Despite the unattractive naming, which literally means unwanted sake leftovers, sakekasu is rich in nutrition: protein (14.9 g/100 g sakekasu), Vitamin B1 (0.03 mg), Vitamin B2 (0.26 mg), Vitamin B6 (0.94 mg) and folic acid (170 μg). It also contains "resistant protein," a protein with a fiber-like structure that is not easily dissolved by digestive enzymes and captures fat in the digestive tract, thereby lowering LDL cholesterol while improving bowel movements.
Amazake, a sweetened soupy dish, is representative of dishes made with sakekasu. Other typical dishes include kasujiru soup with root vegetables and kasuzuke grilled fish marinated in sakekasu. Sakekasu is also used in white sauce for gratin, baked items such as crackers, cookies and bread, and steamed buns.
Because it is about 8.2% alcohol, sakekasu keeps well in the fridge (5-6 months; best if finished within 3 months) and freezer (1 year). For the same reason, it can make you feel tipsy and lead to problems with the police in some countries if driving after eating too many sakekasu dishes, depending on how dishes are prepared. Take care when serving dishes to kids and those with little tolerance for alcohol.
Sakekasu comes in pressed sheet type (photo above) and paste type (photo at right). The sheet type has disappeared from store shelves in our area (instead of sheet type, the manufacturer, Ozeki, now has a sakekasu-based sauce-type seasoning, but it contains salt). Paste-type sakekasu is available at some grocery stores that carry Japanese food, including Central Market in Poulsbo and California-based Mitsuwa (online shopping also available). If there is a sake brewery where you live, it may be worthwhile to ask the brewery if you can purchase some sakekasu. 227 kcal/100 g; 51.1% water, 14.9% protein, 1.5% fat, 23.8% carbohydrate, 0.5% ash
Recipes with sakekasu
- Nattojiru / miso soup with fermented soybeans
- Maitake to warabi no gorugonzoora pasta / pasta with hen of the woods mushrooms and bracken in gorgonzola sauce
- Karifurawaa to satoimo, daikon, seri no surinagashi / cauliflower, baby taro root and daikon radish white miso potage soup with water dropwort
- Tonyu miso nikomi udon / hot-pot udon wheat noodles in red miso and soy milk broth
- Sakekasu okara pan / sake lees soy rolls
- Satoimo to shungiku, age no tonyu misoshiru / soy milk miso soup with baby taro root, garland chrysanthemum and thin deep-fried tofu
- Itokoni / root vegetables and azuki beans simmered in broth
- Kinoko to tofu no misoshiru / miso soup with mushrooms and tofu
- Fuki to tofu no akadashi / red miso soup with Japanese butterbur and tofu
- Konsai no sakekasu misoshiru / miso soup with root vegetables and sake lees
- Sake no kasuzuke / grilled salmon marinated in sake lees
- Ishikari-nabe / Ishikari hot pot with salmon, tofu and vegetables
- Kasujiru / sake lees soup with salted salmon and root vegetables
(Last updated: May 24, 2016)
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