Last week I attended a tsukemono workshop where we made Daikon Amazu (daikon pickled in sweet vinegar) and Cucumber in Soy Ginger. I have made pickles before (see Pickled Carrot and Radish, Korean Radish Pickle, Pickled Red Onions and Carrot and Celeriac Pickle) but thought that it would be good to engage with real people instead of just reading cookbooks.
The first recipe calls for kombu stock which you can make in one of several ways using 5 g dried kombu + 500 g water:
1) soak the kombu in water and leave in the fridge overnight (no attention required)
2) soak the kombu in water for at least 30 minutes, then start heating the water and switch off the heat just before it reaches boiling point. Remove the kombu from the water at this point (boiling will make the kombu stock bitter)
3) place the kombu + water in a sous vide vacuum bag, clip/ seal, sous vide at 65 C for one hour. Here is everything you need to know about this method and timing (for cooking nerds only)
4) as an extension of 3) above, place the kombu and water in a Thermomix bowl, simmer for 1 hour/ 65 C/ REVERSE/ speed spoon.
For an article on how to use kombucha stock in dashi see here.
DAIKON AMAZU
500 g daikon
15 g fine sea salt (3% of weight of daikon)
180 g kombu stock (see above)
120 g rice vinegar
50 g caster sugar
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
Peel the daikon, slice thinly into 3 mm (o.3 cm) pieces and rub with the salt. Leave for half an hour.
Whilst waiting, place the kombu stock, rice vinegar, sugar and ½ teaspoon salt into a pan. Heat gently until the sugar has dissolved. Leave to cool.
After half an hour, squeeze the excess water from the salted daikon. Place in a sterilised container and add the cooled brine.
This pickle is ready to eat after 24 hours and can be stored in the fridge for one month.
CUCUMBER IN SOY GINGER
250 g mini or baby cucumber
2.5 g fine sea salt (1% of weight of cucumber)
10 g of ginger, cut into fine matchsticks
60 g soya sauce (the class used Yamasa brand)
30 g caster sugar
15 g rice vinegar
½ a red chilli
Start by cutting the ginger and making the brine as this has to cool before using.
Place the soya sauce, sugar, rice vinegar and chilli into a pan. Heat gently until the sugar has dissolved. Add the ginger. Leave to cool.
Cut the cucumber into small 8mm (0.8 cm) pieces and rub with the salt. Leave for 15 minutes.
After 15 minutes, squeeze the excess water from the salted cucumber. Place in a sterilised container and add the cooled brine.
This pickle is ready to eat after 24 hours and can be stored in the fridge for one month.
In the next post I will share the recipe for a pickle I made with some Eckendorf beet which came in this week’s NamaYasai Farm box. The farm was mentioned in the tsukemono class, that is how I found out about it.