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1
Establishing the nukadoko (1–2 weeks before first use). Combine 1 kg rice bran with 100 g salt in a deep, wide-mouthed ceramic or food-grade plastic crock. Work in enough water to produce a consistency resembling moist sand. Bury the konbu, dried shiitake, and dried chilli in the centre. For the first 1–2 weeks, press vegetable scraps (daikon peel, cabbage leaves) into the bed daily and remove them after 24 hours — these are discarded; their purpose is to seed the bed with lactic acid bacteria. Turn the entire bed by hand, top to bottom, at least once daily. The bed is ready when it smells pleasantly sour and yeasty, not foul or ammoniac.
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2
Daily maintenance of the nukadoko. This is where the nukadoko lives or dies: the bed must be turned by hand — top to bottom, corner to corner — at minimum once daily, and twice daily in summer when high temperatures accelerate fermentation dramatically. Failure to turn for more than two days in summer produces anaerobic over-fermentation and foul off-notes that may be irreversible. If the bed smells excessively acidic, add a handful of fresh rice bran and 1 tsp salt to dilute and refresh. The correctly maintained bed smells clean, sour, and earthy — never foul, never alcoholic to excess.
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3
Nukazuke (continuous daily pickles). Bury the chosen vegetable — daikon, cucumber, carrot, or bamboo shoot — fully within the bed, ensuring no part is exposed to air. Close the crock. Retrieve after 12–24 hours for a light cure or 24–48 hours for a more developed, funkier result. Remove the vegetable, brush away adhering bran under cold water, and slice for the table. The pickle is ready when it yields slightly to pressure and carries a clean, sour-salt aroma with no raw vegetable smell remaining.
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4
Shiba-zuke (summer, Kyoto). Combine eggplant, cucumber, and myoga with salt at 4–5% of combined vegetable weight. Massage until the vegetables begin to release liquid. Layer with purple shiso leaves throughout — the anthocyanins in the shiso react with the vegetables' acids to produce the characteristic vivid magenta colour. Pack tightly into a crock or zip-sealed container, weight with a press or plate, and ferment at room temperature for 2–3 days. The pickle is ready when it has turned uniformly magenta throughout and carries a sharp, aromatic tang. Without purple shiso, the same vegetables produce only a pale green-brown result.
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5
Asazuke (summer, quick pickle — not fermented). Toss mixed summer vegetables with salt at 2–3% of their weight and fresh lemon juice. Place in a zip-sealed bag or press-pickle container and compress firmly, expelling air. Leave at room temperature for 30–60 minutes, or refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Asazuke is ready when the vegetables have softened slightly and released brine but remain bright in colour and crisp. It must be consumed within 24–72 hours; it is not fermented and does not develop complexity on extended storage.
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6
Takuan (winter). Sun-dry the whole daikon until the flesh is noticeably pliable and the surface has lost its gloss — this concentrates sugars and collagen that will define the final crunch and sweetness. Pack the pliable daikon into a crock with rice bran and salt layered between, using 5–8% salt for a slow, complex fermentation. Weight heavily and store in a cool location. Takuan is ready for first tasting at 3–4 weeks; full character develops over several months. The correctly fermented takuan yields a sweet, earthy crunch and a yellow hue from the bran.
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7
Hakusai no shio-zuke (winter, napa cabbage salt pickle). Salt quartered napa cabbage at 2–3% of its weight for a fast, mild cure consumed within days, or at 5–8% for a slower, more preserved result with greater complexity. Pack tightly in a crock, weight, and leave at room temperature until brine rises to cover the cabbage fully. The pickle is ready when the cabbage has collapsed, the brine is clear, and the flavour is clean and salt-sour without rawness. This preparation is the direct precursor to Korean kimchi.
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8
Narazuke (autumn, Nara — long-aged). Salt the gourd, melon, or cucumber at 6–8% of vegetable weight and press for 24 hours to draw out moisture. Transfer to a crock and pack completely in sake lees (sake kasu). Seal and store in a cool, dark location. Refresh the sake lees bed periodically over the aging period. The minimum aging is 1 year; full complexity — the deep, sake-sweet intensity characteristic of Nara — requires 2–3 years. The finished narazuke is very dark, very soft, and carries an intensely sweet, alcoholic, and lactic complexity that cannot be abbreviated.