Back in June I went to my favourite cooking class and definite happy place and learnt how to make Umeboshi, a Japanese salted, pickled plum. It is quite a process. We prepared the plums back in June and left to pickle in the brine. It is now October and I finally started the drying process. After 3 days drying, I store for another month before eating!
These photos are in response to Cee’s Compose Yourself challenge
Yoroshiku Onegai shimasu
Leanne
NihongoJapango 
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Wonderful series of photos for this week’s challenge. Thanks so much for your participation.
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Wow, quite a process! Lovely images.
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Thank you I am looking forward to the finished product!
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This was the actual process and what they looked like when we started.
http://kitchennippon.com/2015/06/29/umeboshi-%E6%A2%85%E5%B9%B2%E3%81%97/#more-1075
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The color is excellent! If you can wait until next January, the taste will be more mild. I usually wait for one year before I start eating:)
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Thanks Kaoru! It&s raining today o I will just have to leave them inside!
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How do you use / eat these? I had one once, years ago and hated it, but I suspect it may not be intended as something to just pop in your mouth. Or is it?
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There are lots of different kinds small hard ones through to the big succulent ones like these ones. You usually only have one of the big fellas as they are quite high in salt. I tend to break it up and eat with rice. I like the salty ones. some can be sweet. I guess they are an acquired for foreigners a bit like marmite or vegemite! The Japanese eat them from a young age and I don’t think I have ever met a Japanese person who doesn’t like them. They are quite nice in a special rice soup called ochazuke. Basically a bowl of rice, an umeboshi some garnish like nori seaweed with green tea poured over it. I don’t think you could eat one of these big ones in one hit! Back in the war days when food was scarce a bowl of rice with an umeboshi was a meal. Often in obentous (packed lunches) you see the rice with a small umeboshi in the centre. It looks like the Japanese flag and apparently the umeboshi stops the rice from going off.
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Thanks for that Leanne. There are so many shops selling Japanese (and other Asian) foods on the North Shore now, I feel I should explore some new tastes, and it’s always good to know how foods are intended to be eaten. I like the idea of eating these with rice. 🙂
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Umeboshi seems like such a nice dish!
Brine is salt water solution?
This is perhaps the first time after Writing 101, I am getting to read a post on your blog. Such a pleasure. Hope you are doing good.
Love and light ❤
Anand 🙂
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Hi Anand. Lovely to hear from you. Yes brine is a salt water solution.
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Thanks for clearing that. Love and light ❤
Anand 🙂
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