many factors that can affect the taste of the rice wine, such as the temperature of the room, presence of lime or fragrance around the house and the buckets used to store the rice wine. Sour rice wine means that something had gone wrong during the process and is no longer nice to consume.
The brewing method and recipes differs across different indigenous group in Borneo. The main ingredients to make Sarawakian rice wine at home includes glutinous rice, water, and local dry yeast. Since the Sarawak rice wine are usually home made, it is usually filled into recycled alcohol bottles to be served.
I am a big fan of this rice wine, especially the ones make by my grandmother and my aunt. My wish is to learn how to make it from them one day.