How to make homemade nukazuke

First of all, what is nukazuke? Nukazuke (lit. rice bran pickle) is a pickle (tsukemono) made from burying vegetables in a salted pickling bed (nukadoko) of primarily toasted rice bran flavored with kombu, soybeans, chili peppers, ginger and any number of aromatic additions. A seasoned nukadoko is typically maintained for years, handed down from Mother to Daughter, much like a fine heirloom sourdough starter. Nukazuke is time consuming and fairly high-maintenance as these things go, requiring daily attention and tweaking to get the flavor and intensity just so. The payoff is delicious, salty pickles that are ready to eat after only a day or two.

So let’s just jump right into the recipe.

Step 1 – Dissolve the salt in the water in a large bowl. When the salt is mostly dissolved, tear the white bread into small pieces and add to the brine.

Step 2 – Put 1/3 of the toasted rice bran into the crock. Add 3 or 4 Tbsp of the mustard powder and 1/2 cup of the soybeans.

Step 3 – Drizzle the brine with the pieces of bread into the rice bran, about two cups of it. Mix thoroughly, scraping the bottom to incorporate the brine into the rice bran.Add more rice bran, half of the peppers and the rest of the soybeans to the mix. Pour more of the brine and mix thoroughly again.

Step 5 – Add the remaining rice bran and brine to an evenly moist consistency. Mix well and add more of each, ensuring that the mix is neither too runny nor too dry.Bury the kombu and ginger root in the rice bran. I like to cut the ginger into chunks and break the kombu up a bit before adding.

Step 7 – Bury your test vegetables in the mix. I used cabbage leaves and chunks of a daikon I had in the fridge. Press down the surface flat to release air bubbles. This is an anaerobic fermentation and care must be taken when burying the vegetables that none of them are sticking out, or it can lead to spoilage.

Step 8 – Pat and smooth the surface and wipe the inner sides and rim of the crock with a wet cloth. Place a cheesecloth or towel over the top to keep out bugs and dust and stick it in the corner of your kitchen.

Priming period

Every day for the next week or two, dig out the buried “starter” vegetables, mix the nuka to aerate it and bury new vegetables. Make sure you pack the nukadoko down firmly and wipe the rim and inner walls of the crock. Some of the firmer vegetables (daikon, carrot) can stay in a few days. Wash the vegetables off, slice and taste them. You may even rub some salt into the vegetables before burying them; I almost always do this.

Daily care and feeding of…

You will need to mix your nukazuke every day, sometimes twice a day when it is hot and humid, whether you have vegetables in it or not. Taste it occasionally, adding a bit more salt if it loses its saltiness. Feel free to add mushrooms, more kombu, garlic, ginger, soy beans, sake, miso, beer… experiment! We really enjoy small radishes, eggplant and cucumber nukazuke.

Please share your experiences and pictures in the comments! I would love to see your nukazuke results and share ideas.