Nukazuke (糠漬け) — Japanese Rice Bran Pickles

• 2.2 lbfresh rice bran (use fresh or stabilized rice bran)
• 4¼ cupwater (boiled, then cooled to 40 C)
• 4⅝ ozfine sea salt
• 10 gkombu (wiped clean, cut into 4 pieces)
• 2dried red chiles (stems removed)
• 1 inchfresh ginger (thinly sliced)
• 4cabbage leaves (used to season and mature the bed, then discarded)
• 4Japanese cucumbers
• 10.5 ozdaikon (peeled and cut into 4 thick batons)
• 2carrots (peeled)
• 2Japanese eggplant (trimmed)

Instructions

1. 1

   Toast the rice bran in a wide dry skillet over medium-low heat for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring constantly, until it smells nutty but does not brown deeply. Spread it on a tray and let it cool completely, because hot bran can weaken the fermentation microbes you want to encourage.

2. 2

   Dissolve 130 g fine sea salt in the boiled water while the water is still warm, then let the brine cool to about 40 C. Put the cooled rice bran in a 3 l nonreactive crock or food-safe container and add the brine gradually, mixing with clean hands until the texture resembles damp sand that holds its shape when squeezed.

3. 3

   Mix the kombu, dried red chiles, and sliced ginger evenly through the rice bran bed. Press the surface flat, wipe the inner sides of the container clean, and make sure there are no dry pockets of bran at the corners.

4. 4

   Bury the cabbage leaves completely in the bran, cover the container with a loose lid or clean cloth, and keep it at 20 to 24 C. Stir the bed thoroughly with clean hands twice daily, lifting the bran from the bottom to the top so oxygen is distributed evenly.

5. 5

   After 24 hours, remove the cabbage leaves, squeeze their moisture back into the bran, and discard the leaves. Add fresh cabbage leaves and repeat this daily for 5 to 7 days, until the bed smells pleasantly nutty, salty, and lightly sour rather than raw or dusty.

6. 6

   When the bed is active, prepare the vegetables by washing and drying them very well. Rub the cucumbers, daikon, carrots, and eggplant with 10 g fine sea salt, paying special attention to the eggplant skin so it softens and colors evenly.

7. 7

   Bury each vegetable completely in the rice bran bed with at least 2 cm of bran covering every surface. At 22 C, ferment cucumbers for 8 hours, eggplant for 10 hours, and daikon and carrots for 12 hours for a balanced first batch.

8. 8

   Remove the pickled vegetables from the bed, brushing off excess bran with your fingers before giving them a very quick rinse under cold water. Pat them dry, slice into bite-size pieces, and serve immediately while the texture is crisp and the aroma is fresh.

9. 9

   After removing vegetables, stir the rice bran bed thoroughly and level the surface again. If liquid pools on top, mix in 30 g additional toasted rice bran; if the bed feels dry and crumbly, mix in 30 ml boiled and cooled water.

10. 10

    Maintain the bed by stirring it once daily at room temperature or every 2 to 3 days if refrigerated. Always use clean hands, remove old vegetable fragments, and wipe the container walls so mold does not develop above the surface of the bran.