Australian Gourmet Traveller - (06)June 2019 (1)

GOURMET TRAVELLER 75

WORDS & RECIPE ADAM JAMES. PHOTOGRAPHY ALICIA TAYLOR. STYLING LYNSEY FRYERS.

Masterclass

STEP BYSTEP

MAKESASMUCHASYOULIKE

// PREP TIME 20 MINS (PLUS FERMENTING)

NoteIf your

nukadokois

becomingtooactive

andyou’rehaving

troublekeepingup,

putit in thefridge

toslowdownthe

fermentation.

Likewise,if you’re

unabletofeedit for

a fewdays,putit

in thefridge,then

giveit a bigfeed

ofvegetableswhen

you’rereadytoramp

up production again.

1

In2 batches,dry-roast1kgrice

branina wokovermedium

heatuntilroastedandfragrant

(3-5minutes).Cool.

2

Bring1 litrewatertotheboil

ina largesaucepan,thenadd

150gmsalt.Removefromheat,and

stiruntilsaltdissolvesandmixture

coolstoroomtemperature.

3

Graduallyaddcooledricebran,

stirringwell.Themixtureshould

havetheconsistencyofwetsand

(youmayneedtoaddmorewater).

4

If youwanttoflavourthebran

bed,addaromatics:driedchillies,

dried,groundseaweedandginger,

say,orsake,beerorkombutsuyu.

5

Tostartfermentation,add

vegetablescrapsora coupleof

carrotstotherice-branmixture.Bury

them well and smooth the surface.

Storein a darkplacewithanambient

temperaturebetween20°Cand

25°C,removingscrapsandadding

freshonesdaily.Anyscrapswilldo,

justbesurenottouse any that are

dirtyorgoingbad.

6

Repeatthethrowawaypickling

process,knownassutezuke,

untilnukadokodevelopsa slightly

sour,fermentedodourandstarts

toproducelacticacid(10days

to2 weeksinwarmerweather;

3-4weeksinwinter).

7

Stirthenukadokoregularly(at

leastoncea day),toredistribute

theaerobicandanaerobicenzymes

andencouragea healthy,low-pH

(slightlysour)nukadoko.If it getstoo

wet(vegetableswillreleasewater),

mixinsomefreshricebranwith

about 13 percentof the fresh bran

weightinsalt.

8

Oncenukadokois smelling

andtastinggood(it shouldsmell

yeastybutnotoffensiveandtaste

pleasant,if a littlesalty– a bitlike

a sourdough),it’sreadyforitsfirst

batch of pickles. I leave a radish

inovernightasa veryquicktestto

monitortheactivityofthebed.The

saltdrawsoutmoisture,soit’llbe

slightlywrinkly,butstillhaveintegrity.

It shouldbecrunchy,sour,saltyand

earthy.Picklingtimeis downto

personalpreference.A radishcan

fermentin under 24 hours,a turnip

about2 days,a beetroot4-5days

(beetrootleakscolour,whichis fine,

thoughaftera whileit maystainother

pickles).Continuetoaddnewroasted

bran,saltandwaterwhilevegetables

arepicklingtokeepthemixture

a wetsandconsistency.Onceyou’re

satisfiedwiththeflavourandtexture,

removepickles,rinsethemandstore

in anairtightcontainerin the fridge.

They’llkeepformonths.

9

Picklesarebestservedsliced

thinly.Trythemaspartofa

Kyoto-stylebreakfastona bowlof

rice,orasa toppingforcongee.

Otherwise,addthemtostir-fries,

oranythingandeverythingelse.

Be warned, they’re addictive.➤

Crunchy, saltyandsavoury,nukazuke are

perfect aspartofa Kyoto-stylebreakfaston

a bowl of rice, or as a topping for congee.