{"id":8444,"date":"2021-08-17T11:37:49","date_gmt":"2021-08-17T11:37:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mizkanchef.com\/?p=8444"},"modified":"2022-03-29T08:58:19","modified_gmt":"2022-03-29T08:58:19","slug":"what-is-sake-lees","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mizkanchef.com\/en\/2021\/08\/what-is-sake-lees\/","title":{"rendered":"What is sake lees?\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sake lees, popularly called \u2018sake kasu\u2019 or \u2018sake cake\u2019, is produced as a result of the Japanese sake brewing process.<\/span><\/p>\n

The drink is traditionally made by brewing koji (a type of fungus) into steamed rice. This causes amylase enzymes to break down the rice starch into sugar, which is then converted into alcohol by yeast.<\/span><\/p>\n

After fermentation, rice mash is compressed to express the alcohol. The residue that remains after this process is known as sake lees.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

How is sake lees used?\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

Due to excessive production of sake (which creates sake lees) and the Japanese \u2018no waste\u2019 culture, sake makers and chefs have found many uses of sake lees. From being used in breads, crackers, ice creams, cheesecakes and yoghurts – there are plenty of dishes and foods that sake lees can complement.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The product is also widely used in many restaurants to cut down the fishy odour in salmon and other seafood recipes such as Kasuzuke – a dish made by pickling fish (or vegetables) in sake lees.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

However, what\u2019s interesting is its use in vinegars. Sake lees is being used to create sake cake vinegar or added to a spirit vinegar, such as our <\/span>Shiragiku<\/span><\/a> vinegar, to give you an explosion of umami taste and vinegar tang.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What does sake lees taste like?\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

Sake lees is described as having a mix of sweet, savoury and umami taste, the latter is one of the five basic tastes alongside sweet, sour, bitter and salty. This flavour is found naturally in many foods including vegetables, dairy products, meat and fish.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The simple way to describe umami is that it gives a meaty and savoury deliciousness that deepens the already existing flavour in any dish, as it has a tongue-coating sensation that lasts longer than any other basic taste.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Pure sake cake vinegar vs spirit vinegar brewed with sake cake\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

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Sake lees is used on its own to create a pure sake cake vinegar or alongside other ingredients in spirit vinegars such as Shiragiku.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Pure sake cake vinegar is produced by ageing the leftover sake lees until they turn brown. The ageing process will give the vinegar a deeper, full-bodied umami flavour. The product doesn\u2019t contain any other ingredients, which means the taste found in the vinegar is purely a result of sake lees.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

While, when used in spirit vinegars like Shiragiku – sake lees\u2019 deep umami flavour is accompanied by the mellow acidity and vinegar tang.<\/span><\/p>\n

Why is sake cake vinegar used in Japanese cuisine?\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

From enhancing the taste of seafood dishes to tenderising chicken dishes like chicken teriyaki, the product has many benefits, from accentuating dishes to making them easy to chew.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Sake cake vinegar can not only be used in Japanese cuisine, but it can also be used in Mediterranean dishes such as pasta. Some ways sake cake vinegar is used include:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n