Quick pickles (tsukemono)
The fermented crunch that accompanies every meal: a few hours of salt, and digestion lightens.
The little fermented crunch that accompanies every Japanese meal. These quick pickles need only a few hours: the salt draws water from the vegetables, tenderises them and starts a light fermentation. A sliver with each bite, and digestion lightens.
Ingredients
- Firm vegetables in thin slices (cucumber, daikon radish, cabbage, carrot)
- 1 tsp sea salt per 250 g of vegetables
- Optional: a piece of kombu, a little ginger, a dash of rice vinegar
Method
Slice the vegetables finely. Massage them with the salt in a bowl until they release their water. Add the kombu and ginger. Cover with a weighted plate (a jar of water) and leave to rest 2 to 24 hours at room temperature, then chilled. Press lightly before serving. A dash of rice vinegar at plating wakes the whole thing up.
The tip
A small amount of fermented vegetables at each meal seeds the gut with living bacteria and brings enzymes that ease the whole of digestion. The pickle is no decorative detail: it is the signature of a table that thinks of the microbiome.