COCONUTS HOT SPOT — Ever heard of amazake? It’s a Japanese ‘sweet wine’ made from fermented rice — and before you ask, it’s alcohol-free, sadly enough. But that’s good news for those on board with the clean eating lifestyle, because the beverage is gluten-free, lactose-free and dairy-free, with no added sugar — even though it’s extremely sweet when consumed on its own.
That’s not to say it’s zero-calorie or even low-calorie, but it is loaded with enzymes (due to the koji mould used in the fermentation process), and these produce essential amino acids, vitamins, anti-oxidants and minerals for our bodies. Other benefits include promoting a healthy digestive system, improving brain function, boosting energy and rehydrating the body.
At least that’s what we’ve heard. But hey, if it’s good enough for the 1500-year-old Japanese culture of amazake drinking — this apparently dates back to the Kofun period in Japan (250 CE -538 CE) — it sure is good enough for us.
Anyway, this beneficial beverage has arrived on our shores, at the brand new Amamoto Cafe. Occupying a small takeaway stall at the basement of the ever-bustling One Raffles Place, the cafe offers an amazake-centric selection of soy beverages, cold-pressed vegetable and fruit juices, salads, and parfaits. Sure, the menu’s a tad limited, but the possibilities are pretty much endless when it comes to amazake itself, because it works as a natural sweetener.
Take, for example, overnight oats. If you’ve got a packet of raw oats sitting around in your office pantry, you can prep breakfast for the next morning with a bowl full of oats, chia seeds, coconut water, unsweetened soymilk and amazake. That’s a pretty healthy meal right there.
But if you’re too lazy to make your own meals, the cafe offers amazake soy milk parfaits ($5.80) in mango or kiwi options that have chia seeds, berries and almonds thrown in. For those seeking a light lunch, salads like the quinoa with amazake-marinated chicken ($11.80) are available — or you can add an extra dollar for soba in your salad. Amazake also features in the dressing, with yuzu and sesame oil blends that we’d gladly buy bottles of (if they sold ’em).
On the drinks side, you can get a hot cup of pure amazake ($4.20) to see for yourself what the beverage actually tastes like. It’s got a pulpy consistency similar to well-cooked oatmeal or rice pudding, but way sweeter. No kidding; amazake in its pure form is a little too much for us, even with our raging sweet tooth.
So we’d recommend you dilute it with soy milk, matcha or ginger — our favorite was the nutty kinako (roasted soybean) drink ($5). Fruit and veggie juices ($5.80-$6.80) are also available, for those who find the texture of amazake too discomforting. They’ve got orange, kiwi, blueberry or mango juices that mask the taste of amazake rather well.
And if you find yourself developing a newfound love for this all-natural beverage, bring home a bottle of pure amazake ($6.50) to experiment and see what it goes best with.
Amamoto Cafe is at #B1-39 One Raffles Place. Mon-Sat 7.30pm-9pm.
