Quick-Pickled Eggplant and Cucumber
ID: 7651dd93...
This is a refreshing and delicious recipe for 'asazuke' (quick-pickled vegetables) using summer vegetables, eggplant and cucumber. The savory flavors of myoga ginger, ginger, shiso leaves, and salted kelp make it perfect as a side dish for rice or as an appetizer for drinks.
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🍳 Cooking Flow
Slice cucumbers and eggplants diagonally, rub with salt, weigh them down, let sit for 15 minutes, and squeeze out excess moisture. → Prepare the myoga, ginger, and shiso leaves; soak the myoga in water to remove bitterness. → Boil water, mirin, and shiro-dashi in a small pot, then turn off the heat and stir in the vinegar and honey to make the pickling marinade. → Add the salted kelp to the vegetables, pour the warm pickling marinade over them, and marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. → Finish by folding in the shiso leaves and sprinkle with roasted sesame seeds if desired.
Cooking Steps
Brief Cooking Order
Slice cucumbers and eggplants diagonally, rub with salt, weigh them down, let sit for 15 minutes, and squeeze out excess moisture. → Prepare the myoga, ginger, and shiso leaves; soak the myoga in water to remove bitterness. → Boil water, mirin, and shiro-dashi in a small pot, then turn off the heat and stir in the vinegar and honey to make the pickling marinade. → Add the salted kelp to the vegetables, pour the warm pickling marinade over them, and marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. → Finish by folding in the shiso leaves and sprinkle with roasted sesame seeds if desired.
Introduction
This is a refreshing and delicious recipe for 'asazuke' (quick-pickled vegetables) using summer vegetables, eggplant and cucumber. The savory flavors of myoga ginger, ginger, shiso leaves, and salted kelp make it perfect as a side dish for rice or as an appetizer for drinks.
Step 1
Cucumber preparation: Cut off about 1.5cm from the vine end of the cucumber. Rub the cut ends together for about 30 seconds to 1 minute until white foam (bitterness) appears. Rinse off the foam, pat dry, and trim the other end. Halve lengthwise, then slice into 5mm diagonal pieces and place in a bowl.
Step 2
Eggplant preparation: Trim the stem of the eggplant and slice it in half lengthwise. Slice diagonally and add to the bowl with the cucumbers. (No need to soak the eggplant in water.)
Step 3
Salting and weighing: Add salt (1 teaspoon) to the bowl and toss to coat, then rub gently. Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the vegetables and place a weight on top (such as a plastic bag filled with water). Let sit for 15 minutes.
Step 4
Aromatic preparation: Trim the roots of the myoga, halve lengthwise, slice diagonally, and soak in water for 1 minute to remove bitterness; drain well. Peel and julienne the ginger. Wash the shiso leaves, pat dry, remove stems, roll up, and julienne.
Step 5
Removing moisture: After 15 minutes, remove the weight from the cucumbers and eggplants. Squeeze them firmly with your hands to remove as much moisture as possible, then transfer to a storage container. Loosen them up while patting with paper towels to remove any excess water.
Ingredients List
Important Notes
💡 The vine end of a cucumber can be bitter; cutting the tip and rubbing the cut ends together helps remove it.
💡 Thoroughly squeezing the eggplant and cucumber after salting not only removes bitterness but also helps the vegetables absorb the pickling marinade more easily.
💡 Heating the pickling marinade and pouring it over the vegetables while warm allows the flavors to penetrate thoroughly even in a short time.
💡 Shiso leaves can discolor if pickled too early, so adding them right before serving (after the marinating time) ensures they remain vibrant and fragrant.
💡 Adding honey provides a rich depth of flavor. If honey is unavailable, you can substitute with 1 teaspoon of sugar.
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