Sake lees (sake kasu, 酒粕) are the solids left over after the moromi (もろみ) is pressed. Moromi is sake that is still fermenting, before it is pressed. When the moromi is pressed, it separates into liquid sake and solids such as undissolved rice, rice koji and yeast. These solids are sake lees.
Ita-kasu, bara-kasu and neri-kasu
| Name | Form |
|---|---|
| Ita-kasu (板粕) | Sake lees in the form of sheets, just as they came out of the press |
| Bara-kasu (ばら粕) | Sake lees that did not form neat sheets. A little softer than ita-kasu |
| Neri-kasu (練り粕) | Sake lees that have been trodden down and kneaded to make them soft. Even softer than bara-kasu |
Ita-kasu appear in shops in winter, when sake making is at its busiest. Neri-kasu appear in shops in summer and are used for pickling vegetables and other foods.
Uses in cooking
- Kasujiru (粕汁): A soup of vegetables such as daikon radish, carrot and burdock, simmered with sake lees and miso. Fish such as salmon is sometimes added.
- Kasuzuke (粕漬け): Fish or vegetables pickled in sake lees. It has long been used as a way to preserve food.
- Amazake (甘酒): A drink made by dissolving sake lees in water and sweetening it with sugar.
Sake lees still contain alcohol
Sake lees contain about 8 g of alcohol per 100 g. Amazake made from sake lees also contains a small amount of alcohol.
Some amazake is made from rice koji. Amazake made from rice koji contains no alcohol, so children can drink it too.