Ninjin no gomazuni / carrot simmered in vinegar soy sauce with sesame seeds

Slightly sweetened vinegar highlights carrots’ soft sweetness. Make this dish ahead of time, as the full sweetness comes through after it cools.

<Ingredients>

1-1 1/2 carrot (100 g in photo)
2 tsp rice vinegar
1 tsp sake
1 tsp mirin
1 tsp soy sauce
2 tsp toasted white sesame seeds
4-5 tbsp water (to cook carrots; not in photo)


<Directions>
1.

Julienne carrots. (Very fresh carrots do not need to be peeled.)

Here, carrots are thinly sliced diagonally, pushed down and layered like dominoes, and then julienned. 

2.

Place carrots in a pot with fitting lid, and add water to nearly cover carrots.

Cover pot, and cook on medium to medium low heat for several minutes until carrots are tender.

3.

Meanwhile, coarsely grind sesame seeds in suribachi mortar.

4.

Empty water.

Add rice vinegar, sake, mirin, and soy sauce, and cook until liquid is almost gone, another few minutes.

5.

Add sesame seeds, mix, turn off heat, and let cool.

6.

Serve at room temperature or after reheating.

<Notes>

• Carrots become sweeter when cooked with minimal water. Quick steaming in a microwave is another option.
• The other way to julienne is to first cut carrots into desired length, thinly slice lengthwise, and then julienne.  If the shape of the ends of julienned vegetables does not matter (if the ends do not need to be square), slicing diagonally and then julienning (as shown above) is faster and easier.