Tosazu is a delicate Japanese marinade built on bonito dashi and rice vinegar, used to preserve and flavor fresh seafood and vegetables like octopus and cucumber. This recipe teaches you to make tosazu from scratch, transform it into a jelly dressing, and prepare a classic sunomono dish.
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[Tosazu]\nRemove dust from the Kombu kelp with a dampened kitchen paper with Sake.
Put all liquids and sugar in a pan and start heating. Place the Kombu kelp.
When the liquid becomes warm, put the bonito flakes in the pan.
Keep heating over medium-low heat with skimming the form from the surface. Be careful not to boil the broth.
[Tosazu Jelly Dressing]\nSoak the gelatine powder in 20 mL of water until swollen.
Put the Tosazu in a small pan and heat over medium-low heat until bubbles pop out.
Add the soaked gelatine to the pan and mix them thoroughly.
Pour the jelly liquid to a plastic container.
When it cools, place the plastic container into the fridge and let set until the jelly has set.
Add some rice vinegar (not included in the recipe) and crush the jelly with a spoon. Dress salad with this Tosazu jelly.
[Marinated Octopus and cucumber (Sunomono)]\nCut the octopus into bite-size chunks. Wash the octopus with rice vinegar (not included in the recipe). Remove the excess vinegar.
Thinly slice the cucumber and rub salt (not included in the recipe). Leave it for about 5 mins. Drain the excess water.
Mix the octopus and the cucumber with the Tosazu. Serve in a nice bowl!
Store tosazu in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Tosazu jelly dressing and marinated octopus with cucumber are best consumed within 1 day; keep refrigerated.
fine-mesh strainer (for filtering dashi) · small saucepan (for tosazu and gelatine heating) · plastic container (for setting jelly dressing)
Tosazu is a Japanese marinade made from bonito dashi stock, rice vinegar, and sugar. It's prized for marinating delicate proteins like white fish and octopus because its umami-rich, mild flavor complements seafood without overpowering it.
Yes. Tosazu can be made in advance and stored in the refrigerator. The jelly dressing should be set in the fridge until firm before crushing and using.
Yes, both are essential to building the umami depth of tosazu. Bonito flakes (katsuobushi) and kombu kelp are the foundation of the dashi base and should not be omitted.
Best served fresh after marinating. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 day; the cucumber will soften and the flavors will intensify over time.
Rice vinegar removes any remaining salt or impurities from boiled octopus and helps prepare it to absorb the tosazu marinade evenly.
