Japanese Pickled Vegetables

Book excerpt: In Japanese Pickled Vegetables, dietician and fermented food expert Machiko Tateno has collected more than 130 easy, healthy recipes for pickled, preserved and fermented vegetables. These pickle recipes use ingredients that are easily available in the West -- including asparagus, cabbage, eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes, garlic, daikon, turnips and squashes, olive oil, honey and yogurt. More adventurous cooks can try their hand at traditional Japanese pickled vegetables like burdock root, bitter gourd, lotus root and wasabi leaves. The recipes are cross-referenced by vegetable and pickling method. A chapter on regional pickling recipes and styles lets home cooks learn more about the traditional art of tsukemono in Japan -- from Tokyo to rural farm villages. A section on pickling fresh seasonal vegetables helps you to make the most of your fresh garden produce, while another provides recipes using fermented seasonings -- such as Garlic Miso and Green Peppercorn that can be used to enhance the umami flavor of any dish!