How To Make Rice Wine or Tapey

Balatinaw Rice

I wrote this topic in my blog for the request of my beloved uncle Oscar. A request to research the procedure of home made rice wine. Uncle Oscar lives in the U.S. for a long long time and is far faraway from the land of rice wine. He missed the taste of "tapey" so he wanted to make a tapey to satisfy his cravings. There's no taste like the old way of making the tapuy compared to the rice wine that you buy in the groceries nowadays that's why i made this for you uncle Oscar so you can make your own tapey even far from cordilleria.



Tapey is always serve during special occasion and big celebration in the cordillera. It is also severe in harvesting ceremonies and other cultural affairs. In making tapey or rice wine it was a belief by the old folks that the surroundings must be totally quite and no one should disturb the one making the rice wine, so it is possible to live the maker alone until everything is done so that the spirit of the tapey will not be destroyed. The old ladies even told that maid um-umtot or no farting. (folk tale)


Another important thing to remember in making the tapuy is to distribute the yeast or bubod evenly to the rice. Because it has something to do with the quality of the rice wine that you make, the better distribution better quality of wine, and my mother told me not to put a lot of yeast on it because it will destroy the taste of the wine.

Balatinaw rice is the most recommended rice to be use because it will have a good quality wine and more delicious than the other rice, but you can always use glutinous rice as an alternative.



Let's begin, here are the procedure and things needed.


Ingridents:

• 4 kilos of Balatinaw rice (a very dark violet-brown color) or Glutinous rice as alternative.
• 2-3 tbsp Fermenting yeast cake (Bubod)

Materials:

• winnowing basket-tray (labba) 
• Fresh banana leaves
• Rice pot for cooking the rice 
• Ceramic Pot (gusi)

Procedure:

1. Half cooked rice with less water than you usually cook it.
2. When the rice is ready spread it evenly onto the tray or labba lined with banana leaves.
3. Let it cool for 1-2 hours.
4. Break the piece of yeast cake or bubod into powdery granules.
5. Sprinkle yeast (bubod) evenly onto the rice.
6. Mix the layer of rice and sprinkle again the other side until the yeast is evenly added to the rice
7. Wrap the banana leaf all around the pile of rice
8. Cover it with another labba on top.
9. Set aside for 2 to 3 days for fermentation or until you smell a little aroma of the rice. This is what we called "suwak". ( I love the taste of the fermented rice or suwak before it is put in the jar because it is sweet.)
10. This is the time that you put your rice in to the gusi or clay/ceramic jar.
11. After putting your rice into the jar.
12. Place another layer of banana leaf on top then tightly cover the jar. (There is no need to seal it airtight because it may explode.)
13. Store in a cool dry place.

Wait for 5 to 7 days. The rice should now be aromatic and has started to liquefy. After which the tapey is ready to serve. As the months pass or even years that the tapey is being stored the taste would be better.


Cheers!!! Uncle Oscar and Manong Clint. I know manong Clint will be your katagay. :)