my own namasu
|
|
 |
I should have asked Mom or Grandma, but I modified a very non-Japanese pickled radish recipe from “Better Homes and Gardens” and another equally non-Japanese pickled cucumber recipe from the Internet. Amazingly, it works.
However, I faithfully cut off the ends of the cucumber and rub the edges together, supposedly to take out the bitterness. This may be an old wives tale, but this really is something Mom and Grandma absolutely required. |
|
1-2 Japanese cucumbers
Hawaiian salt (the red kind) ¼ cup America vinegar ¼ cup white sugar |
Black sesame seeds
Splash of sesame oil |
If you believe it, cut edges off cucumber and rub together. Using a vegetable peeler, peel the cucumber skin in long strips so that the cucumber has “stripes” down the long way. Cut cucumber in half lengthwise, split in half, spoon out the seeds, and very thinly slice very with a mandolin or a Japanese slicer if you have one. Put cucumbers in a bowl. Sprinkle with a little Hawaiian salt, and set them aside for about 30 minutes to make them “weep.”
In another bowl, mix together the sugar and vinegar until sugar is dissolved. Drain excess water from cucumbers. Add cucumbers to sugar/vinegar and toss well. Refrigerate if possible. Just before serving, add a dash of sesame oil, toss lightly, and sprinkle with black sesame seeds.
In another bowl, mix together the sugar and vinegar until sugar is dissolved. Drain excess water from cucumbers. Add cucumbers to sugar/vinegar and toss well. Refrigerate if possible. Just before serving, add a dash of sesame oil, toss lightly, and sprinkle with black sesame seeds.
