The 3 'R's to Good Eating – Restaurants, Reviews & Recipes 4-Page Pullout
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The 3 ‘R’s to good eating – Restaurants, Reviews & Recipes 4-page pullout STRIPES OKINAWA E OF OK MARCH 18 – MARCH 31, 2021 AST INAW A T 2 A BY LINDA LOMBARDI, beets in the fridge that I refused TOFUGU.COM riches I was missing elsewhere In Japan, they’ll pickle anyt hen we think of pickles in the US, it’s mostly the kinds of things are pickled i spear along with our sandwich or the slices on healthy side dishes that add v Wa burger. When I was growing up we had two based on rice. types, sweet and sour. And maybe there were some pickled If you slet been to Japan, you TOFUGU.COM and flavorful substances.” That sounds a little scary to me actually but it’s nothing compared to our next example…. NUKA-ZUKE – RICE BRAN PICKLES Rice bran pickles are made by laying vegetables down in a specially prepared bed of rice bran. Boiled salt water is mixed with the bran. Shio-zuke Then, similar to sourdough bread, you add some of the bed from an old batch that contains microbes to get the lactic acid fermentation process going. It must be mixed up regularly, tradition- MANY WAYS TO ally with your bare hands, to keep all the little mi- crobes growing and healthy. GET IN A PICKLE I’ve never had the privilege of getting close to Tsukemono (漬物 つけもの) is the Japanese word for pickles, derived from tsuke “soaked” one of these beds (although I’ve seen them dis- and mono “things.” You’ll see that most of the played in shops). But The Black Moon says this is Japanese names for different types end in -zuke, how you know when it’s ready: “After a week or so which is the same word as tsuke when it under- the pickling medium should have a heady aroma goes rendaku in the second part of a compound and look like damp sand.” word. Some rice bran pickling beds have been passed But “soaked” is far from the only way that down for generations. It’s an astonishing thought pickles are made. Yes, some are made in liquids in a century where everything in the supermar- AND THE REST…. like vinegar, but other methods will probably ket has an expiration date printed on it. Like salt Pickles are also made usin surprise you. pickles, vegetables can be left in briefly or for a The most familiar to us, vine Nuka-zuke long time, up to several months, with different long-term storage. This is be SHIO-ZUKE – SALT PICKLES flavor results. in acid. I make one regularly The original and simplest, there are a couple of different ways of sauce and sugar. Eaten fresh i KASU-ZUKE – SAKE LEES PICKLES making salt pickles. Leftovers the next day are mo In one method, the vegetables are sprinkled with salt – although the Sake lees is the solids left over after sake, which is made from rice, What’s that? You’d like to tr word “sprinkled” may be misleading given how much salt is used – and is filtered. Like rice bran, instead of being discarded, people figured lem. Here it is. put in a container. They’re covered with a weight or lid that presses out how to use it to make pickles. Also cured for a variety of lengths down on them, which makes sure the salt penetrates. (Nowadays you of time from a few days to several years, they may actually be slightly Recipe for quick pickled cucu can buy plastic containers that come with a pickle press). The salt alcoholic. Kampai! • Use pickling cucumbers or a makes the water content of the vegetables seep out by osmosis, so the of seeds – they have a bette container needs regular attention to drain the liquid. KOJI-ZUKE – KOJI PICKLES regular American cuke, sco Removing the water from the vegetable concentrates the flavor, and You probably have never heard of koji, but Japanese food wouldn’t • Slice cucumber and cut slic with less water, the vegetables are less susceptible to rotting. Salt pick- exist without it. It’s a microbe (let’s not call it mold, that sounds so un- shred some gingerroot. les can take varied length of time. There’s a version that you just leave appetizing!). This little one-celled friend is responsible for soy sauce, • For a large cuke, mix 1/4 c s overnight. Another one is measured in months. Pickled plums, for ex- miso, and sake, and it’s even been proposed that it should be called Ja- about a tablespoon of sugar ample, are supposed to be left in the salt for the whole rainy season. pan’s National Fungus. Koji is mixed with rice to start the fermentation you can go up to 2 T next tim The longer the pickling time, the more intense the flavors. process that results in those fundamental products. And this koji mash • Mix it all up and refrigera In the other method, vegetables are put in salt water in an airtight can also be used to make pickles. These are somewhat sweet because before serving. It’s also go container. As Kikkoman describes it, “in this environment, the enzymes koji produces amylase, an enzyme that produces sugar from the starch (Adapted from a recipe by H in the ingredients break down the food’s components into very different in rice. MARCH 18 – MARCH 31, 2021 E OF OK STRIPES OKINAWA AST INAW A T 3 A d to eat. Little did I know the these in restaurants (That pickled ginger with your sushi is in the world. one of them). But when you get there, you’ll find all kinds thing that’s not moving. All of mysterious things on little dishes with your fancy din- n different ways, creating ner and tucked in your convenience store bento. Come along variety to traditional meals with Tofugu on a journey through the wonderful world of Japanese pickles and find out what all those amazing little u may have seen a couple of tidbits are about. File Photos TSUKEMONO’S LITTLE The result was a fermented product, which ONE-CELLED FRIENDS: Umeboshi is the Japa- lasted a longer time. This was considered a FERMENTATION AND MICROBES nese plum, salt-pickled gift from the gods, and with good reason. Be- Some of these methods may seem weird then dried in the sun. They fore refrigeration, and greenhouses, and fly- to us. In our culture, we think food will spoil come in a variety of sizes ing produce all around the world from places if left out of the refrigerator for five min- and different textures. where seasons are different, there weren’t a utes. How can it possibly be a good idea to They’re colored with red lot of vegetables around in the winter. Pickles put vegetables in a tub of rice bran and leave shiso (an herb) and are were the answer. They preserved spring and them there, at room temperature, sometimes intensely sour. You’ll see summer’s bounty for the cold time of year. for months? And those pots of rice bran have them in bento and inside Now we can buy all kinds of fresh produce been passed down for generations! And peo- onigiri rice balls (careful, because they still at any time of year. So they’re no longer nec- ple mix them with their bare hands! Why have the pit). They’re said to have been made essary for providing vitamins and fiber when aren’t people dying of food poisoning left and for over a thousand years, and to have an an- they’re out of season. But Japanese cuisine right? tibacterial effect that keeps the other foods developed to include them, so a traditional Because these methods actually preserve in your bento fresh. meal doesn’t make sense without them. In food: They encourage good microbes, which Gari is the pickled ginger fact, just rice, soup, and pickles count as a keep out the bad microbes that make you you get with sushi. It’s a complete traditional Japanese meal. Kasu-zuke sick. simple vinegar pickle. Japanese food is often stereotyped as hav- In the US, fermentation is And in case you didn’t ing delicate, subtle flavors. That may fool you the new cool hipster foodie know, you’re supposed to into taking a huge mouthful of pickle, which thing. There’s a kombucha eat it between pieces of could be a shock. Think of them more like a bar at my Whole Foods and sushi to cleanse your pal- condiment. And remember that Japanese cui- a stand at my local farmers ate so you can appreciate the different fla- sine is based around a bowl of rice. Rice is in- market selling kimchee and vors of each kind of fish. Young ginger natu- deed a subtle (some would say bland) food, and sauerkraut. Maybe we’re rally turns pink when pickled. But the bright there’s nothing like a little bit of pickle to kick finally starting to catch up. pink kind you’ll often see is made with artifi- it up a notch when you take a mouthful of rice. But Japanese cuisine al- cial dye. If you watch Japanese cooking shows, ways been all about the fer- Takuan is rice-bran you’ll often see them taste something and mentation. As mentioned pickled daikon radish. say “this makes me want to eat a lot of rice.” earlier, miso and soy sauce, It’s usually served in half- That’s tsukemono in a nutshell.