I wanted to make a distinction between tsukemono and kounomono dishes which are both picked vegetables and prepared in similar ways, however kounomono dishes include fragrant ingredients such as shiso, umeboshi or myoga.
This recipe has a robust shiso flavor from the umeboshi, which is pickled in shiso leaves, and the yukari, which is dried red shiso leaves. The yukari is often mixed with salt so go easy on the salt when pickling the kyuri.
Ingredients (5-6 servings)
2 cups kyuri
3/4 tsp. kosher salt
2 tsp. umeboshi
1/4 tsp. yukari
Directions
1)Add salt to the kyuri and give it a little massage. I used 1 large kyuri here but two skinny ones will do.
2) Put a weight over the kyuri. If you make a large batch, use a tsukemono maker. My tsukemono maker is too large to bother with a small amount of vegetables because as the kyuri shrinks down the tuskemono maker cannot put enough pressure on the kyuri. Let the kyuri sit for a few hours to a day.
3) Once water starts to rise from the kyuri, drain the water and add the umeboshi and yukari. Allow the yukari to release it’s flavors and serve.
Add the salt to the kyuri and mix well in a bowl.
If you’re making a small batch of this, transfer to a smaller bowl.
Add a heavy weight on the kyuri. I’m using a crystal bowl and rocks here.
Once the kyuri is ready, drain any water and add the umeboshi and yukari.
Serve on a small plate. A little goes a long way with this dish.
Naomi Kuwabara was born and raised in California but spent many summers in Japan growing up. She has spent time living in Hokkaido and Osaka, both meccas for Japanese cuisine. Her passion is cooking and sharing her experiences cooking Japanese food with others. Her blog Umamitopia is about her experiences cooking Japanese food. Her greatest inspirations are from her mother and grandmother. Her cooking adventures can be found at http://umamitopia.com.
