Sake Lees with Soy Sauce and Mirin for Medicinal Dishes

Yakuzen or Chinese medicinal cuisine is having a moment in Japan these days. At this time of year, certified Yakuzen chef and culinary expert Saito Nanako is particularly fond of using sake lees, a fermented food widely available in winter.

“Many people find sake lees difficult to work with or are put off by their unusual flavor. But they’re easy to use provided you first take the edge off them,” says Nanako. Here she shares her recipe for sake lees in soy sauce and mirin — an ingredient she loves — and tells us how to get the most out of them in the kitchen. And you won’t want to miss her insights on black fermented foods, a must for winter meals!

Sake lees: the ultimate winter wellness ingredient

Sake lees (in Japanese, sake kasu) are the solid by-product left over after the mash is pressed during the sake production process. Delicious, fragrant sake lees are available in Japanese stores from winter to spring, when new sake is released. “In Chinese medicinal cuisine, sake lees are considered effective in remedying a variety of disorders that affect people in winter,” says Nanako.

“They supplement the qi (the energy source necessary to maintaining life), boost immunity, and warm the body. They warm your insides when they’re chilled and promote digestion. They also stimulate blood flow and replenish the skin’s moisture. They’re good for you in every way, especially in winter.”

Bringing out the benefits of sake lees with soy sauce and mirin

But while sake lees can help you stay warm in winter, many people find they’re tricky to work with because of their firm texture and think they have a peculiar taste. Here, therefore, Nanako tells us how to prepare a great seasoning by simply softening sake lees slightly in hot water, then adding soy sauce and mirin. She calls it “sake lees in soy sauce and mirin.”

“Because it’s in the form of a thin paste, it can immediately be used in your cooking. Plus the soy sauce’s saltiness and aroma and the mirin’s mellow flavor mask the unusual taste of the lees. It’s a more versatile version of sake lees.”

The enzymes in the sake lees, moreover, break down proteins. Using sake lees in soy sauce and mirin as a marinade for meat or fish leaves it soft and tender and infuses it with flavor. It’s a delicious way to prepare either.

“When you cook the marinated meat or fish, the alcohol in the marinade evaporates, further reducing the unusual taste of the sake lees.”

Here, Nanako also shares her recipe for chicken marinated with sake lees in soy sauce and mirin.

Sake lees in soy sauce and mirin takes the form of a smooth paste. Stored in a jar or ziplock bag, it keeps for about two weeks in the fridge.

Recipes: Sake lees in soy sauce and mirin Chicken marinated with sake lees in soy sauce and mirin

Other delicious ways to enjoy sake lees in soy sauce and mirin

Sake lees in soy sauce and mirin don’t just make an excellent marinade for meat and fish. “Here’s another delicious way to enjoy them,” Nanako explains. “Massage your favorite vegetables with salt to remove excess moisture, then pickle them overnight in the sake lees. Because they’re uncooked, they taste strongly of sake lees. If you like sake lees, you should definitely give this a try.”*

In winter, try adding sake lees in soy sauce and mirin to miso soup to make kasujiru or “sake lees soup.” This soup with its faint aroma of sake lees warms you to the core. “Even children and people with an aversion to sake lees will find it goes down smoothly. Because it’s heated, you can even make it with marinade that meat or fish has been marinated in, so nothing goes to waste.”

*Uncooked sake lees contain alcohol, so they should be avoided by people who don’t drink, pregnant women, and children.

Simmer pork belly, carrots, daikon, gobo, and similar ingredients in 500 ml dashi. Add 5–6 tbsp. sake lees in soy sauce and mirin and 1 tbsp. miso. Boil off the alcohol for 2–3 minutes.

Pamper your body in winter with black fermented foods.

An important concept in Chinese medicinal cuisine is that of keeping one’s body warm in winter to nurture the kidneys. The kidneys are the seat of the life force. They are involved in physical growth and development, reproduction, and aging. They are also the part of the body where water is stored and metabolized. Chinese medicinal cuisine conceives of the kidneys in broader terms than Western medicine.

“As your body gets cold in winter, your water metabolism becomes more active, and you go to the toilet more often. That can put a strain on the kidneys. Weaker kidneys sap the sex hormones and life force, making you age. That’s why it’s important to eat foods that help the kidneys function properly,” says Nanako.

“They say that a good way to nurture the kidneys is to eat black foods, so you should eat something black every day, especially in winter. Typical black foods include black kikurage fungus, black sesame seeds, and hijiki seaweed, but what I’d most recommend is amazake with black rice and black soybean natto.”

Left: Amazake with black rice is a lovely soft pink.
Right: Natto made with black soybeans.

“I happened to come across amazake made with black rice online. The reason I incorporated black soybean natto into my diet was because I figured that it could be eaten more often as an accompaniment to rice than sweet simmered beans. Neither requires any preparation, making them both really handy at busy times of the year.”

Two of Nanako’s favorites. Left: Kunigiku Black Rice Amazake from Shinozaki, made with rice that is 10% black rice. The texture of the black rice and natural sweetness make it so easy to drink.
Right: Kurosengoku Small-bean Natto from Azuma Shokuhin. “It’s not as sticky as your regular natto, so it’s easier to eat. Add the accompanying wasabi, and it’s positively addictive.”