Kyoto pickles

By: Freddie Janssen
From: Pickled
Makes: 1 × 500 ml jar

Japanese pickles, also called tsukemono, are served with pretty much every meal in Japan, and so are a massive part of the diet. Japanese pickling methods range from lightly salted cucumbers to heavily salted plums (umeboshi) to using mirin, sake, miso or soy as a pickling agent. This recipe is inspired by shibazuke, a pickle commonly served in Kyoto and made of aubergine, cucumber, purple shiso leaves, plum vinegar and myoga (shoots of ginger). My recipe is a casual, easy version. Serve with white rice or as a snack with an ice-cold beer.

Ingredients

Quantity	Ingredient
3	chinese aubergines
1	pickling cucumber
good handful	purple shiso leaves, (around 40)
2 1/2 tablespoons	sea salt
1 thumb-sized piece	fresh ginger, cut into very thin matchsticks

Method

Rinse all your veg and the shiso leaves.
Put the shiso in a colander set inside a bowl and add ½ tablespoon salt. Use your hands to scrunch the salt into the shiso. Let it sit for 30 minutes, then squeeze the excess liquid from the shiso into the bowl.
Cut the aubergines and cucumber into long strips, about 5 mm thick. Soak the aubergine strips in a bowl of cold water to stop them from going brown.
Put the aubergines, cucumber and ginger in a bowl, sprinkle with the remaining salt, and let them sit for 30 minutes.
Now add the shiso leaves, along with the reserved liquid, and put everything into a clean jar. Add a weight on top and make sure it’s tightly covered. If your vegetables aren’t fully immersed in the liquid, add some water.
Refrigerate for about 1 week. Check every now and then – the vegetables will absorb some of the liquid, so give them a stir and add water if needed. Once ready, the pickles will keep in the fridge for 2 weeks.

Tags:: pickles; kimchi; fermenting; ferments; vinegar; sides; condiments

Kyoto pickles

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