Add a bit of heat to your dishes this winter with the traditional Japanese condiment, Kanzuri paste. Kanzuri paste is made from chilli, koji and yuzu, but has a very cool backstory, literally! 

How is Kanzuri Made?

Along the West coast of Japan is the city of Niigata, where the chilli peppers used in Kanzuri are grown. The red chilli peppers are harvested in summer and are then marinated in salt for around 2 months.

Then, around January time when the snow has fallen on the city of Niigata, the red chillies are laid on the fresh snow and ‘bleached’ for 3 years, sometimes even 6 years. This process removes some of the salt from the chillies and balances the flavours.

Using Kanzuri in the Kitchen

Once removed from the snow the red chilli's are then chopped finely and mixed with yuzu and koji. Because of the bleaching process Kanzuri has a sweet and spicy flavour. The paste can be used as a dipping sauce paired with tofu, or in a  starter salad as a spicy vinaigrette.

Epic flavours with an even more epic backstory 🌶 Check out our Kanzuri 3 Year Fermented Chili-Koji-Yuzu Paste here