We may earn money or products from the companies mentioned in this post.
Pickles are an important part of a Japanese meal. When Meinhilde and I last visited Japan and overstayed our welcome with the very generous mottekurunoda, we ate rice and pickles almost every morning for breakfast. Not your usual North American start of the day! Maybe that’s why I now prefer a savoury breakfast over a sweet one. Either way, these are a great crunchy accompaniment to any meal.
There are countless recipes to make pickles, but this salted method is probably the simplest. Cabbage, carrot, and salt are the only ingredients. I’ve used a Japanese pickle press like the one in the photos that compresses the vegetables and keeps them submerged in the liquid that gets released. You can also use a large container to hold the cabbage and placing a small plate on top, weighed down with a can of beans. The vegetables ferment when they are submerged in the salty liquid drawn out of the vegetables, and left to sit for a while. Japanese pickles are generally lightly fermented, and they can be ready in less than a day. If you want something a bit stronger, like sauerkraut, you’ll need to ferment the veggies for much longer!
- half of a head of cabbage, about one pound
- one carrot
- 2 tsp salt
- Wash and chop the cabbage into about one centimetre slices and place in a large container.
- Grate the carrot's outer layer and chop off both ends, discarding those pieces.
- Grate remaining cleaned carrot into container.
- Sprinkle veggie mixture with salt and mix to evenly coat. If you have a Japanese pickle press (see photos and introduction), then screw on top and lock into place. If you can't secure the lid, firmly press veggies down using a potato masher.
- If you don't have a press, place mixture in a large container and lay a plate and a weight on top (a can of beans works well).
- Leave to sit in a warm place, such as the kitchen counter. Do not refrigerate. Within a few hours to a day (depending on the room temperature), the cabbage will release water and become submerged.
- Once the liquid is released, the pickles are ready! Drain the juice and serve over rice.
I enjoyed your site as seeing the Pickle Press.
Trying to do pickles, especially Japanese Pickles.
I love them and try making my own. Need to keep my salt intake low. Suggestions?
Sorry, I don’t know any way to do low salt pickles. You could try making a dilute vinegar dressing for the cucumbers?
My Auntie Toshie used to make tsukemono in Hawaii when I was a small child. She rinsed the salted cabbage before cutting it when she served it. That would help reduce the salt a little.