Fermented Wine Rice

Homemade fermented wine rice adds an intoxicating richness to spicy foods that’s both sweet and winy at the same time. Made ahead, it keeps refrigerated for months, ready to be added to finish a dish, much as a French chef might add a splash of Cognac. We use it in the following recipe with shrimp, but it is also delicious with stir-fried crabs. It can also be served by itself as a sweet, porridgelike dessert, perhaps with poached pears.

It is made from wine balls, which are availab