Nagaimo no acharazuke / Chinese yam pickled in spicy sweetened vinegar

By simply adding taka no tsume red chili pepper to sweetened vinegar, you have another standard marinade for pickles. Fresh nagaimo Chinese yam stays relatively crisp in the marinade, and by Day 2 it becomes a bit milder although still offering some crunch and piquant sensation. As the pickle name's origin -- achar -- suggests, it pairs very well with a number of cuisines beyond Japanese dishes.

Whole recipe (nagaimo only):
60 calories; 2.0 g protein; 0.3 g fat; 12.9 g carbohydrate; 12.0 g net carbs; 2.8 mg sodium; 0 mg cholesterol; 0.9 g fiber

1/4 of recipe (nagaimo only):
15 calories; 0.5 g protein; 0.07 g fat; 3.2 g carbohydrate; 3.0 g net carbs; 0.7 mg sodium; 0 mg cholesterol; 0.2 g fiber

Marinade whole recipe (with shiokoji, erythritol and stevia):
32 calories; 0.2 g protein; 0.02 g fat; 5.3 g carbohydrate; 3.0 g net carbs; 98 mg sodium; 0 mg cholesterol; 0.02 g fiber

Umeboshi (anzuboshi) / pickled plums (pickled apricots)

Salty and sour umeboshi pickled plums are the standard pickles that often sit in the center of plain steamed rice in bento or in the middle of onigiri rice balls. It is, or once was, one of the staples that each family made itself, especially in the countryside. For us, it was one of many things my grandmother made. My mom eventually started to make her own, and at some point she also started to use ripe apricots (but we continued to call them umeboshi). By the time I was graduating high school, our umeboshi were all apricots. Many years later, I learned that the apricot idea came from our piano teacher, who had a lovely garden filled with all sorts of ornamental and edible plants.

Anzuboshi pickled apricots are fruitier than umeboshi, but they basically taste the same, and people wouldn't notice the difference unless you tell them.

The amount of salt used as the first step varies from 10% and 20% of fruit weight, which assures years of storage at room temperature or cooler. Using less salt is possible when refrigerated during pickling and storage. Salt content of the recipe below is 8% of apricot/plum weight, an easy starting point for a reduced-sodium version. Alcohol (vodka) and rice vinegar are added as extra protection against mold.


1 anzuboshi (16 g with seed, 12 g without seed):
189 mg sodium/12 g flesh

Mibuna no asazuke / salt-pickled mibuna mustard greens

Mibuna has a tingling spicy taste, which is especially clear when pickled with salt. Taka no tsume red chili slices add an extra jolt, while thinly sliced kombu kelp brings a mellow note that softens the overall taste.

Sakura no hana no shiozuke / salted cherry blossoms

Preserved cherry blossoms are used as an aromatic ingredient in drinks, sweets and food.
Typically made with pink double blossoms, sakura no hana no shiozuke can simply be salted or salted and marinated in rice vinegar or umezu (the liquid produced in the process of making umeboshi pickled plums).

Below I used red umezu and the semi-double white blossoms of Prunus serrulata 'Shirotae' (commonly known as Mt. Fuji) from my garden. Cherry blossoms are first salted to extract excess water, followed by marinating in red umezu; they are then dried and preserved in salt. The salt used to preserve blossoms takes on their scent, and can be used as aromatic salt in a number of dishes.

Biitsu no amazuzuke / beet marinated in sweetened rice vinegar

Slightly sweet, a bit sour … crunchy-crispy fresh beets!

Zukkiini no shiokoji-zuke / zucchini marinated in salted rice malt

Similar to asazuke overnight pickles, but much simpler. The zucchini starts to take on the full flavor of shiokoji -- mildly salty yet mellow -- from the third day as the raw taste of squash softens.

Nasu no shiomomi / instant eggplant pickles

My favorite way to enjoy freshly harvested eggplant. Nothing else can make plain steamed rice taste so good in warm weather.

Kyuri no shiomomi, shiso iri / Japanese cucumber instant pickle, with green perilla leaf

A quick, simple cucumber dish.

Jabara kyuri no pirikarazuke / Japanese cucumber with tobanjan dressing

Fresh and juicy cucumber accentuated with spicy dressing.

Kyabetsu no umezuke / cabbage plum pickle

Tom's kind of dish -- salty and sour.