Editor’s note: The theme of Gohan Lab is to help people make simple, tasty “gohan” (meals).

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The third in the series on daikon radish and turnip delivered from a kitchen in Kyoto focuses on “kasujiru,” or sake lees soup.

It is a winter delicacy often served at street-corner restaurants and at home in the Kansai region, which is known as a production area of sake. Not only does it warm you from the inside, the soup, packed with a variety of root vegetables, meat and fish, is also a nice side dish in itself.

A generous amount of in-season daikon will be used in the soup.

When cut in reed-shaped pieces, the daikon is easy to pick up with chopsticks and looks nicer. The pieces should be about 5 mm thick and not too thin. The thickness is just right for the daikon to crumble gently in your mouth.

Cooking expert Setsuko Sugimoto adds richness and umami of beef to the flavorful root vegetables. The beef may be replaced by pork or “aburage” thin deep-fried tofu if you prefer. For the stock forming the base of the soup, Sugimoto recommends robust “niboshi” (dried infant fish) that will match the distinct character of the sake lees.

The arranged version is a dip made by mixing the sake lees that tends to be left over with mayonnaise. It is quite refreshing and when eaten with sweet winter daikon, the crisp texture is enhanced by a colorful aroma and umami that will make you go back for more.

SAKE LEES COMES IN VARIETY OF FLAVORS, SHAPES

Sake lees is a by-product left after Japanese sake is pressed. It is a mass of rice and “koji” and contains alcohol.

According to the National Research Institute of Brewing, based in Higashi-Hiroshima, Hiroshima Prefecture, sake lees is rich in character just like sake whose flavor is determined by how far the sake rice is polished and whether alcohol is added.

Generally, “daiginjo-shu” (very special brew) and “ginjo-shu” (special brew) are rich in aroma and crispy and dry in flavor. “Junmai-shu” (pure rice sake) is characterized by its well-rounded umami.

The shape of sake lees also changes according to how it is pressed. Both the plate-like “itakasu” and the crumbled “barakasu” may be used to make sake lees soup, pickle or the “amazake” drink.

BASIC COOKING METHOD

(Supervised by Setsuko Sugimoto in the cooking aspect and Midori Kasai in the cookery science aspect)

* Ingredients (Serves four)
250 grams daikon radish, 100 grams beef slice bits (gyu-komagire-niku), 40 grams carrot, 40 grams burdock root (gobo), 150 grams sake lees, square dried kombu kelp 8 cm on a side, 15 grams dried infant fish (niboshi), 1 Tbsp light-colored soy sauce, 1 Tbsp sweet mirin sake, 3/4 tsp salt, some thin green onion (hosonegi)

About 205 kcal and 2.3 grams salt per portion

1. Wash skin of daikon, cut unpeeled into rectangles that are 3 cm long, 5 mm thick and 1 cm wide (PHOTO A). Peel carrot and cut into pieces 3 cm long, 3 mm thick and 1 cm wide. Thoroughly wash skin of burdock root and cut at an angle into thickness of 2 or 3 mm. Immerse in water with vinegar to remove astringent taste. Rinse briefly with water.

2. Remove head and guts from niboshi and place in small bag intended to brew tea made of a nonwoven material. Add 4 cups water, niboshi and kombu kelp in pot and leave for about 20 minutes. Add daikon radish, carrot and burdock root and place on higher medium heat and bring to a boil. Lower to medium heat and cook for 15 minutes until root vegetables soften. Remove kombu kelp and niboshi and add light-colored soy sauce, sweet mirin sake and salt.

3. Sprinkle beef lightly with salt and pepper, add to pot and cook. Skim off foam (PHOTO B).

4. Tear sake lees, place in heat-resistant container and add 3 Tbsp water. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and microwave at 600 W for one to one and a half minutes to soften. Scoop about 1 cup of simmering liquid from pot, add to container and dissolve sake lees with whisk (PHOTO C). Return mixture to pot and bring to a quick boil. Serve in bowl and sprinkle with finely chopped thin green onion.

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Setsuko Sugimoto is a Kyoto-based cooking expert who explores the culinary culture of the historical capital.
Midori Kasai is a professor emerita at Ochanomizu University and former chairwoman of the Japan Society of Cookery Science.

ARRANGED VERSION

Sake lees and mayonnaise dip

Tear 30 grams sake lees in heat-resistant container and add 1 tsp water. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave at 600 W for 10 to 20 seconds. Add 3 Tbsp mayonnaise and bit of light-colored soy sauce. Serve with vegetable sticks.

COOKERY SCIENCE

While being brought to a boil, vegetables harden when the temperature is between 50 and 80 degrees but continues to soften when the temperature rises above 80 degrees. Since the hardening is caused by an enzyme reaction, it will not occur after the water comes to a boil. By starting to cook the daikon and other root vegetables that take time to soften in water, the temperature difference inside remains small and the hardening process occurs, so that they are less likely to crumble when simmered.

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From The Asahi Shimbun’s Gohan Lab column