Pickled Turnip (Senmai-zuke)
Pickled Turnip (Senmai-zuke) is a Kyoto specialty food. Thinly sliced turnip is marinated in sweet vinegar with konbu and chilli. Crunchy turnip with sweet and sour flavour - it's great with rice and goes well with drinks as nibbles. The traditional senmai-zuke uses turnip like my recipe but you can make it with daikon (white radish) too - see the notes.Total time does not include time to marinate. You will need minimum 2 days to make it.
- Prep time
- 15 min
- Cook time
- 1 min
- Yield
- 6 servings
- Difficulty
- MEDIUM
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 500g (1.1lb) turnip, thinly sliced to 2-3mm (1/16-⅛") thick round slices (note 1)
- ½ tbsp salt
- 8g / 10cm (0.3oz / 4”) konbu (kelp) (cut into 20-25 pieces (note2))
- 1 dried red chilli (, deseeded and finely chopped)
- A round 16cm (6") air-tight container or similar size non-round container ((note 3))
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 2 tbsp mirin
- 1 tsp sugar
Instructions
- 1
Sprinkle salt over the turnip slices in a bowl. Mix well so that salt coats each slice.
- 2
Place a small flat plate (slightly smaller than the surface of the turnip) upside down on the turnip, then place a large can of food of about 500g (1.1lb) in a plastic bag on it as a weight.
- 3
Cover with cling wrap or a large plastic bag and leave it for overnight to 24 hours in the fridge (note 4).
- 4
Add the Marinade ingredients to a small saucepan and heat to warm up the liquid so that sugar dissolves. Let it cool down.
- 5
Add water to the bowl of turnips, quickly rinse, then drain well (note 4).
- 6
In the air-tight container, lay a third of the turnip slices one by one, about ¾ - ⅘ overlapping each other. Adjust the overlapping amount to cover the entire bottom of the container with the turnip slices. (note 5, also see the step-by-step photo)
- 7
Scatter ⅓ each of konbu and chilli pieces over the turnip slices, then gently pour ⅓ of the marinade over the turnip.
- 8
Repeat steps 3 and 4 until all ingredients are used up.
- 9
Place cling wrap over the marinade so that it seals the surface of the marinade. Place a 1-1.5kg (2.2 - 3.3lb) weight with a flat bottom (or place a small flat plate underneath the weight.
- 10
Cover it with cling wrap or place it in a large plastic bag and leave at least overnight in the fridge. (note 6)
- 11
If the turnip slices are very soft, serve them by folding each slice once or twice so that they become bite sized. If not so soft, cut them into halves or quarters.
- 12
Place a couple of konbu and chilli pieces on top to decorate.