Cucumber and umeboshi asazuke (quick pickle)

The combination of cucumber and umeboshi in this quick and easy pickle is simply wonderful. Yoko Nakazawa says it’s the perfect pickled dish to enjoy on a hot summer’s day with the delightful flavour of umeboshi.

Cucumber and umeboshi asazuke (quick pickle). Credit: Smith Street Books / Rochelle Eagle

• serves

  4-6

• prep

  10 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 2 thin cucumbers
• sugar (1.5 % of cucumber weight)
• 2 unsweetened umeboshi (see Note)
• bonito flakes, to serve (optional)

Standing time: 15 minutes.

Instructions

1. Weigh the cucumbers to calculate how much sugar you will need.
2. Hit the cucumbers with something to make a rough surface (see Note). I use a wooden stick called a surikogi (Japanese pestle), which is normally used with a suribachi (Japanese mortar) for grinding or mushing.
3. You could use anything, like a rolling pin or a mug to squash them a bit. Then tear the cucumbers into bite-sized pieces.
4. Put the cucumber pieces in a bowl. Add the sugar, then use your fingers to gently massage the cucumber for 1-2 minutes, until you feel moisture begin to release.
5. Tear the umeboshi flesh off the seed (see Note) and chop it into small pieces.
6. Drain any excess liquid from the cucumber, then add the umeboshi. Mix the umeboshi and cucumber well and allow it to rest for 15 minutes.
7. Serve with some bonito flakes if you like. Ume and bonito flakes are a great combination.

Note

• While authentic, traditional umeboshi (without added flavours) is ideal, you can also use flavoured umeboshi – what I like to call ‘modern umeboshi’. In that case, use salt instead of sugar in the recipe.
• To prepare the cucumbers, we often hit them (sorry, cucumbers!) to create a textured surface instead of slicing them neatly with a knife. For this recipe, I even break them into smaller pieces by hand. Let’s embrace the hands-on approach – it’s fun and delicious, don’t you think?
• As for the umeboshi seeds, after you’ve removed the flesh of the fruit, pop one in your mouth. Umeboshi seeds have a candy-like quality (but not sweet at all). Suck on the seed to extract the salty umami flavour inside (trust me, there’s more flavour to discover!).

 

This is an edited extract from The Japanese Art of Pickling & Fermenting by Yoko Nakazawa (Smith Street Books, $49.99). Photography © Rochelle Eagle.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.