Daimon Shuzo Sake Kasu (酒粕) - 500g
Fresh Sake Saku from Daimon Shuzou in Osaka.
Made in the winter time only.
What is Sake Kasu? 酒粕
Sake Lees: This is what is left after the sake has been pressed out of the mash. It is called ‘sake kasu’ in Japanese and it is used in home cooking in many ways to create wonderfully complex flavored dishes during the winter sake brewing season. Many traditional Japanese confection, cracker, snack companies and so on use a lot of kasu to flavor some of their products. Non-traditional things like ice cream, chocolate, bread and so on are flavored with kasu these days.
Sake kasu is a common sight in the fresh vegetable section of any grocery store in winter in Japan. The fragrance is quite fruity. Mechanically pressed sake kasu comes in ‘boards’, hard sheets of kasu, hand-pressed (teshibori) is looser and cumbly. The pictures below are of hand-pressed sake kasu. This was kasu made premium daiginjo sake and is made with Yamada Nishiki variety rice from Hyogo prefecture.
Teshibori Sake Kasu
Again, teshibori means ‘hand-pressed’.
Sake kasu can be eaten as is, the texture is quite like cheese but the taste is fruity and obviously tastes of sake. This hand-pressed kasu still has quite a bit of alcohol content in it.
Kasu-jiru (kasu soup): Base for soups and stews
Kasu-zuke (kasu marinade): Marinade fish and meat before grilling
Amazake (sweet sake): Melted in hot water, served with shredded ginger
Kasu can be lightly toasted and served with honey. Narazuke is pickled dark brown neri-kasu, kasu that has been allowed to age for several months.
Chart: sake kasu components (per 100g)
| Energy | 212 kcal | |
| 887 kJ | ||
| Moisture content | 54.3 g | |
| [ protein ] | 14.9 g | |
| Fats | 1.5 g | |
| Carbohydrates | sugars | 17.9 g |
| fibre | 2.9 g | |
| Ash | 0.5 g | |
|
Minerals |
calcium | 8 mg |
| phosphorus | 8 mg | |
| iron | 0.8 mg | |
| sodium | 5 mg | |
| [ potassium ] | 28 mg | |
|
Vitamins |
B1 | 0.03mg |
| B2 | 0.26mg | |
| niacin | 2.0 mg | |
| Ethyl [ alcohol ] | 8.0 wt% | |
About Daimon Brewery
Daimon Shuzo was established in 1826 at the foot of the Ikoma mountain range. For 6 generations we have been producing some of the finest Sake in Kansai, the central region of Japan. With a focus on fresh spring mountain water, using the highest quality of rice and 200 years of refined skills - we bring our craft to the world.
Nestled between Kyoto, Osaka and Nara we have been servicing these fine regions for centuries. Osaka, our home, has been well known as the economic center of Japan since the Edo period. In addition Osaka is also known as the “Kitchen of the Nation” and a producer of some of the finest foods in the country – the Gastronomic center of Japan. This history has made our customers in Kansai enthusiastic about both their foods and the quality of their Sake.
