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Every classic Japanese meal has three crucial ingredients: rice, soup and pickles. That is the Buddhist tradition and it still holds good. In the Japanese home, good manners demand that, whatever else may be pushed to the side of the plate, every last drop of soup, every grain of rice and every scrap of pickle must be eaten. In more lavish banquets, with their seemingly endless succession of dishes, the appearance of this trio signifies that the meal is drawing to its close.

The Japanese take pickling very seriously, and in a corner of countless Japanese kitchens lurks the pickle barrel. This is filled with nuka or rice bran, mixed with beer and salt. In it are placed vegetables of every description. The ritual of stirring the pickle barrel isn’t some obscure religious activity: it is essential work—leave the barrel unattended and it will go mouldy and the pickles will be lost.

Some Japanese pickles—such as those from the barrel—are for eating within a day or two; others can be kept for a couple of weeks, and there are styles of pickling which produce long-term results. Salt and brine are the most common pickling agents; if vinegar is used at all it will be rice vinegar. There are pickles in Japan that you will find nowhere else—not only salty plums, aubergines, cucumber and mooli, but also burdock root, obscure green herbs and even grasshoppers done in soy and saké.We have sampled these in the course of duty and can pronounce that they are delicious—‘half crunchy, half chewy’.

In Thailand, there’s also a place for pickles. Dominating everything is the pungent flavour of fermented fish pastes and the fish sauce. The basic Thai meal normally consists of rice and vegetables with one of these sauces, which provide a valuable source of concentrated protein. This style of eating has more to do with poverty and necessity than religion. The Thais produce vast quantities of pickles, in fact most of the jars of pickled ginger and the like in Chinese supermarkets are actually from Thailand. Restaurateur Phillip Harris knows a thing or two about Thai food and culture, and showed us a sample of what the Thais might pickle: four kinds of bamboo shoots, three different types of pickled ginger, whole heads of garlic, little green mangoes, tiny viciously hot green chillies, even onions. Oddest of all were little whole crabs done in salt and brine: ‘We just crumble them and use them in a special salad. I don’t recommend them to my English customers’, he said, ‘but the Thais adore them.’

Right across the Far East, from North China to Indonesia, pickles are vital accompaniments to every kind of meal. It isn’t surprising that the richness of this tradition, its flavours and ingredients have inspired cooks in the West. Colin Spencer, vegetarian crusader and writer, has done more than most. In his kitchen he pickles onions in shoyu, uses rice vinegar instead of malt, and wraps little parcels of pickled vegetables in nori (sheets of dried seaweed). As a vegetarian he has to be an inventor of pickles and has devised countless intriguing new ways of dealing with vegetables. And he’s attracted by their power and pungency: ‘Most vegetarian food is so bland. I like to assault the palate.’

Pickled Ginger

Pickled ginger is a universal flavouring right across the Far East— especially in China, Japan and Thailand. Some versions are sweet, other harsh and salty; sometimes the ginger is finely cut into slivers, sometimes it is in thick chunks. This recipe is from Japan, where pickled ginger is an essential accompaniment to sushi (little morsels of raw fish and other delights on cubes of vinegared rice). It is eaten between mouthfuls as a palate cleanser. Japanese sushi ginger is often pink in colour: originally this was achieved with plum juice; many of today’s commercial versions get the same effect with artificial colouring.

MAKES ABOUT 1 kg (2 lb)
1 kg (2 lb) FRESH ROOT GINGER
50 g (2 oz) SALT
600 ml (1 PINT) RICE VINEGAR
100 g (4 oz) SOFT BROWN SUGAR

Wash and scrub the ginger roots, cutting off any skin or flesh that is discoloured or blemished. Using a very sharp knife, cut the ginger into thin slices, diagonally across the root.

Put the ginger into a shallow dish and mix well with salt, then set aside for 2 days.

Drain off any moisture and wash the ginger to get rid of excess salt and pat dry with a cloth, then pack into clean warmed jars. Boil the vinegar and sugar until the syrup is clear, and pour over the ginger, making sure it is covered. Seal and store for 1 week before using. The pickle will keep for several months.

Salt-Pickled Chinese Cabbage

Another Japanese pickle that is traditionally made in a pickle barrel (p.188). For small quantities, a glass, earthenware or plastic bowl will do the job just as effectively. Use a plate slightly smaller than the top of the bowl as the lid, and weight it with anything that comes to hand—even a jar of water.

Apart from Chinese cabbage, any firm vegetable can be pickled this way: cucumber—peeled, seeded and sliced lengthwise—is a traditional favourite.

As with the preceding recipe, this was provided by Lesley Downer.

1 CHINESE CABBAGE
ROCK OR SEA SALT TO EQUALWEIGHT OF CABBAGE
1x5 cm (2 INCH) STRIP KOMBU (DRIED KELP)
1 ORANGE, THINLY SLICED
1x15 ml SPOON (1 TABLESPOON) RICE VINEGAR

Trim the bottom of the cabbage and make 2 deep lengthwise cuts into it, then gently pull the cabbage apart into quarters with your hands.Weigh, wash and pat dry.Weigh out the correct amount of salt. Cut the kombu into squares using scissors.

Rub a little salt into the cabbage, kneading it gently into the crevices and folds of the leaves, then pack the cabbage quarters into a bowl, sprinkling each layer with salt and putting a few squares of kombu in between. Lay orange slices on top of the cabbage. Mix the vinegar with 4x15 ml spoons (4 tablespoons) water and sprinkle over the top, then cover the mixture with a plate and keep in place with a weight.

Put the bowl in a cool dark place and leave for 2 days. As the brine begins to rise above the cabbage, decrease the weight and adjust the plate. Leave for a further 3-4 days.

To serve, take a quantity of the pickle, gently squeeze out the excess liquid, then cut into bite-sized pieces and eat with rice. The remaining pickle will keep for 2–3 months, covered and left in a cool place in its brine.

Japanese Rice-Bran Pickles

Our friend and oriental expert, Lesley Downer isn’t Japanese, but has absorbed the history, culture and cooking of Japan more comprehensively than most English people. She showed us the Japanese ways of pickling and explained that nuka (rice bran) pickles are the easiest to make and the most popular. And you don’t need to live in Japan to try them!

Traditionally the pickling is done in a wooden barrel or keg with a wooden lid that slips down inside it and a clean heavy stone on top. In practice, a plastic bucket with a close-fitting lid will do just as well. Once you have made the bran mash, you can use it indefinitely—rather like yogurt culture—but you must mix it up well every day, otherwise it will spoil.

Rice bran is normally available from specialist Japanese shops in London. It is worth checking first, however, before you embark on pickling.

3x650 g (1½ lb) BAGS NUKA (SEE ABOVE)
450 g (1 lb) SEA OR ROCK SALT
300 ml (10 fl oz) BEER
1 GARLIC BULB
5 cm (2 INCH) STRIP KOMBU (DRIED KELP)
ASSORTED VEGETABLES (SEE BELOW)

Put the nuka into the barrel or bucket and mix in the salt and beer. Begin to add water, little by little, mixing with your hands, until the mixture is pasty and has the consistency of unkneaded bread dough. Peel the garlic, leaving the cloves whole. Cut the kombu in strips with scissors. Push both the garlic and kombu deep into the bran mixture. Cover the barrel and leave in a cool dark place for 2 weeks for the mixture to mature. Each day, you must stir the mixture with your hands.

After 2 weeks you are ready to pickle. Simply bury vegetables in the bran and leave for the length of time indicated below. Any hard vegetables are ideal for this pickle and you can replenish the barrel as produce comes into season.

CUCUMBER: HALVE LENGTHWISE, SEED AND LEAVE IN BRAN FOR ½ DAY
MOOLI (JAPANESE WHITE RADISH): PEEL, CUT INTO CHUNKS AND LEAVE
FOR 1 DAY

AUBERGINE: HALVE AND LEAVE FOR 1 DAY
CARROT: PEEL AND LEAVE FOR 1 DAY
TURNIP: PEEL AND LEAVE FOR 1 DAY
ASPARAGUS: TRIM AND LEAVE FOR ½ DAY

To serve, wash off the nuka, pat the vegetables dry and cut artistically into bite-sized pieces. Eat with rice. Any unused pickles can be wrapped in cling film and kept for 2-3 days in the refrigerator.

Japanese Mixed Pickles

You don’t need to have a classic Japanese pickle barrel to make Japanese pickles. There is now a very neat alternative available in most Japanese food shops: it is simply a plastic tub with a screw-down lid that acts as effectively as a wooden slab weighted with a stone.

Any firm vegetables can be used, from cauliflower to mooli, but remember that these are short-term pickles, for eating after a couple of days. They will not keep indefinitely.

MAKES ABOUT 1 kg (2 lb)
1 CAULIFLOWER, DIVIDED INTO FLORETS
1 BULB FENNEL, OUTER LEAVES REMOVED AND BULB SPLIT INTO THIN
WEDGES

2 CARROTS, PEELED AND CUT INTO STRIPS
1 MOOLI, PEELED AND CUT INTO STRIPS
3x15 ml SPOONS (3 TABLESPOONS) SALT
300 ml (10 fl oz) RICE VINEGAR
50 g (2 oz) SUGAR

Bring a saucepan of water to the boil and plunge the cauliflower, fennel, carrots and mooli into it for a maximum of 3 seconds. Remove and drain well.When cold, put the vegetables into a bowl and sprinkle with 2x15 ml spoons (2 tablespoons) salt.

Boil the vinegar with the sugar and remaining salt until dissolved. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Pack the salted vegetables into the plastic tub and pour over the cold vinegar. Screw down the lid so it presses tightly against the vegetables and leave in a cool place for about 12 hours. The pickled vegetables are then ready to eat and should be consumed within 2-3 days. After that, make up another batch.

Pickled Garlic

A lot of pickles come out of Thailand, but this is surely one of the most delectable. It is chopped up and used with fried noodle dishes, in soups and salads and with fish; also try chopping up a clove or two and mixing it with scrambled eggs. And, it’s brilliant eaten straight from the jar!

Thai garlic is normally pickled as whole bulbs, with skin and stem still intact. Unfortunately most English varieties are too tough for this treatment and you will need to divide them into cloves.

As a variation, colour the pickling liquor by adding saffron to the vinegar and decorate the finished article with a few Kaffir lime leaves.

MAKES ABOUT 225 g (8 oz)
10 GARLIC BULBS, DIVIDED INTO CLOVES BUT UNPEELED
600 ml (1 PINT) WHITE-WINE VINEGAR
1x5 ml SPOON (1 TEASPOON) SALT
100 g (4 oz) SUGAR

Boil the vinegar in a pan and add the salt and sugar, then stir until the syrup is smooth and simmering. Drop in the garlic and bring the mixture to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes, then remove from the heat and set aside to cool.

Pack the garlic into clean sterilised jars and pour over the pickle, making sure the cloves are covered. Cover and store. They will be ready to eat after 1 week, but improve with age.

If you find that the skins are still tough, simply peel them off and use the rest.

Tofu Pickled in Miso

Traditionally the Japanese shun dairy products and this is their nearest equivalent to a strong ripe cheese. It is very piquant and is usually served in very small quantities, either as it is, or lightly grilled to accompany plain rice.

Fresh tofu (bean curd) is not only sold in oriental stores and supermarkets, but also in some of the better wholefood shops and large supermarkets. It must be the fresh kind: ‘longlife’ versions will not do. Miso is harder to find. It is actually fermented soybean paste—a brilliant Japanese invention sold in organic and wholefood shops, Japanese stores and other specialist food outlets. To make fresh ginger juice, grate freshly peeled root ginger then squeeze through muslin; alternatively use a cunning utensil rather like a sieve without holes to collect the juice. (As with the recipes on pp. 184 and 185, this was provided by Lesley Downer.)

MAKES ABOUT 1.25 kg (2½ lb)
750 g (1½ lb) FRESH TOFU, CUT INTO 1 cm (½ INCH) SLICES
450 g (1 lb) RED MISO
2x15 ml SPOONS (2 TABLESPOONS) SUGAR
1x15 ml SPOON (1 TABLESPOON) GINGER JUICE (SEE ABOVE)
1x15 ml SPOON (1 TABLESPOON) SAKÉ
PINCH OF JAPANESE SEVEN-SPICE PEPPER

Lay the tofu in a single layer on kitchen paper between tea-towels to absorb some of the water. Mash the miso with the remaining ingredients.

Prepare a plastic box with a tight-fitting lid, which will comfortably hold the miso mixture and tofu. Fill the container with layers of miso and tofu, beginning and ending with miso.Make sure all sides of each piece of tofu are covered. Cover, wrap the box in cling film and store at the back of the refrigerator.

You can use the pickle the day after you make it, although it is better to leave it for a while—up to 6 months. The longer you leave it, the stronger the flavour becomes.

To use the pickle, simply open the box, scrape off the top layer of miso, and carefully ease out as many slices of tofu as you need, then replace the miso, making sure all remaining pieces of tofu are covered. Cover and return to the refrigerator. Once all the tofu is used up, the remaining miso can be saved and used for any recipe calling for flavoured miso. It is also spectacular spread on bread!

Pickled Water Chestnuts with Lime

Water chestnuts are sold fresh in some Chinese supermarkets, but tinned versions work perfectly well for this pungent, crunchy pickle. Add to oriental winter salads or slice and use sparingly in soups and stir-fries.

MAKES ABOUT 450 g (1 lb)
450 g (1 lb) TINNED WATER CHESTNUTS
1x5 ml SPOON (1 TEASPOON) SALT
PEEL OF 1 LIME, CUT INTO 1 cm (½ INCH) STRIPS
2 BAY LEAVES
1 FRESH RED CHILLI
300 ml (10 fl oz) RICE VINEGAR

Drain the water chestnuts thoroughly. Small ones can be pickled whole; larger specimens should be sliced in half. Put into a saucepan of salted water, bring to the boil and blanch for 3 minutes. Drain well and cool.

Pack the water chestnuts into a cleaned jar. Slide strips of lime peel and the bay leaves down the inside of the jar and arrange the red chilli on top. Cover with cold rice vinegar, making sure that the water chestnuts are completely submerged. Store for 2 weeks before opening.

Cucumber Pickled in Soy

This is a Chinese recipe. Like many from the Far East, it is an instant dish for eating the same day, and is somewhere between a conventional pickle and a salad in character. As an alternative to cucumber, try using celery: the method is the same except that the celery will need to be blanched in boiling water for 1 minute before it is pickled.

MAKES ABOUT 450 g (1 lb)
2 CUCUMBERS
1x5 ml SPOON (1 TEASPOON) SALT
2x15 ml SPOONS (2 TABLESPOONS) SUGAR
2x15 ml SPOONS (2 TABLESPOONS) LIGHT OR DARK SOY SAUCE
2x15 ml SPOONS (2 TABLESPOONS) RICE VINEGAR
1x15 ml SPOON (1 TABLESPOON) SESAME OIL
1x5 ml SPOON (1 TEASPOON) SESAME SEEDS

Divide the cucumber lengthwise into quarters, remove the pulpy core and cut the rest into manageable strips.

Put the cucumber into a shallow dish and sprinkle with salt. Blend the sugar with the soy sauce and vinegar until it is dissolved, then mix in the seasame oil. Pour over the cucumber, and leave for 1 hour before serving. At the last minute, sprinkle the dish with sesame seeds.

Aubergine and Mustard Relish

A recipe from the Japanese pickling tradition. Mirin – an essential flavouring made from sweetened rice wine - is sold in supermarkets and oriental stores. Dry sherry (plus a sprinkling of white sugar) is a decent substitute, although the resulting flavour is less distinctive.

MAKES ABOUT 450 g (1 lb)
1 LARGE AUBERGINE
2x15 ml SPOONS (2 TABLESPOONS) SALT
1x15 ml SPOON (1 TABLESPOON) MUSTARD POWDER
2x15 ml SPOONS (2 TABLESPOONS) MIRIN
3x15 ml SPOONS (3 TABLESPOONS) SOY SAUCE OR TAMARI

Cut the aubergine into slices about 1.5 cm (½ inch) thick. Put into a bowl and sprinkle liberally with salt. Leave for about 30 minutes. Drain off the excess liquid and put the aubergine slices to dry on absorbent paper. Mix the mustard powder with a little water, blend well and stir in the mirin and soy sauce.

Transfer the aubergine slices to a bowl and pour over the mustard dressing. Toss lightly. Put a plate or wooden lid on top and press down with a heavy weight. Leave in a cool place for about 2 hours. To serve, slice into small, neat cubes or strips and arrange decoratively in individual dishes. This pickle should be stored in the refrigerator and eaten within 2-3 days.

Pickled Pineapple

This quick South-East Asian pickle must be made with fresh pineapple. It is an excellent accompaniment to all kinds of spicy dishes. Former chef and Devon restaurateur Joyce Molyneux serves it with a dish of duck braised with soy and lemon grass.

MAKES ABOUT 750 g (1½ lb)
1 FRESH PINEAPPLE, PEELED, CORED AND COARSELY DICED
1 CLOVE GARLIC, CHOPPED
1x2.5 cm (1 INCH) PIECE FRESH ROOT GINGER, PEELED AND SLICED
2 FRESH HOT GREEN CHILLIES, DE-SEEDED AND FINELY CHOPPED
1x15 ml SPOON (1 TABLESPOON) WHITE MUSTARD SEEDS
PINCH TURMERIC
150 ml (5 fl oz) WHITE-WINE VINEGAR OR RICE VINEGAR
PINCH OF SALT

Put the garlic, ginger and chillies into a bowl. Add the mustard seeds and turmeric, then stir in the vinegar gradually. Add the chopped pineapple and salt to taste. This pickle can be stored in a bowl or plastic container and kept in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Achar

Achar—sometimes spelt acar or atjar—is one of the common names for pickled vegetables throughout the Far East, from Nepal to Indonesia. South-East Asian versions are excellent—crisp, colourful vegetables in a potent sweet chilli sauce, sometimes flavoured with ground peanuts and blachan (fermented fish paste). Our favourite is this recipe supplied by London restaurateur Henry Tan: he told us it came originally from the Prime Minister of Singapore’s mother.

Achar can be served as a starter, or as the essential accompaniment to noodles and rice, spicy fish dishes and curries.

MAKES ABOUT 1.5 kg (3½ lb)
450 g (1 lb) CARROTS, PEELED AND CUT IN 4 cm (1½ INCH) STRIPS
225 g (8 oz) WHITE CABBAGE, DICED
450 g (1 lb) CAULIFLOWER, BROKEN INTO FLORETS
1 LARGE GREEN PEPPER, DE-SEEDED AND CUT INTO
4 cm (1½ INCH) STRIPS
1 CUCUMBER, QUARTERED LENGTHWISE, DE-SEEDED AND CUT INTO
4 cm (1½ INCH) STRIPS
2 ONIONS, FINELY CHOPPED
600 ml (1 PINT) VEGETABLE OIL
1x15 ml SPOON (1 TABLESPOON) CHILLI POWDER
1x15 ml SPOON (1 TABLESPOON) PAPRIKA
1½ x15 ml SPOONS (1½ TABLESPOONS) TURMERIC
600 ml (1 PINT) WHITE VINEGAR
750 g (1½ lb) SUGAR
2x15 ml SPOONS (2 TABLESPOONS) SALT
SESAME SEEDS, TO GARNISH

Blanch each vegetable separately in boiling water for about 1 minute. Drain and set aside to cool.

Put the onions into a blender or food processor with 400 ml (14 fl oz) vegetable oil and blend for 1-2 minutes.

Heat the remaining oil in a large pan and add the puréed onion with the chilli powder, paprika and turmeric. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring gently. Add the vinegar and 200 ml (7 fl oz) water and bring to the boil. Stir in the sugar and salt, mix well until dissolved, then remove from the heat and allow to cool.Mix the vegetables and sauce in a large bowl, leave overnight at room temperature.

The achar will keep well in the refrigerator for 3-4 weeks, and can be conveniently stored in a plastic container with a lid. To serve, put some of the vegetables in a shallow dish with a small amount of liquor and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Pickled Cabbage with Sesame Seeds

This quick variation on the theme of achar is simplicity itself. The resulting pickle is full of fire, heat and potency with an undercurrent of sweet and sour flavours. It is not unlike kim chee, the ubiquitous condiment of Korean cuisine.

MAKES ABOUT 1 kg (2 lb)
1 kg (2 lb) DUTCH WHITE CABBAGE
2x5 ml SPOONS (2 TEASPOONS) SALT
4 FRESH GREEN CHILLIES, CUT INTO THIN RINGS
2x5 ml SPOONS (2 TEASPOONS) WHITE SUGAR
2x15 ml SPOONS (2 TABLESPOONS) SESAME OIL
50 g (2 oz) FRESH ROOT GINGER, PEELED AND SLICED INTO THIN STRIPS
2 DRIED RED CHILLIES, ROUGHLY CRUMBLED
1x15 ml SPOON (1 TABLESPOON) SESAME SEEDS
2x15 ml SPOONS (2 TABLESPOONS) RICE VINEGAR

Slice the cabbage thinly, put into a bowl and sprinkle with salt.Mix well and leave in a cool place for 24 hours.

Next day, drain off the excess liquid and squeeze the cabbage in a forthright manner to remove the last traces of moisture. Transfer to a clean bowl and mix with the rings of fresh green chilli and the sugar. Heat the sesame oil in a pan and add the sliced ginger, dried red chillies and sesame seeds. Cook well until the mixture starts to become crisp. Pour immediately over the cabbage mixture and stir. Finally add the rice vinegar, blend and cover the bowl with foil or a lid. Stand for 1 day in a cool place before using.

Indonesian Pickled Fish

This pickle works well with whole grey mullet or large mackerel, but any firm meaty fish will do. Macadamia nuts are used for flavour and thickening: walnuts are a useful alternative.

MAKES ABOUT 225 g (8 oz)
1 WHOLE FISH, ABOUT 225 g (8 oz), GUTTED AND SCALED
2x5 ml SPOONS (2 TEASPOONS) SALT
1x5 ml SPOON (1 TEASPOON) TURMERIC
VEGETABLE OIL, SUCH AS COCONUT OR GROUNDNUT
4 MACADAMIA NUTS OR WALNUTS
4 FRESH HOT CHILLIES, DE-SEEDED AND CUT INTO STRIPS
6 BABY ONIONS OR SHALLOTS
2x15 ml SPOONS (2 TABLESPOONS) WHITE VINEGAR

Make a few slashes through the skin on each side of the fish and rub with salt and turmeric. Heat the oil in a large pan or wok and shallow-fry the fish, turning once or twice, until cooked through and the flesh flakes easily when tested with the tip of a knife. Remove the fish and drain on absorbent paper.

Grind the nuts in a blender or food processor and fry gently in the oil over a low heat for a couple of minutes. Remove from the heat and add the chopped chillies, whole onions, vinegar and 250 ml (8 fl oz) water. Bring to simmering point, then return the fish to the pan. Continue to simmer, stirring until the sauce is thick.

This fish can be eaten hot, straight away, or can be left to cool. It will keep well in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.

Chilli Vinegar

This is a very useful standby, particularly if you are fond of Chinese and South-East Asian food. It needs to be quite potent, so adjust the quantities of chillies if necessary. The fieriest results can be obtained by using the tiny ‘bird’s eye’ green chillies that come from Thailand (colloquially called ‘mouse droppings’!).

MAKES 600 ml (1 PINT)
1x15 ml SPOON (1 TABLESPOON) DRIED RED - OR FRESH GREEN - CHILLIES
600 ml (1 PINT) RICE VINEGAR

Put the chillies into a large jar or bottle. Boil the vinegar and pour it hot over the chillies.When the vinegar has cooled, cover the jar, give it a shake and set aside for 2 weeks in a warm place. Then taste it periodically, every few days, until the heat and flavour are right. Strain, re-bottle the vinegar and store it in a cool, dark place.