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Fukujinzuke (seven-vegetable curry relish)
福神漬け · Sweet soy relish of seven vegetables for curry rice
Named after the Seven Lucky Gods, fukujinzuke was first sold by a pickle shop in Tokyo's Ueno in the 1880s and soon became the crunchy red-brown relish spooned beside every plate of Japanese curry rice. Seven chopped vegetables, here daikon, aubergine, lotus root, cucumber, carrot, shiitake and ginger, are salted and pressed, then soaked in a hot sweet soy and mirin syrup. Mirin is a sweet rice wine; it is boiled in the syrup so the alcohol mostly cooks off, and you can swap it for extra sugar and water. The common mistake is skipping the squeezing: wet vegetables dilute the syrup and the relish turns soft. Chef's tip: pour the hot syrup over, drain it back into the pan, boil and pour again; doing this twice keeps the vegetables crisp but fully seasoned.
- Total time
- 40 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 12
Ingredients
Vegetables
- 7 oz daikonpeeled, quartered and thinly sliced
- 1 auberginesmall, quartered and thinly sliced
- 2 ⅞ oz lotus rootpeeled, thinly sliced and quartered
- 1 cucumberquartered and thinly sliced
- 1 carrotsmall, thinly sliced
- 3 fresh shiitake mushroomsstems removed, finely sliced
- ½ oz fresh gingercut into fine matchsticks
- 2 tsp salt
For the syrup
- ½ cup soy sauce
- 3 ½ tbsp mirinor 2 tbsp sugar plus 2 tbsp water for an alcohol-free version
- 1 ¾ oz sugar
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp toasted white sesame seeds (optional)
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Toss 7 oz daikon, 1 aubergine, 2 ⅞ oz lotus root, 1 cucumber, 1 carrot and 3 fresh shiitake mushrooms with 2 tsp salt in a large bowl. Weigh down with a plate and leave for 30 minutes.
30 minStep 2: Rinse briefly, then squeeze the vegetables hard, a handful at a time, to get out as much water as possible. Put them in a heatproof bowl with ½ oz fresh ginger.
5 minStep 3: Bring ½ cup soy sauce, 3 ½ tbsp mirin, 1 ¾ oz sugar and 2 tbsp rice vinegar to the boil in a small pan and let it bubble for 1 minute.
3 minStep 4: Pour the hot syrup over the vegetables and stir. After 5 minutes, drain the syrup back into the pan, boil again until it thickens slightly, and pour it over once more.
8 minStep 5: Cool, stir in 1 tbsp toasted white sesame seeds and pack into a clean jar. Refrigerate overnight before eating; it keeps for 2 weeks. Serve a spoonful beside curry rice.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 30 kcal
- Protein
- 1 g
- Carbs
- 6 g
- Fat
- 0 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does fukujinzuke (seven-vegetable curry relish) take?
- About 40 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 10 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 12 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.
- 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 cucumber?
- Courgette, same weight (in salads, use young ones).
- What can I use instead of carrot?
- Parsnip or sweet potato, same weight.
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