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Asazuke (overnight cucumber and cabbage pickle)
Quick cucumber and cabbage pickle
浅漬け · Lightly salted cucumber, cabbage and kombu
Asazuke means shallow pickle, and it is the quick, fresh pickle that Japanese home cooks make the night before, tucked in a plastic bag in the fridge door and served with breakfast rice and miso soup. Cucumber and cabbage are rubbed with salt and pressed with kombu, a few slivers of chilli and yuzu or lemon peel, so they stay crunchy, juicy and only gently seasoned. It takes 15 minutes to make. The common mistake is not squeezing out the liquid before serving, which leaves the pickle watery and salty. Chef's tip: rub the salt in firmly with your hands for a full minute; bruising the vegetables a little is what lets them season through in a few hours.
- Total time
- 15 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 2 cucumbersabout 300 g, sliced into 5 mm rounds or chunks
- 7 oz white or pointed cabbagetorn into bite-size pieces
- 1 ½ tsp salt2 % of the vegetables
- ⅛ oz kombusnipped into thin strips
- 1 dried red chilliseeded and sliced into rings
- 1 strip yuzu or lemon peel (optional)cut into fine slivers
- ⅛ oz fresh ginger (optional)cut into fine matchsticks
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Method
0/4 doneStep 1: Put 2 cucumbers and 7 oz white or pointed cabbage in a sturdy zip bag or bowl and add 1 ½ tsp salt. Rub firmly with your hands for about 1 minute until the vegetables start to look damp.
2 minStep 2: Add ⅛ oz kombu, 1 dried red chilli, 1 strip yuzu or lemon peel and ⅛ oz fresh ginger and mix through.
1 minStep 3: Press out the air and seal the bag (or cover the bowl with a plate and a weight). Refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or overnight for a fuller flavour.
Step 4: Squeeze the vegetables firmly in your hands to remove the liquid, and serve chilled in a small mound. They keep in the fridge for 2–3 days.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 20 kcal
- Protein
- 1 g
- Carbs
- 4 g
- Fat
- 0 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does asazuke (overnight cucumber and cabbage pickle) take?
- About 15 minutes in total.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of cucumbers?
- Courgette, same weight (in salads, use young ones).
- What can I use instead of white or pointed cabbage?
- Savoy or spring greens, same weight.
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