(literally: ''shallow pickle'') is a Japanese

pickling Pickling is the process of preserving or extending the shelf life of food by either anaerobic fermentation in brine or immersion in vinegar. The pickling procedure typically affects the food's texture and flavor. The resulting food is called a ...

method characterized by its short preparation time. The name implies a food pickled in the morning and ready by the evening. The word ''asazuke'' can also refer to the items pickled in this manner. Asazuke is a sub-category of

tsukemono are Japanese preserved vegetables (usually pickled in salt, brine, or a bed of rice bran). They are served with rice as an ''okazu'' (side dish), with drinks as an '' otsumami'' (snack), as an accompaniment to or garnish for meals, and as a ...

, which includes all types of pickles. Because of its short preparation time, asazuke generally lacks the pungency created by other, more lengthy pickling methods but retains more of the fresh taste of the vegetable. Commonly used vegetables include

daikon Daikon or mooli, ''Radish, Raphanus sativus'' Variety (botany), var. ''longipinnatus,'' is a mild-flavored winter radish usually characterized by fast-growing leaves and a long, white, root. Originally native to continental East Asia, daikon ...

hakusai Napa cabbage (''Brassica rapa'' subsp. ''pekinensis'' or ''Brassica rapa'' Pekinensis Group) is a type of Chinese cabbage originating near the Beijing region of China that is widely used in East Asian cuisine. Since the 20th century, it has als ...

cucumber Cucumber (''Cucumis sativus'') is a widely-cultivated Vine#Horticultural climbing plants, creeping vine plant in the Cucurbitaceae family that bears usually cylindrical Fruit, fruits, which are used as culinary vegetables.

s, or

eggplant Eggplant ( US, Canada), aubergine ( UK, Ireland) or brinjal (Indian subcontinent, Singapore, Malaysia, South Africa) is a plant species in the nightshade family Solanaceae. ''Solanum melongena'' is grown worldwide for its edible fruit. Mos ...

.{{Cite book, last1=Sugimoto, first1=Takashi, url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ppjTAgAAQBAJ&dq=Asazuke&pg=PT490, title=Shunju: New Japanese Cuisine, last2=Iwatate, first2=Marcia, date=2013-01-15, publisher=Tuttle Publishing, isbn=978-1-4629-0714-4, language=en Kimuchi, much like the similarly named Korean

kimchi ''Kimchi'' (; ko, 김치, gimchi, ), is a traditional Korean side dish of salted and fermented vegetables, such as napa cabbage and Korean radish. A wide selection of seasonings are used, including ''gochugaru'' (Korean chili powder), sprin ...

, is a cabbage asazuke but milder in flavor. Asazuke is usually prepared by rubbing the cut vegetables with salt and placing in a sealed bag or other sealed container along with such items as sliced

kombu ''Konbu'' (from ja, 昆布, konbu or kombu) is edible kelp mostly from the family Laminariaceae and is widely eaten in East Asia. It may also be referred to as ''dasima'' ( ko, 다시마) or ''haidai'' (). Kelp features in the diets of many c ...

or chili peppers. Instead of salt, asazuke can also be prepared with vinegar, nuka, or a pickling solution that is sold in stores. Sufficient pickling times range anywhere from 30 minutes to several hours. Asazuke has become a very popular method of pickling in Japanese households due to its ease of preparation.

References

Japanese cuisine Japanese pickles

See also

References