Hanako’s Recipe:
Vegetable Kasu-Zuke (Vegetable Pickled in Sake Kasu)

Written by Hanako

What to Prepare

 ・ A container to contain more than 500 mL (17 oz)
 ・ A bowl

 ・ 300 grams sake kasu
 ・ 150 grams miso
 ・ Mirin (Japanese sweet seasoning) as needed
 ・ Vegetables as you like (Cucumbers, carrots, radishes, etc.)

Directions

 

1.Mix sake kasu and miso in a bowl. If it’s too hard to mix, add mirin a little at a time.

2.To pickle vegetables that have a lot of moisture, such as cucumbers, sprinkle a little salt on them and let them sit for 5 to 10 minutes, then pat dry with a paper towel.

3.Transfer (1) to a container and pickle the vegetables in it.

4.Leave it for half a day to a day or more.

5.Remove the excess paste from the surface, cut into bite size pieces, and eat it!

 

– You can reuse the paste several times.. However, the flavor will fade as more water from the vegetables are added in each use. Once this happens, make a new batch.

– Do not serve this to children because it includes alcohol.

Hanako’s Memo

 

Make a Snack out of the Leftover Veggies


The sake kasu used this time was quite sticky, soft, and was very easy to mix. Also, since I used matured barley miso, it was very aromatic.
The results should be different depending on the type of sake kasu, miso, and the flavor of the vegetables. I don’t add sugar because I don’t want it too sweet (For me, the level of sweetness is enough from the use of the sake kasu and mirin), but if you would like more sweetness, you can add about 1 tablespoon of sugar to 100 grams of sake kasu.
I often make these pickles from remaining vegetables that usually are not enough to use in a dish. I prepare the pickles in a small container. Using a Ziploc bag is fine too. You will be grateful to have these pickles handy in your fridge especially when you need something to go with sake.