Japanese Pickles (Tsu ke mo no)
I like Tsukemono (aka Pickles in English). Japan has many different kinds of Tsukemono/pickles using different kinds of food ingredients with different kinds of brine. One thing I realized as difference between pickles in Japan and pickles in here is that pickles here is vinegar brine as staple method while Japanese pickles are salt kelp (use salt and kelp ; kombu) or miso or rice bran brine.
We often use horse radish,Nappa cabbage, cucumber as staple pickles ingredients and ferment to add stronger flavor to the pickles.
Common pickles you may encounter at Japanese restaurant is Takuan, which is dried horse radish (dried daikon radish) that were pickled in rice bran and salt,and it is yellow color. It has texture when you bite it. This is one of my favorite Tsukemono (pickle). You can see how it is made with picture here. Basically, you hang the horse radish(Daikon radish) that has leaves still attached for 1 week, make brine which consist of rice bran,salt,kelp(kombu),dried fruits peel to add flavor, red chili pepper,put brine a bit on bottom,line up Daikon radish and just like you make lasagna, make layer of daikon radish,rice bran brine mixture,daikon radish, rice bran brine mixture,then finish off the layer with rice brine and add heavy stone called Tsukemono ishi which probably weigh as much as 44 lbs on top,and place lid on and ferment.
Another staple pickle in Japan is called Umeboshi (pickled plum). This pickle is salty/sour and often eaten a little bit on bed of rice. This is also common filling for Onigiri (rice ball). Umeboshi is round, reddish color and pickled with salt kelp (kombu) or salt shiso (herb leaf is added to add flavor) combination. You can see how it is made with pictures here. Basically, take green ume fruits and, pick each stem on top center out, sit ume fruits in mixture of sake and salt and place ume fruits layering ume fruits,salt,ume fruits,salt,finish it with salt on top. Then,place a one bit smaller sized lid than pickled base and put Tsukemono ishi (weight stone) on top, and common brine period seems to be 2 weeks long. Then often time,people add clean water squeezed shiso (herb leaves translated to word "Perilla" in English. You can find green shiso leaves and purple shiso leaves at Asian stores. Green one is good for tempura dish, purple one is good for pickling) to ume base and shiso makes ume fruits redder. I remember my grandmother and mother used to make their own Umeboshi but I do not remember in detail how it was made. It must have been fun if I could participate in pickling ume fruits.
There is more different kinds of pickles in Japan. You can visit wikipedia page here to see the list of Tsukemono and you can read about each Tsukemono in Japan.
We often use horse radish,Nappa cabbage, cucumber as staple pickles ingredients and ferment to add stronger flavor to the pickles.
Common pickles you may encounter at Japanese restaurant is Takuan, which is dried horse radish (dried daikon radish) that were pickled in rice bran and salt,and it is yellow color. It has texture when you bite it. This is one of my favorite Tsukemono (pickle). You can see how it is made with picture here. Basically, you hang the horse radish(Daikon radish) that has leaves still attached for 1 week, make brine which consist of rice bran,salt,kelp(kombu),dried fruits peel to add flavor, red chili pepper,put brine a bit on bottom,line up Daikon radish and just like you make lasagna, make layer of daikon radish,rice bran brine mixture,daikon radish, rice bran brine mixture,then finish off the layer with rice brine and add heavy stone called Tsukemono ishi which probably weigh as much as 44 lbs on top,and place lid on and ferment.
Another staple pickle in Japan is called Umeboshi (pickled plum). This pickle is salty/sour and often eaten a little bit on bed of rice. This is also common filling for Onigiri (rice ball). Umeboshi is round, reddish color and pickled with salt kelp (kombu) or salt shiso (herb leaf is added to add flavor) combination. You can see how it is made with pictures here. Basically, take green ume fruits and, pick each stem on top center out, sit ume fruits in mixture of sake and salt and place ume fruits layering ume fruits,salt,ume fruits,salt,finish it with salt on top. Then,place a one bit smaller sized lid than pickled base and put Tsukemono ishi (weight stone) on top, and common brine period seems to be 2 weeks long. Then often time,people add clean water squeezed shiso (herb leaves translated to word "Perilla" in English. You can find green shiso leaves and purple shiso leaves at Asian stores. Green one is good for tempura dish, purple one is good for pickling) to ume base and shiso makes ume fruits redder. I remember my grandmother and mother used to make their own Umeboshi but I do not remember in detail how it was made. It must have been fun if I could participate in pickling ume fruits.
There is more different kinds of pickles in Japan. You can visit wikipedia page here to see the list of Tsukemono and you can read about each Tsukemono in Japan.
Your Tsukemono sounds interesting. I've heard of the pickled plums before, but always thought they would either be sour or sweet. It is interesting how they make them with salt and seaweed (which I believe I mentioned that I really like.)
I noticed the other day that there is a new Asian Market that opened up (TV commercial) over in Bakersfield that is closer to our side of that city... maybe 45 mins. from us, so I might be able to stop by sometime. I need to look through your blogs and make a list of ingredients of the things I would need to make some of the interesting things you've blogged about! They might even have some of these types of pickles? I like wasabi and I also like horseradish, so THAT isn't a problem.
My grandma used to make dill pickles in a brine in these big crocks. She also made "Bread & Butter" pickles. I LOVE them! I found out a good way to make a sweet pickled garlic is to get a jar or two of Bread & Butter pickles, eat the pickles and then put fresh garlic cloves into the brine that is left. Refrigerate for about 3-4 weeks and then enjoy. I think they get better the longer that they marinate in the brine, so I get a pound or so sized jar of fresh garlic cloves from Costco, and several large jars of the pickles and put them into the garlic clove jar and keep those in my fridge all the time. The Bread & Butter pickles even taste great with a garlicy taste if you leave them in the mixture jar too!
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Umeboshi (pickled plum) is very salty/sour. Only about pinky finger nail size is enough to make your face wrinkly if you eat just by itself. This year, I heard my mother decided to make their own Umeboshi. I am 14 hrs long flight away and I would not be able to taste their Umeboshi, but I love eating it with rice.
I have not looked for Umeboshi at Asian market, but it is possible you may be able to find one. I know one Asian store we go to carry takuan (pickled horse radish.It is yellow color).I love them,it is sweeter and crunchy at the same time.
Making own American pickles with own mixture of spice maybe fun to try out,too.
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