Quote:
Originally Posted by Bob Terwilliger[_1_]
blake wrote:
has anyone heard of this stuff?
Conte's secret, if temperamental, ingredient is sake kasu, or the lees
that remain after sake fermentation. A popular umami booster in Japan,
kasu is still mostly unknown in the United States. Sold in blocks, the
soft, crumbly sake looks like a cross between tofu and puff pastry dough
and has an enticing, yeasty, fruity aroma. Mixed into marinades, it adds
an indescribable oomph to meat and fish. "There are no good words for it.
It's not like anything you've tasted before," says Conte.
more at:
All We Can Eat - Kasu: the next 'it' ingredient?
In its first incarnation in the 1980s, Cooks Illustrated did an article
about sake kasu, saying much the same things as the article you cite. The
only recipe I remember from the article was for salmon which was marinated
in sake kasu and then cooked in paper.
Bob |
This is my first post.
I started experimenting with kasuzuke after my father convinced me how easy it was. At home, he would have this Kasuzuke jar which has the consistency of mud (miso-like) and smells horible but tastes just out of this world. His story (add salt) is that in the old days fish taken from the sea shores could never make it to the mountains or inland regions of Japan so they came up with a way to pickle the fish. The Japanese never throw anything away so they take the Sake Kasu and remarket it as a marinade/pickler. Kasu means literally, trash. Well, after pickling your fish in Kasu, you can make the journey to the inland towns (Kyoto for example) and enjoy great tasting fish. FYI, the old-timers in Kyoto think that broiled fish is the only way to enjoy fish.
Sake Kasu is the what's left over after the first stage fermentation process when making Sake so it countains rice hull, yeast and everything else they throw in to make sake. To prepare the marinade, you take this sludge (sold as sake leek in the stores) and add miso, mirin, nothing else. Then you take the salmon and salt it for several days. Rub the salt off and immerse it in the Kasu. I was told to move it around everyday which meant I had to stick my hands into this mess and re-coat the kasu. The explanation was that the salt in the salmon would preserve the fish (during the 3 day brine), then during kasu immersion, the kasu would leach into the salmon, whilst replacing the salt. Eventually, the kasu would have this sweet and very unique flavor from the kasu which just equates to 'never can satisfy' flavor.
BTW, I don't trust my father with his ceramic container in the basement so my mix is in the refrigerator....
I'm trying to figure out short cuts because the fish always disappears in one meal. Note: if strangers don't like the smell, let them be ignorant as it allows for more fish for you. I keep making the mistake of introducing the flavor to folks so they eat it all up.
Sometimes it's alittle too salty so I'm thinking of making another batch with sweet miso. After searching the net, I find that there are a million variations. For example, some people add carrots or daikon to absorb the salt in the kasu or throw in bread to absorb the water if it gets too watery.
Take care,
Ken