Fukujinzuke (福神漬け, curry-rice pickle)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Tsukemono press, or a plate with a water-filled jar as a weight
• •Nonreactive saucepan
• •Clean glass jar with lid, about 1 quart

Instructions

1. 1

   Soak the shiitake

   Put the dried shiitake in the warm water and set a small saucer on top to keep them submerged. Soak for 30 minutes, until the caps are pliable. Lift them out, squeeze them gently, cut away the hard stems, and dice the caps. Strain and save the soaking liquid; it gives the brine a quiet mushroom depth without turning this into a stock.

2. 2

   Cut the vegetables

   Cut the daikon, eggplant, and cucumber into small, even dice, about 5 mm. Slice the lotus root thinner, about 3 mm, so its crunch stays delicate rather than woody. Cut the ginger into fine matchsticks. This pickle is won on the board: small enough to season through, large enough to bite.

3. 3

   Blanch the lotus

   Bring a small pot of water to a boil and blanch the lotus root for 60 seconds, then drain well. The quick blanch washes away surface starch and the raw edge while keeping the pale crunch. Don't cook it soft; lotus root should still answer back under the teeth.

4. 4

   Salt and press

   Toss the daikon, eggplant, cucumber, and blanched lotus root with the salt. Set a plate directly on the vegetables and add a light weight, then leave them for 2 hours. Rinse once under cold water, drain, and squeeze firmly in a clean cloth until the vegetables are only damp.

   The squeeze is the first secret. If the vegetable water stays in, it dilutes the sweet soy brine and the pickle tastes tired by tomorrow.
5. 5

   Make the brine

   Measure 1/2 cup of the strained shiitake soaking liquid, topping up with water if needed. Combine it in a saucepan with the shōyu, sugar, mirin, rice vinegar, and akajiso umezu. Bring it to a simmer and stir until the sugar dissolves. Add the diced shiitake, ginger, and red shiso leaves if using, and simmer for 2 minutes to settle their flavors into the brine.

6. 6

   Glaze the vegetables

   Add the squeezed vegetables to the simmering brine and stir for 60 to 90 seconds, just until everything looks glossy and stained red-brown at the edges. Lift the solids into a clean jar with a slotted spoon. Boil the brine for 3 to 4 minutes, until it looks slightly thicker, then pour it over the vegetables to cover.

   Brief heat sets the pickle without stewing it. Boiling the brine after the vegetables come out concentrates what little water they release.
7. 7

   Rest and serve

   Let the jar cool until no longer hot, then cover and refrigerate at least 8 hours, preferably 24. Stir once if the top pieces are not fully submerged. Serve a small spoonful beside Japanese curry rice, or with plain rice and grilled fish. Keep refrigerated and use a clean spoon each time.

Chef Tips

• •Choose a daikon that feels heavy and crisp, lotus root with pale flesh and tight holes, and eggplant with glossy skin. If the eggplant is dull and tired, use more daikon and lotus root instead. Nothing good comes from hiding poor vegetables in soy.
• •The curry-shop red is often made louder by commercial coloring. Akajiso umezu gives a quieter red and a clean tart edge. If you don't have it, make the pickle soy-brown and honest.
• •Keep the cut even. Fukujinzuke is eaten by the spoonful beside rice, so every bite should bring several vegetables at once, not one great cube of daikon sulking alone.
• •A tsukemono press is useful, but a plate and a jar of water do the same work. The tool only has one job here: draw water out before the brine goes in.

Advance Preparation

• •Make fukujinzuke at least one day ahead. The flavor is sharper after 8 hours and rounder after 24.
• •It keeps about 2 weeks refrigerated. This is a refrigerator pickle, not a shelf-stable preserve.
• •You can cut, salt, and press the vegetables in the morning, then cook the brine and jar the pickle in the evening.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 60g)