Japanese cuisine · Salads & Mezze

Tsukemono (Pickled Vegetables)

Cucumber, Chinese cabbage, and daikon briefly pickled with salt, kombu, and chili – crisp, salty, and lightly tangy.

Ingredients · for 4 servings

• 1 cucumber
• 300g Chinese cabbage
• 200g daikon radish
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 piece kombu (10cm)
• 1 red chili pepper
• 1/2 organic lemon

Instructions

1. Halve the cucumber lengthwise, scrape out the seeds with a spoon, and cut on the diagonal into 1cm thick slices; cut the daikon into thin half-moons and the Chinese cabbage into 3cm wide pieces.
2. Cut the kombu into narrow strips with scissors, and seed the chili pepper and cut it into fine rings.
3. Combine everything thoroughly with the salt and sugar in a freezer bag or bowl and massage with your hands for 5 minutes, until the leaves soften and release juice.
4. Peel the lemon zest off in wide strips and add it in; press the air out of the bag, or weigh the vegetables down in the bowl with a plate.
5. Weigh down with 1–2kg and let it sit at room temperature for at least 1 hour, until the brine just covers the vegetables – it keeps in the fridge for four days.
6. Squeeze out well before serving, remove the kombu and lemon zest, and serve in small bowls alongside rice and soup.