Kasuzuke is a type of Japanese pickle or tsukemono made with sake lees, the by-product from the refining process of sake production. With a deep aroma and slightly alcoholic flavor, Kasuzuke is perfect for marinating fish, meat, and vegetables.
Kasuzuke (粕漬け), or sake lees pickle, is a type of tsukemono (漬物, Japanese pickles) made with sake lees, the leftovers from the refining process of sake production. It 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 a part of the tsukemono series that I’m introducing on Just One Cookbook. For a detailed introduction, please read Tsukemono: A Guide to Japanese Pickles.
Different Types of Tsukemono:
Tsukemono has several types based on the pickling agent:
- Shiozuke (塩漬け) – salt
- Suzuke (酢漬け) – vinegar
- Amazuzuke (甘酢漬け) – sugar and 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 kasuzuke (cucumber pickled in sake less).
What is Kasuzuke?
Kasuzuke (粕漬け) is to pickle ingredients in sake lees (kasu) marinade, or it also refers to the sake lees-pickled food. This pickling method is great for marinating fish, meat, and vegetables.
Originally made in the Kansai region of Japan, the history of Kasuzuke can be traced back as early as the Nara period, twelve hundred years ago. The first vegetable that was pickled with sake less was white melon and it was named Narazuke (奈良漬け). Later vegetables such as cucumbers, eggplants, and bitter melons were also used in making kasuzuke. Records have shown that Buddhist monks served these kasuzuke to samurai as imperishable wartime food.
During the Edo period of the 17th century, sake producers started promoting kasuzuke throughout Japan and kasuzuke 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.
You can find sake kasu (sake lees) at Japanese grocery stores (I buy mine at Nijiya) or at local sake breweries if there is any (Sequoia Sake Brewery in San Francisco gives it out on Saturday – thank you for the info Janet!).
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 kasudoko (粕床) – the sake lees “marinade” or fermentation mixture
- Prepare the ingredients by withdrawing the moisture from them
- Marinade the ingredients in kasudoko
Next, we’ll cover how to make the kasudoko, where the deliciousness begins.
How to Make Kasudoko (Pickling Marinade)
Kasudoko is a mixture of sake lees, miso, mirin, sake, sugar, and salt. You basically season the sake lees with additional condiments. Every household makes it slightly different with varying ratios and combinations, so have fun making your own kasudoko.
Miso
Typically white miso is used for kasudoko, but feel free to season sake lees with the miso you have in your refrigerator.
Mirin vs. Sake
When you make kasudoko for fish and meat, sake is always used to remove strong odors and to keep the food safe. There are various types of sake in the market, but I recommend using only Hon-Mirin (true mirin) which has a higher alcohol %. However, it is not easy to get Hon-Mirin unless you have access to well-stocked Japanese grocery stores.
The more common Mirin-like or Mirin-type condiment has very low alcohol % and it’s not ideal to substitute Hon-Mirin. Therefore, I recommend using sake and sugar. If you can purchase Hon-Mirin, feel free to use it instead of sake and sugar.
More about Mirin in my Mirin Pantry page.
Sugar
I use organic cane sugar (from Trader Joe’s)
Salt
I use Diamon 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
Kasuzuke has a distinct smell but the alcoholic undertone is much more subtle.
The common ingredients for kasuzuke include:
- Vegetables (cucumber, carrot, turnip, daikon, eggplant, ginger, etc)
- Fish (cod, salmon, sea bream, red snapper, butterfish) or seafood (scallop, abalone, squid)
- Meat (beef, chicken, pork)
I’ve also found some interesting ingredients mentioned online that they taste good:
- Cheese (think fancy cheeses fermented with champagne or port wine etc)
- Marshmallow (Why not? Marshmallow Kasuzuke with dark chocolate sounds pretty good to me)
- Dried food (dried wakame seaweed, dried shiitake mushrooms)
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 for young children just to be on the safe side.
My family enjoys this cucumber kasuzuke in a typical Japanese homestyle meal, featuring rice, grilled fish, and miso soup.
Will you try your hand in kasuzuke? If yes, what are you going to pickle in your first kasuzuke?
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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.
Sequoia Sake brewery in San Francisco Calif gives away sake kasu! You just need to go during their visiting hours on a Saturday and bring your own container.
Hi Janet! THANK YOU so much for your generous information! I added your info in the post. 🙂
Hi Nami,
how much Hon Mirin should I use if replacing the sake and sugar?
Cheers for this recipe much appreciated.
also should I use the Sake and Sugar only if I’m using the marinade for fish due to the sake removing the strong fishy odor better?
No, it’s up to you. Sake and sugar are often used for fish, but it doesn’t have to be. Hon mirin contains sake and it can give the same purpose too.
Hi Alastair! There is no “right” amount per se. It varies on miso too. So if you’re using hon mirin, try adding gradually and taste the mixture. Start with 2 tbsp and gradually increase. 🙂
Hello there,
I suppose there’s no point in asking but let me try: any possible substitute for Sake Kasu? Impossible to find it in Ecuador… 🙁
Thank you!
Hi Luca! Thank you for asking! I REALLY hope there is, but this is the main ingredient that does the job, we can’t replace it with other ingredients… 🙁 I hope one day it’s something we can get easily, even outside of Japan (but we need demand for it too….).
The sake kasu you show is only available in California and Hawaii from the store, it is not available on-line.
Could you recommend another brand, available from Amazon or from an on-line store?
Hi Keith! I truly wish I could do that. But sake lees must be refrigerated, it’s not commonly used in Asian recipes (so not found in Asian markets), and sake lees are not everyday ingredient in Japanese cooking… so I think it’s one of the harder ingredients to find especially overseas. I really hope this will change one day!
[…] Kasudoko (ingredients above) […]
[…] you are interested in learning more about Kasuzuke in details, please read my Tsukemono – Kasuzuke (Sake Lees Pickling) post. In today’s recipe, we use the sake lees marinade – called kasudoko (粕床) – to […]
Hello Nami,
I want to make this recipe! Can you tell me the brand of Kasuzuke sake lees that you use and just in case they don’t carry that brand , if you could like couple other brands you’d recommend?
Thank you!
Hi Florence! I got my sake kasu at Nijiya, Japanese chain supermarket. It’s Nijiya brand, and it is the only brand they carry I think…
My mother had a kasuzuke crock under the sink the whole time she was alive. She took finished pickles out and put stuff in everyday. She would turn the kasu as to bring air to the mix. We would joke if she brings the crock on vacation with her. My favorite kasuzuke was carrot greens. She would throw just about anything in there to pickle!
Hi Paul! Your mom is wonderful!!! You’re very lucky you got to taste her kasuzuke all your life! 🙂
I remembered she called it nukazuke. It’s that different?
I also lived in Yokohama until 1967. I went to a Catholic school for a year named St. Maurs. Then they changed it to a all girls school. After that I went to school on the Navy base. I lived on a mountain called Gasuyama. That was 52 years ago!
Hi Paul! I guessed you were talking about Nukazuke (rice bran pickling). I’ll work on it after the summer as you have to mix every day and I’m not home. I’m not familiar with the school names but I’m happy to hear you were here in Yokohama too (I’m in north side of Yokohama city)!
[…] you are interested in learning more about Kasuzuke in details, please read my Tsukemono – Kasuzuke (Sake Lees Pickling) post. In today’s recipe, we use the sake lees marinade – called kasudoko (粕床) […]
Hi Nami, can I take this out in less than 6 hours?
Hi Cathy! Yes, for cucumbers, 6 hours is good! 🙂
More questions: Is there an Americanized name for sake lees? My search of Amazon has found powdered sake lees, 200 g for $45.00! That is 7 oz. This can’t be the normal price point for this! I will search our Asian market again. We have a generalized Asian supermarket in Cincinnati. What aisle would sake lees be in? Would I look in the refrigerators, freezers, the condiment section, the rice aisle? Is it a dried product, a moist product that has been vacumn packed? I just need to know what to look for as this is a totally foreign item for me. Thank You
Sake lees are the English name as we call it sake kasu. I have never used powdered sake lees before. Sake lees should be in the refrigerated section and it’s in the bag. See my package in the recipe box. I wish they are more accessible but they are a byproduct of sake production. So either you can get it in Japanese grocery stores or sake brewery.
Thank you for this recipe. I cant wait to try it. You state that you can purchase sake lees at any well stocked Japanese grocery. Well, what if you don’t have a Japanese grocery? I don’t. Can you recommend a good internet source for sake lees? I suppose I might be able to find it on Amazon, but I’d really prefer to give my money to someone else. Thank you
Hi Sheila! Sake lees are refrigerated, and I don’t think it’s sold in a regular Asian grocery store because other Asian cuisines don’t use it and it has very limited recipes that require sake lees. I’ll answer your next question.
This looks great, Nami! I can’t wait to try it! Quick question: what are the other veggies you use in the photo above? Thank you! 🙂
Hi Jenny! They are different pickles – Umeboshi (pickled plum) and Takusan (radish) purchased from a Japanese grocery store.
Will definitely try the cucumber tsukemono (kasudoko) style, as we can easily get Japanese cucumber at our Farmer’s Market. I love tsukemono!
Hi Amy! Hope you enjoy the recipe! 🙂
I have been lived in Yokohama 4.5 years before moving to London,
your recipe helped me a lot since I don’t know Japanese, thank you so very much ^^
LOVE Japanese food, today we had homemade shabu-shabu lunch
Cheers,
Ally
Hi Ally! Aww thank you so much! I am from Yokohama too. Hope you had a good time living in Yokohama. 🙂
It’s very help to me cause I love to eat Japanese food..
Thank you so much, Diana! 🙂