Tsukemono | Kojizuke/Asazuke Wasabi Cucumbers

Name: Tsukemono | Kojizuke/Asazuke Wasabi Cucumbers
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 8 h
Total time: 8 h 5 min
Cuisine: Asian, Japanese
Ingredients: 1 lb cucumbers, English or Persian, fresh; 50g sea salt, coarse; 2 Tbsp shio koji, or substitute with more salt; 15g sugar; 1 Tbsp mirin, or substitute with more sugar; 1 Tbsp wasabi

4 steps

Prep:5minCook:8h

SHIO KOJI Koji culture has many uses. Not only is it necessary in fermentation, but when combined with other ingredients, it can be used for flavoring, curing, and preserving foods. Shio koji is a mixture of steamed rice treated with koji mold spores, salt (shio, sea salt 35% of koji), and water (during fermentation, water becomes brownish). The enzymes in shio koji break down proteins to pull out umami flavors, which also contributes to tenderizing meat and fish. The enzymes also decompose starches to draw out the sweetness from ingredients. ASAZUKE Asazuke (浅漬け “shallow pickling”) is a quick pickling method. The word also refers to the vegetables pickled in this manner, which retain more of the fresh taste of the vegetable. Commonly used vegetables are turnips, daikon, napa cabbage, cucumbers, and eggplant.

Updated at: Mon, 06 Nov 2023 14:17:39 GMT

Nutrition balance score

Unbalanced

Glycemic Index

Low

Glycemic Load

Low

Nutrition per serving

Calories64.6 kcal (3%)

Total Fat0.7 g (1%)

Carbs14.7 g (6%)

Sugars9.7 g (11%)

Protein1.3 g (3%)

Sodium5342.6 mg (267%)

Fiber0.8 g (3%)

% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Ingredients

4 servings

1 lbcucumbers

English or Persian, fresh

50gsea salt

coarse

2 Tbspshio koji

or substitute with more salt

15gsugar

1 Tbspmirin

or substitute with more sugar

1 Tbspwasabi

Instructions

Step 1

Wash and dry cucumbers. Cut them to bite-size pieces. Note: One regular English cucumber is about 10 oz.

Step 2

Combine cut cucumbers and all the ingredients for pickling in a ziplock and shake well. Note: Salt and sugar will draw cucumber juices, diluting the wasabi. With 1 tbsp of wasabi in this recipe, the cucumbers will have a gentle wasabi flavor with no heat. If you like wasabi, add more to your taste.

Step 3

Push the air from the Ziplock, making sure the cucumbers are submerged. Refrigerate them for 8 hours, shaking and turning the Ziplock occasionally.

Step 4

When the flavor is developed, strain the liquid (all salt and sugar will go away!), rinse the cucumbers, and store them in a container refrigerated for up to 5 days. Enjoy as a refreshing snack or a side with yakitori.