Nukazuke Pickles Recipe

Last year I had the privilege of interviewing chef MIchael Anthony of Gramercy Tavern in New York City for Food Arts magazine. He had spent some time in Kyoto training with some of the top chefs there and learned how to make nukazuke pickles. There is a recipe for nukazuke pickles in Food Arts magazine (I believe the September 2010 issue).

At Gramercy Tavern chef Michael Anthony serves up a variety of pickles, including nukazuke, or vegetables pickled in a fermenting mash of rice bran. Pickling in Japan is a great vehicle for vegetable scraps or parts of the vegetable that in most kitchen would immediately be discarded, such as the green leaves of a daikon.

* correction - in an earlier post I wrote that this recipe is from chef Michael Anthony. This is actually a basic nukazuke recipe from Japan. Sorry for any confusion or misunderstandings. Yukari

Nuka pickles are relatively easy to make and result in a unique pungent earthiness. The key to a successful nuka pot is that the mash needs to be mixed up daily. If left ignored it will begin to mold.

Basic Nukazuke
3 kg. nuka rice bran
500 grams salt
9 - 10 cups water or beer
5 dried red chili peppers (aka togarashi)
1 piece kombu
150 grams of vegetable scraps (cabbage skins, daikon greens, or any watery leaf)

Combine the ingredients into a large pot. The mash should feel like the soft spot of your earlobe, so adjust the amount of liquid accordingly. Keep the lidded pot in a cool place and stir daily for four days. On the fourth day remove the vegetable scraps, leaving the kombu in the pot. Thoroughly wash any vegetable you will pickle and put into the pot. Note that the vegetables do not need to be peeled. The amount of time for the vegetables to pickle will vary from pot to pot. Two to three days is the average for most vegetables. Almost any vegetable can be put into the nuka pot. When serving the pickles thoroughly rinse the bran off with cold water and cut into bite size pieces.

Popular vegetables for the nuka pot are Japanese cucumbers, daikon, carrots, Japanese radishes, and greens such as the leaves from the daikon. Anthony has found great success with sunchokes, parsnips, and watermelon radish. These are a nice contrast for his chicken liver mousse.

Nuka for pickling is available at Japanese supermarkets. Anthony procures his from Barry Farm in Wapakoneta, Ohio.

Once your pot is active there are many different adjustments that can be made. The capsaicin in dried red chili peppers will help to prevent the oxidization of the oil in the nuka. To increase umami add a piece of kombu, katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes), or dried, powdered shiitake. Calcium rich eggshells will neutralize the acidity. Note that the eggshells should be sterilized carefully in boiling water and dried before using. To add aromatic notes try sansho berries, garlic, ginger, or the skins of mikan (mandarin). Yaki myoban (alum) will help prevent the discoloration of eggplants. Any of these additives can be left in the pot as over time they will disintegrate.

Eventually the pot will have an excess of liquid, released from the vegetables. To rid the pot of the liquid create small pockets and insert a small sake cup. The liquid will collect in the cups.


Related links:
http://www.foodarts.com/
http://www.gramercytavern.com/