Asian Pickles

Japan

K aren Solomon

Asian Pickles

Japan

Recipes for Japanese

Sweet, Sour, Salty,
Cured, and Fermented
Tsukemono
K aren Solomon
TEN SPEED PRESS
Berkeley

Contents
Introduction [7]
When and How to Serve Tsukemono [8]
Basics of Japanese Pickling [8]
Key Ingredients [11]

Traditional Tsukemono [14]

Miso Pickles (Misozuke) [15]
Koji Rice Pickles (Kojizuke) [18]
Rice Bran Pickles (Nukazuke) [20]
Pickled Plums and Pickled Plum Vinegar
(Umeboshi and Umezu) [24]
Pickled Ginger (Gari) [26]
Red Pickled Ginger (Beni Shoga) [28]
Thousand Slices Turnip (Senmaizuke) [31]
Preserved Seaweed (Kombu no Tsukudani) [33]
Pickled Mustard Greens (Takanazuke) [35]

Inspired Pickles [37]

Mixed Ginger and Shiso Pickles [38]
Sitting Fee Cabbage Pickles [39]

Pickled Shiso Leaves and Shiso Vinegar [41]

Cucumber and Arame Pickles [42]
Pickled Asian Pear (Nashi) with Lemon [44]
Wasabi Pickled Carrots [47]
Puckery Eggplant in Mustard Pickles [48]

Thousand Slices Turnips [31]

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Thousand Slices Turnips

(Senmaizuke)
Tokyo turnips? Small. Kyoto turnips? Gargantuan. This pickle is the
pride of Kyoto, as its customarily made from the massive orbs found in
the region. That said, you neednt pack your passport to make this; just
go with the largest turnips you can find. If the skin is tough or bitter, peel
it off. Note that the turnips will be sliced very thin, so a mandoline or
some serious knife skills are necessary for this recipe. The pickles crisp
texture, ghostly beauty, and tangy, light sweetness will repay the time
investment one thousand fold. Makes about 1 cups
Time: about 4 hours

ounce dried kombu

12 to 14 ounces turnip, peeled if the skin is bitter or tough
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
1 tablespoon mirin
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Cover the kombu in water by 2 inches, and let soak for 1 hour.
Using a mandoline, slice the turnip very, very thinlyno more than 1/8 of an inch.
Toss the turnip with half of the salt in a wide shallow dish or pie plate, smooth
the slices flat, and then sprinkle the remaining salt evenly over the top. Cover
with a drop lid [9] and a 14-ounce weight and let sit for 2 hours.
Meanwhile, in a medium mixing bowl, stir together the sugar, vinegar, mirin, and
lemon juice to make a brine. Once the kombu is tender enough to handle (dont

32

worry, it will tenderize more later), drain it and pat it dry. Chop it into 2-inch-long
slivers and add it to the brine. Let this sit while waiting for the turnip to macerate.
Once the turnip is sweating liquid on its surface, remove the weight and lid. Pick
up handfuls of the turnip slices and squeeze them very firmly, until nothing more
drips from it when squeezed. Discard the liquid. Add the turnip to the brine and
seaweed and stir well to combine. Cover with a drop lid [9] and a 1-pound weight,
and let sit for 2 hours.
Your senmaizuke is now ready to eat. Kept covered in a jar or other airtight container, this pickle will last in the refrigerator for at least a month.

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Other Cookbooks
by Karen Solomon
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Can It, Bottle It, Smoke It: And Other Kitchen Projects

Forthcoming ebooks in this series

Asian Pickles: Korea (March, 2013)
Asian Pickles: Indonesia (July, 2013)
Asian Pickles: India (November, 2013)

visit www.ksolomon.com
For more information

[disclaimer, if necessary]
Copyright 2012 by Karen Solomon
Photographs copyright 2012 by Jennifer Martin
All rights reserved.
Published in the United States by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of the Crown
Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.
www.crownpublishing.com
www.tenspeed.com
Ten Speed Press and the Ten Speed Press colophon are registered trademarks of
Random House, Inc.
ISBN 978-1-60774-478-8
Enhanced edition ISBN 978-1-60774-518-1
Design by Katy Brown
Food styling by Karen Shinto
Prop styling by Christine Wolheim