There is no dessert course in a traditional Japanese meal. Instead, pickles that refresh the palate are often the last thing eaten.
Recipe information
Total Time
3 1/2 hr
Yield
Makes about 2 cups
Ingredients
3
/4 pound Napa cabbage, cut crosswise into 1/3-inch-wide strips
3
tablespoons finely chopped carrot
1
1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
1
ounce (30 grams) kombu, about 20 square inches
4
fresh green shiso leaves or 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
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Preparation
Step 1
Toss together cabbage, carrot, and salt in a bowl. Put kombu in a narrow straight-sided container (5 to 6 inches in diameter) and top with cabbage mixture. Cut a piece of cardboard to fit just inside container and enclose it in a sealable plastic bag. Top cabbage with plastic-covered round and stack 4 to 6 pounds of canned goods on top to weight it. Chill weighted cabbage at least 3 hours.
Step 2
Discard kombu. Squeeze excess liquid from cabbage and toss with shiso.