Rarely is there a meal in Japan where tsukemono (Japanese pickles) are not served. The simplest and most basic meal is nothing more than a bowl of rice and umeboshi (pickled plum), but tsukemono are also served at the most sophisticated and complex feasts. Japanese pickles are not at all like the pickles found in Western cooking. Tsukemono are prepared in a number of ways with many different types of foods being pickled, fruit, vegetables, eggs, seeds, even fish!

The varieties of tsukemono are endless, with literally thousands of types to choose from and hundreds of techniques! Popular pickled vegetables include Chinese cabbage, daikon radish, carrots, bamboo, turnips, gobo (burdock root), ginger, Japanese cucumbers, and Japanese eggplant.

Tsukemono offer color, texture and aroma to a meal. The earliest known tsukemono were called konomono or “fragrant things.” Vegetable tsukemono are crisp and always fresh, with small amounts of several varieties usually served in individual petite dishes. All types of tsukemono are available commercially but many people make pickles at home because it’s so inexpensive and easy.

Kyuuri to Wakame no Amasuzuke (Sweet and sour cucumber and wakame pickles)

This Japanese sokusekizuke method of letting vegetables marinate in a vinegar-based marinade is similar to Western pickling methods, but there’s no canning or sterilization involved since these are meant to be eaten within a couple of days like all quick pickles. The vinegar marinade is simply meant to enhance the flavors of the vegetables rather than preserve it for long keeping.

These cucumber pickles are sweet and sour and a bit salty all at the same time. The wakame seaweed can be left out if you prefer, but it makes a nice contrast to the cucumber.

The pickles can be eaten anytime from a couple of hours after putting them in the marinade to about 3 days later or so, if you keep it in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

This amount of marinade is enough for one large English-style cucumber–the long, relatively thin kind that often comes shrink-packed in plastic. If you’re using other cucumbers, aim for about 4 to 5 cups cut up.

The marinade:

8 Tbs. rice wine vinegar (not sushi vinegar – read the label)
1/2 tsp. dashi soup stock granules, OR 1 4 inch square / 10 cm square piece of kombu seaweed
1 1/2 Tbs. sugar
1 tsp. sea salt
4 Tbs. boiling water
1 whole dried red chili pepper (optional; leave out if you don’t want any spiciness)

Combine and mix until the sugar is melted.

The vegetables:

1 large English-style cucumber
2 Tbs. dried pre-cut wakame seaweed (fueru type or the kind that just requires soaking)

De-seed and cut up 1 English-style cucumber or equivalent other kind of cucumber. (Japanese cucumbers don’t need de-seeding.)

Put the marinade in a small glass, ceramic or plastic bowl (not metal) or the good old ziplock plastic bag. Put the cucumber and wakame seaweed in. Stir or shake around, seal well and let marinade in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours or overnight.

Drain off the marinade and serve in small bowls. This should be eaten within 2-3 days.
You can reuse the marinade once: let it come to a boil, cool off, and put in fresh vegetables.
Besides cucumbers try sliced turnips, carrots, daikon radish, regular radish, etc.

Hakusai no Sokusekizuke (Quick and spicy Chinese cabbage pickle)

This has to be one of the easiest and tastiest ways of preparing Chinese or napa cabbage (hakusai). All you taste is the fresh essence of the cabbage, with the heat of the red pepper and the slight twist of the orange zest.

Wash and chop up the leaves, mix together the flavoring ingredients, dump all in a plastic bag, shake then massage. That’s it. It’s ready to eat right away, though the flavors to meld a bit better if you can manage to keep it in the fridge for at least an hour before eating.
Adjust the amount of red pepper flakes up or down to your taste.

Ingredients:

About 2 lb / 1 kg (a small whole head or half of a large head) fresh Chinese (napa) cabbage (about 6 cups cut up)
1/2 tsp vegetable stock granules (or about 1/2 a Knorr-sized stock cube)
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 tsp. orange zest in thin strips
Optional: 1 tsp. lemon juice
Optional: 1 tsp. dark sesame oil

Equipment needed: a large plastic zip bag

Wash the cabbage leaves, and discard any discolored parts. Dry by spinning in a salad spinner or in several layers of paper towels. Chop up roughly.

Mix together all the dry ingredients and orange zest in a bowl. If you’re using a stock cube, crumble it up finely.

Put the cabbage in the plastic bag, and the dry ingredients + orange zest. Close the bag with plenty of air in it (so it’s like a balloon) and shake all around until the ingredients are evenly distributed. Open the bag, expel as much air as you can, and close again. Massage and toss the bag around, bruising the cabbage. Quite a lot of moisture will come out of the cabbage and melt the salt etc. Try not to burst the bag with over-enthusiastic kneading.

You can eat this right away, or leave in the refrigerator in the bag for about an hour (you can do it over night too).

To serve, drain off the excess moisture (which is delicious, but rather salty…though some people like to drink it off!). Drizzle with the optional lemon juice or sesame oil. Serve with any Japanese style meal. Makes a great bento box item.

Sources:

Tsukemono, http://www.theblackmoon.com/Jfood/ftsuke.html

Tsukemono recipe and photo, http://www.justhungry.com/tsukemono and http://www.justhungry.com/sweet-and-sour-cucumber-and-wakame-pickles and http://www.justhungry.com/quick-and-spicy-chinese-cabbage-tsukemono-or-pickle-hakusai-no-sokusekizuke