Homemade Fukujinzuke (Japanese Pickles for Curry)

Step 1

Gather all the ingredients.

Step 2

Peel daikon. Cut it into quarters lengthwise and slice thinly.

Step 3

Peel the cucumbers alternately to give a stripe pattern, then slice thinly.

Step 4

Cut the lotus root into quarters lengthwise and slice thinly. If your lotus root is raw (not pre-boiled louts root in a package like mine), you can quickly blanch it until just tender.

Step 5

Peel the eggplant (I recommend peeling the skin completely. The skin will discolor and fukujinzuke will not have a good color). Cut the eggplant in half lengthwise and slice thinly.

Step 6

With a knife or spoon, scrape off the ginger skin. Cut it into thin slabs and thin julienned strips.

Step 7

Put an empty large bowl on a kitchen scale and put all the chopped vegetables in the bowl. Check the weight (I have 675 g).

Step 8

You will need 3% salt for the total weight of the vegetables. So I'll need 20 g of kosher/sea salt (roughly 2 Tbsp). Sprinkle the salt and knead the vegetables with your hand. Set aside for 20 minutes.

Step 9

Combine soy sauce, mirin, rice vinegar, and water.

Step 10

Add kombu and sugar. Mix well and bring it to a boil.

Step 11

When it's about to boil, discard the kombu (or you can keep it to make Simmered Kombu or Homemade Furikake). Turn off the heat and set it aside.

Step 12

After 20 minutes, put the vegetables into a large sieve (colander) and rinse off the salt under cold running water.

Step 13

Squeeze the vegetables to drain the water and transfer back to the clean bowl.

Step 14

Roll up the shiso leaves and cut them into thin julienned strips. Add to the squeezed vegetables in the bowl.

Step 15

Bring the pickling solution to a boil again and add the vegetables.

Step 16

Add the sesame seeds and make sure the vegetables are nicely submerged. Cook for 30 to 60 seconds. I like to keep my vegetables crunchy, so I usually cook for just 30 seconds.

Step 17

Drain the vegetables and transfer them to the bowl.

Step 18

Put any excess liquid in the bowl back to the pot. Reduce the pickling solution on low heat for 5-10 minutes (so the flavor will intensify).

Step 19

Transfer the vegetables into airtight jars (I used 3 1-cup Weck jars) and add the pickling solution to cover the vegetables.

Step 20

You can keep the Fukujinzuke in an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator for up to 5-7 days and in the freezer for a month. Use a clean utensil to take out the portion you will eat. Tsukemono in general is salty, but if you are worried, you can drain the liquid after a day or two. You cannot re-use this to make more Fukujinzuke because the liquid is already diluted with moisture from the vegetables.