Posted on December 7, 2009 at 4:20 PM |
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Mizuna no Kizami Konbu zuke - and cut Konbu pickles
and cut Konbu asazuke.
Everyday, I try to make something with and vegetables. When I was growing up, my mother used to tell us that if we ate we would have beautiful black hair like konbu but maybe it was just her tactic to get us to eat more seaweed. I am glad she got me into the habit. Now I appreciate even more, for its vitamins, minerals and fiber. Both sea and land vegetables make me feel good.
I made a quick pickle-Asazuke with Mizuna and cut Mizuna has a nice piquant peppery flavor. The texture of this pickle is crunchy and slightly slimy. The sliminess comes from the extracts of the kombu. It is something you might have to get used to. I love it.
The pre-cut dried konbu is great for making pickles and sauted dishes. Best if you hydrate them before you put them in the pickle press. Don't soak the too long because you want to use the extract, especially the iodine to season the pickle. The amount of salt to use is between 1-2% of the total weight of the vegetables. For this recipe, I use 1-1.5 teaspoons of salt for about a pound of vegetables. Some dried kombu are saltier than others, so you need to make the adjustment accordingly. I don't like to oversalt so I try to stay at the lower end of the ratio.
RECIPE
Serves 4-6
1 lbs
1/2 cup Kizami Konbu, hyadrated, or slice wider konbu into thin matchstick pieces, about 2 inches long and 1/16 inch wide, and hydrate.
1-1.5 tsp salt
Kizami-Konbu - Cut dried Kombu
Wash the and cut off root ends. Cut crosswise into 2 inch wide pieces.
Hydrate the cut dried konbu in water for 5-10 minutes. Drain,
In a pickling container, combine the cut and Konbu. Add the salt and mix it into the mizuna. Add the kombu to the mizuna and mix together.
Press the Mizuna and Konbu, using the pickling press and let stand in the fridge for 2-3 hours. Here is the link to the Pickling Press with screw top.
To serve, remove from pickling press, gently squeeze out excess water and serve.
Best eaten on the same day.
Note: If the pickle comes out too salty, give it a quick rinse under cold water. Squeeze out excess water and serve.
Mix the salt into the Mizuna and Kombu mixture.
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