Kasuzuke (粕漬け), or sake lees pickling, is a method of making Japanese pickles with sake lees. Called kasu on Japanese, these lees are leftover from the refining process of sake production.
Kasuzuke is a traditional Japanese dish that represents the essence of Japanese cuisine. Thanks to the fermented ingredient and other valuable nutrients, kasuzuke is an excellent source of nourishment.
This recipe is part of my series on Japanese pickles that are collectively known tsukemono (漬物). For a detailed introduction, please read Tsukemono: A Guide to Japanese Pickles. For today’s recipe, I’ll show you how to make cucumber kasuzuke.
What are Tsukemono?
There are several types of tsukemono based on the pickling agent used:
- Shiozuke (塩漬け) – salt
- Suzuke (酢漬け) – rice vinegar
- Amazuzuke (甘酢漬け) – sugar and rice vinegar
- Misozuke (味噌漬け) – miso
- Shoyuzuke (醤油漬け) – soy sauce
- Kasuzuke (粕漬け) – sake kasu (lees)
- Shiokojizuke (塩麹) – rice koji/mold—cultured rice
- Nukazuke (糠漬け) – nuka (rice bran)
- Karashizuke (からし漬け) – Japanese hot mustard karashi
- Satozuke (砂糖漬け) – sugar
Today, we’ll focus on the kasuzuke and how to make cucumber pickled in sake lees.
What is Kasuzuke?
Kasuzuke (粕漬け) is pickling ingredients in a sake lees (kasu) mixture. It also refers to foods pickled in sake lees. This pickling method is great for marinating fish, meat, and vegetables. Kasuzuke has a distinct smell, but the alcoholic undertone is much more subtle.
Originally made in the Kansai region of Japan, the history of kasuzuke traces back to the Nara period, some 1,200 years ago. White melon was the first vegetable pickled with sake lees and it was named Narazuke (奈良漬け). Later, vegetables such as cucumbers, eggplants, and bitter melons were also made into kasuzuke. Records show that Buddhist monks served kasuzuke to samurai as imperishable wartime food.
During the Edo period of the 17th century, sake producers started promoting kasuzuke throughout Japan and it remains popular today.
What are Sake Lees?
Sake lees or sake kasu (酒粕) is basically the leftover by-product from the suspended solids after sake is fermented and refined.
Larger sake producers extract the sake from the lees by machine and the kasu comes out in thin dry sheets called itakasu (板粕). Meanwhile, smaller producers press their sake by hand and this method yields kasu that is moist and chunky called namakasu (生粕).
You can purchase sake lees all year round, but fresh sake lees are available only in the winter, between February and March when sake production takes place. Find it at Japanese grocery stores (I buy mine at Nijiya) or at local sake breweries if there are any. (Sequoia Sake Brewery in San Francisco gives it out on Saturdays; thank you for the info, Janet!)
Ingredients for Cucumber Kasuzuke
- Japanese cucumber
- kosher salt – I use Diamond Crystal brand
For the kasudoko (pickling marinade)
- sake lees (sake kasu) – at room temperature
- miso – typically white miso; feel free to use the type you have in your fridge
- sake (Japanese rice wine) – use hon-mirin (true mirin) if you can find it
- sugar – skip if using hon-mirin
- kosher salt
How To Make Kasuzuke (Sake Lees Pickling)
This method may sound complicated, but it is actually quite simple. You just need to follow these three steps:
- Make homemade kasudoko (粕床), the sake lees “marinade” or fermentation mixture. Knead the sake lees with miso paste, sugar and kosher salt. Then add sake, a little at a time, until the mixture becomes the consistency of miso.
- Salt the cucumbers to withdraw the moisture from them using 2% of the weight of the cucumbers in salt.
- Marinate the cucumbers in the kasudoko for a half day (maximum 24 hours) in the fridge.
Wipe off the marinade (no need to wash), then slice and serve. Enjoy within 3 days.
Ingredients for Kasudoko (Pickling Marinade)
Now, we’ll cover how to make the kasudoko, where the deliciousness begins. You basically season the sake lees with the condiments of your choice. Today, I used miso, sake (or hon-mirin), sugar, and salt. Every household makes it slightly different, so have fun making your own kasudoko.
1. Miso
Typically we use white miso for kasudoko, but feel free to season sake lees with the miso you have in your refrigerator.
2. Hon-Mirin vs. Sake
When you make kasudoko for proteins like fish and meat, sake is always used for food safety and to remove strong odors. There are various types of sake on the market, but I recommend using only hon-mirin (“true mirin” or Japanese sweet rice wine) for this recipe. It has a higher alcohol content than the common mirin-like or mirin-type condiment that has a very low alcohol percentage.
Hon-mirin is not easy to find unless you have access to a well-stocked Japanese grocery store. You cannot substitute the mirin-like condiment for hon-mirin in this recipe, either. Therefore, I recommend using sake and sugar as a substitute for hon-mirin. If you can purchase hon-mirin, please use it instead of sake and sugar.
You can read more about mirin on my mirin pantry page.
3. Sugar
I use organic cane sugar (from Trader Joe’s).
4. Salt
I use Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt. Why kosher salt? Kosher salt or sea salt is typically used in cooking in the U.S. If you use table salt, please use half the portion of salt I mention.
Best Ingredients To Pickle in Kasuzuke
The common ingredients for kasuzuke include:
- Vegetables – cucumber, carrot, turnip, daikon radish, eggplant, and ginger are common
- Fish – cod, salmon, sea bream, red snapper, and butterfish
- Seafood – scallop, abalone, and squid
- Meat – beef, chicken, and pork
Non-Traditional Ingredients for Kasuzuke
I’ve also found some interesting ingredients mentioned online to try:
- Cheese – think fancy cheeses fermented with champagne or port wine
- Marshmallow – why not? Marshmallow kasuzuke with dark chocolate sounds pretty good to me
- Dried foods – dried wakame seaweed, dried shiitake mushrooms
How To Serve Cucumber Kasuzuke
My family enjoys this cucumber kasuzuke with its crunchy texture in a typical Japanese homestyle meal featuring rice, grilled fish, and miso soup.
Although there is no warning for children not to consume the kasuzuke tsukemono (non-cooked), it might be best to avoid feeding the kasuzuke tsukemono to young children just to be on the safe side.
Will you try your hand in kasuzuke? If yes, what are you going to pickle in your first kasuzuke?
Other Kasuzuke Recipes You’ll Love
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Tsukemono – Kasuzuke (Sake Lees Pickling)
Ingredients
For the Homemade Kasudoko (Sake Lees Marinade)
- 1 lb sake lees (sake kasu) (at room temperature)
- 2 Tbsp miso (I used white miso)
- 4 Tbsp sugar
- 1 Tbsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 3 Tbsp sake
For the Cucumber Kasuzuke
- 5 Japanese cucumbers (1.1 lbs, 500 g)
- 1 Tbsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt (2% salt of the cucumber weight; 10 g)
- Homemade Kasudoko (ingredients above)
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients for the Kasudoko. Put 1 lb sake lees (sake kasu) in a medium bowl and bring it to room temperature on the counter so it becomes much more pliable.
- Check the texture of the sake lees with your fingers. If they feel solid and firm, add the sake first and microwave for a few seconds until it becomes pliable. Otherwise, combine the sake lees with 2 Tbsp miso, 4 Tbsp sugar and 1 Tbsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt first.
- Using your hand, mix the ingredients and knead well until thoroughly combined.
- Add 3 Tbsp sake, a little bit at a time, and knead to combine each addition into the sake lees mixture. Check the consistency to see if you need to add more sake. The consistency you’re looking for is similar to miso—not too loose and not too hard. Each sake lees brand has a different consistency and you may not need all of the sake (or you may need more).
- Knead until the kasudoko becomes a paste form and then transfer it to a glass container in which you will pickle your ingredients.
To Make the Cucumber Kasuzuke
- Gather all the ingredients for the cucumber kasuzuke.
- Sprinkle 1 Tbsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt over 5 Japanese cucumbers. The amount of salt used is 2% of the weight of the cucumbers. Here, I use 500 grams of cucumbers; therefore, I’ll need 10 grams of salt. Using your hands, rub the salt into the cucumbers.
- Set aside for 1 hour. The salt will draw moisture from the cucumbers.
- After 1 hour, dry the moisture on the cucumbers with a paper towel. Then, transfer the cucumbers into the Homemade Kasudoko.
- Completely cover the cucumbers with the kasudoko.
- Once the cucumbers are embedded, cover the container with the lid. Store in the refrigerator for a half day (maximum 24 hours).
- With clean hands, take out the cucumbers from the kasudoko, leaving the sake lees in the container. Wipe off the kasudoko from the cucumbers with your fingers. It‘s normal to leave some kasudoko residue. You do not need to wash the cucumbers.
- Slice the cucumbers and serve in a dish. Tsukemono is always served along with steamed rice and miso soup. Enjoy the cucumber kasuzuke within 3 days.
To Store the Kasudoko
- You can keep the kasudoko in the refrigerator or freezer and re-use it for up to 6 months (depending on how often you use it, though). If you use kasudoko for seafood or meat, NEVER use it for ingredients that you will serve raw, such as vegetables. You will need to make a separate batch just for meat or fish. If your kasudoko smells sour or becomes watery, discard it.
Nutrition
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