Senmaizuke (Japanese Pickled Turnip)

Marinated in a sweet pickling solution with kombu (dried seaweed) and red chili, Semaizuke (literally thousand-sliced pickles) is a popular Kyoto-style pickled turnip. Serve the pickles as an accompaniment to any Japanese meal and enjoy them between dishes as a palate cleanser.

Senmaizuke (Japanese Pickled Turnip)

INGREDIENTS

• 1 lb Japanese turnips (kabu) (I use regular turnips)
• ▢5 tsp kosher/sea salt (I use Diamond Crystal; use half for table salt) (3% of the turnip weight; 13.5 g)
• ▢1 piece kombu (dried kelp) (4" x 4" or 10 x 10 cm)
• ▢1 dried red chili pepper

For Amazu (Sweet Pickling Solution)

• ▢1 cup rice vinegar (I use Natural Rice Vinegar)
• ▢¾ cup sugar
• ▢1 tsp kosher/sea salt (I use Diamond Crystal; use half for table salt)

INSTRUCTIONS

 

• Gather all the ingredients.
  

To Make the Sweet Pickling Solution

• In a small saucepan, combine rice vinegar, sugar, and salt.
• Bring the liquid to a gentle simmer over medium heat. While mixing the liquid, let it simmer for a minute until the sugar dissolves and the vinegar smell is removed. Turn off the heat and set it aside to cool.

To Prep the Turnips

• Peel the turnip using a vegetable peeler or a knife.
• Cut turnips into 1⁄16 inch (2 mm) slices. Here I use this mandoline slicer to achieve uniformed thickness.
• Sprinkle the salt all over the turnip slices and rub/knead/massage the turnip well with salt. Set aside for 30 minutes. Turnip will start to sweat, releasing moisture and this helps removing bitterness too.
• After 30 minutes, transfer to a sieve and rinse the turnip under running water to get rid of salt and sliminess.
• Squeeze the turnip slices to remove excess water and stack the slices.

To Pickle the Turnips

• Cut the kombu into smaller pieces (because I use three different size jars) and remove seeds from the dried red chili.
• Prepare clean jars or airtight containers.
• Put some turnip slices, a piece of kombu, and red chili in each jar, and pour the sweet pickling solution over to cover the turnip.
• Place the pickling weight (or utensil) on top of the turnip and put the lid on. Keep the jars in the refrigerator overnight.

To Serve

• The following day: the pickled turnips are now ready. You can remove the pickling weight. Kombu gets slimy after soaking in the liquid overnight, making the pickling solution slightly slimy/thick. However, this is a part of the Semaizuke feature and you do not need to worry.
• Transfer the turnip slices onto a plate. I like serving each slice of turnip folded as you see in the picture. Enjoy!

To Store

• You can keep the pickles in the marinade for up to 4 days in the refrigerator. Use clean utensils to pick up the turnip to serve from the jar.

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