Tsukemono
Japan's quick pickles: cucumber, daikon and cabbage briefly salted and dressed in rice vinegar. The companion to every meal.
Overview
Three asazuke pickles in one batch. Cucumber: salted heavily, weighted for 1 hour, water squeezed out, dressed with rice vinegar, kombu and sesame seeds. Daikon: thinly sliced, salted briefly, then bathed in a sweet rice-vinegar pickle for an hour. Cabbage: salted with shiso (or substitute basil + a pinch of fennel), pressed under a plate weight to wilt for 30 minutes. Served in three small individual bowls.
Ingredients
Pickle 1 - Cucumber (kyuri no asazuke)
- 2 Japanese (or Persian cucumbers, small, or ½ English cucumber, deseeded)
- 1 teaspoon fine salt
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon caster sugar
- 1 strip kombu (about 5 cm - sold dried at Japanese / Asian shops; soaked in 1 tablespoon water for 5 minutes)
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
- 1 red chilli (small, sliced thin, optional)
Pickle 2 - Daikon (daikon no amazu-zuke)
- 200 g daikon radish (peeled, sliced into 3 mm rounds or julienned)
- ½ teaspoon fine salt
- 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 strip lemon zest (yellow part only)
Pickle 3 - Chinese cabbage with shiso (hakusai no asazuke)
- 200 g Chinese cabbage (or napa cabbage, sliced 5 mm crosswise)
- ½ teaspoon fine salt
- 4 shiso leaves (sold at Japanese / Asian shops - or substitute fresh basil leaves + a pinch of fennel seed)
- 1 small piece kombu (3 cm, optional)
- 1 teaspoon mirin
Method
Stage 1 - Cucumber pickle
- Trim and quarter cucumbers lengthwise; scoop out the very seedy core if any; cut into 5 cm batons.
- Toss in a bowl with 1 teaspoon salt; massage for 30 seconds.
- Place a small bowl on top to weight; let stand 1 hour.
- Drain off the water that's released.
- In a clean bowl, combine the squeezed cucumber with rice vinegar, sugar, the soaked kombu (chopped into small strips), sesame seeds and (optional) sliced chilli.
- Toss; refrigerate at least 30 minutes before serving.
Stage 2 - Daikon pickle
- Place the sliced daikon in a colander; toss with ½ teaspoon salt; rest 15 minutes.
- Rinse briefly; squeeze gently to remove excess water.
- In a small bowl, whisk rice vinegar with sugar until dissolved.
- Add the daikon and the strip of lemon zest.
- Toss; refrigerate at least 1 hour.
Stage 3 - Cabbage pickle
- In a wide bowl, sprinkle the sliced cabbage with ½ teaspoon salt; massage with hands for 1 minute (the cabbage softens and weeps).
- Add the shiso leaves (torn into small pieces) and the optional kombu piece.
- Add the mirin.
- Place a small plate on top to weight; rest 30 minutes.
- Drain off excess water; remove the kombu.
Stage 4 - Serve
- Tip each pickle into its own small bowl (Japanese tsukemono are served in tiny individual portions).
- Garnish each as needed.
- Serve cold alongside rice, miso soup, grilled fish, or as a small side at any Japanese meal.
Notes
- Asazuke = shallow pickle: These are quick same-day pickles, not preserved-for-months sauerkrauts or kimchis. The Japanese tradition has many longer-fermented pickles too (takuan, umeboshi), but asazuke is the everyday-table pickle.
- Salt-and-weight technique: Tsukemono depends on salting + weighting + draining. The salt draws out water; the weight pressure compresses; the drain removes the liquid; what's left is concentrated vegetable flavour with the seasonings clinging.
- Shiso vs substitutes: Shiso (perilla) has a distinctive minty-basil-citrus flavour that's the heart of Japanese pickling. The closest substitute is basil + a pinch of fennel or mint; neither is the same, but both produce acceptable pickles.
Storage
- All three pickles refrigerate 3-5 days.
- Asazuke generally taste best on day 1-2; longer keeps shift them toward saltier and more sour.
- Don't freeze - texture suffers.
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