Fermentation: The Fundamentals

I used to be slightly intimidated by the term "fermentation". It gave the impression that something had gone bad. Or that it was a really complex process that you had to control carefully to ensure nothing goes bad.

If you break things down, things are often not as complicated as they seem.

I've been brewing red rice wine (and we're cooking red rice wine chicken for dinner right now as we speak) and kombucha and gotten several questions about it consistently. I'm no expert, but I thought, why not shed some light on these fermented foods?

What is fermentation?

Let's consult Wikipedia:
"In the context of food production, it is the process of converting carbohydrates to alcohol or organic acids using microorganisms."
Source: Wikipedia

In simpler terms, it's a chemical process, aided by yeasts and bacteria, that alters the structure of food.

It's a commonly used technique used to produce things ranging from:
1. Alcoholic beverages (beer, wine)
2. Dairy products (cheese, yogurt). It's also used to preserve food - for example in
3. Vegetables (kimchi, sauerkraut)
4. Bread - sourdough bread is also considered to be a 'fermented' food
5. Condiments and sauces (miso, soy sauce, vinegar, ketchup, etc)
6. Kombucha and kefir
7. A range of beans, grains (e.g. natto is fermented soybean)
8. Fruits, aromatic vegetables (black garlic!)

Really, the possibilities are endless.

Why ferment?

Fermentation has become somewhat of a buzzword lately, with kombucha and "healthy probiotic drinks" being all the rage, and the recent release of the Noma Guide to Fermentation. But really, it's a technique that's been around for ages and is more common than you might think - the old housewives in Korea and Germany have been doing it for ages. But why?

1. Preservation
These fermented foods have a long shelf life and provide a source of nutrients in winter where fresh vegetables were hard to come by and/or prohibitively expensive - we see a slight correlation in cultures/countries where fermented vegetables were commonly consumed and harsh winters!

2. Health Benefits
Fermented foods have been said to be filled with "healthy bacteria" and "probiotics" - purportedly good for your gut health, and may improve digestion, immunity, and promote weight loss.

3. Because it's Delicious
Fermentation takes time - the ingredients slowly break down chemical reactions happen (I swear I really did major in Science in College), and in the process, a unique depth of flavour develops that you can't achieve in any other way. You can have it as the main dish, or use it as a sauce/ingredient/marinade to completely elevate the flavour.

4. Street Cred and Party Pleasing
I admit I started on kombucha partly because it was all the rage (yes I do yoga and brew kombucha..). I've been told by someone that he brings kombucha to potlucks because it's simple, easy, inexpensive, always party pleasing and unique (damn that person who decides to bring kombucha as well..).

5. Easy way to get into the kitchen
Without actually having to cook. It's a great way for those who don't (know how to) cook, or for those (like myself) who are often too busy in the day-to-day to cook as much as they would like, to get into the kitchen (somewhat).

Some ferments are higher maintenance than others - some, like sauerkraut, you can leave for >30 days without touching. Some, like kefir you have to "look after" daily. I once said "people have pets, I have red rice wine and kombucha". I also recall I once got home pretty late after a team event and was still fermenting at 3am because if I didn't, my kefir may overgrow.

Over time, the Mother grows and you have some to give away to your friends.. +1 to street cred

So you only did it for the street cred. It does sound cool. But...how do I do this at home?

It sounds intimidating, but trust me it's not. If the old grandmas can do it, so can you! (Then again, grandmas can do everything). There are slightly different techniques for each, and I'll probably cover some of these in separate posts - here are some fundamentals.

Basic principles
1. You often add salt or sugar & water to what you're trying to ferment, and a fermentation starter (also known as a "mother" / starter dough) in some cases, which contains the yeasts/bacteria that do the magic for you - adding it kick-starts the process

• Some foods (e.g. pickled vegetables, sauerkraut) typically don't require a starter as it can rely on the bacteria in the environment - you add salt, water (i.e. a brine) to your vegetable of choice ("lacto-fermentation")
• Theoretically you could leave out a starter for some of the other ferments but you may have to wait really, really long

2. Fermentation cultures have living organisms (yeast / bacteria) and need food (hence the sugar, and water) and suitable living conditions (keep them at room temperature - ~25 degrees is ideal) to propagate and stay healthy.

• Too hot, and you kill them off
• Too cold, and they get inactivated - you can however chuck stuff in the fridge if you're trying to slow down the process (e.g. you can store your kefir in the fridge if you're travelling so they don't keep growing)

3. Whilst these conditions are ideal for your "good stuff" to thrive, it's also ideal for potential contaminants. Hence, it's important to keep all your bottles, utensils and the like clean and dry - free from water, as that's a breeding ground for bacteria / yeast.

4. No two ferments will ever be completely the same - especially for a home fermenter. It's hard to say what is right or wrong, Trust your intuition - rely on look, taste, smell to determine if something is done. If you're ever unsure, there are tons of communities online (Facebook, Instagram) - take a photo, ask for advice, before you throw your hard work out. You can reach out to me as well!

This is non-exhaustive, and I'm no expert, but these are the quick facts to getting started. There are no hard and fast rules. So give it a try, experiment, and see what happens! And let me know how it goes :)

Red rice wine: to be continued

I started out intending on writing about red rice wine (including how to make it), but this ended up becoming wayy too long; I'll split it into 2 posts. Still working on that tl;dr..

In the meantime, here's a plug for a friend of mine who's organising a Fermentation Workshop Part II on Jan 19 at Tiong Bahru Hawker Centre (after a highly successful one in Dec) - join if you're keen! Info here.

Tiong Bahru Hawker Centre? What?!
Did you know? NEA has a Vibrant Hawker Centre Programme that "aims to encourage the public to “adopt” the hawker centres and organise community-centric programmes/activities regularly over a sustained period to increase its vibrancy and encourage greater public ownership of our hawker centres."
Source: NEA website

There's also a Incubation Stall Programme that "provides eligible aspiring hawkers an opportunity to take up an incubation stall to try out what it is like being a hawker".

Pretty neat stuff, right?