Recipe
Mixed Pickled Summer Vegetables (Goccha-zuke) - Ready in 1 Hour! Perfect for Hot Days
Ingredients
- 2cucumbers
- 1eggplant
- 3myoga ginger buds
- 10shiso leaves
- 1/2knob ginger
- 5cm kombu (dried kelp)
- 1/2tsp salt (for salt-rubbing)
- 1/2tsp sugar (for salt-rubbing)
- 250ml water
- 1tsp salt
- 1tsp sugar
- 1tsp vinegar
- 1tsp mirin
- 1/2tsp soy sauce
About "Mixed Pickled Summer Vegetables (Goccha-zuke)"
A summer staple made with leftover vegetables from your fridge. Cucumbers, eggplants, myoga ginger, ginger, and shiso leaves are salted to draw out moisture, then pickled for 1 hour in a brine made of salt, sugar, vinegar, mirin, soy sauce, and kombu. This refreshing yet deeply savory quick pickle is absolutely addictive!
Tips for Making "Mixed Pickled Summer Vegetables (Goccha-zuke)"
-
Prep
- Thinly slice the cucumbers and eggplant diagonally, then gently rub them with salt and sugar until moisture is released.
-
Prep
- Finely julienne the myoga, ginger, and shiso leaves to maximize their refreshing aromas.
-
Moisture Control
- Squeeze the salt-rubbed vegetables as hard as possible to completely remove water, allowing the brine to absorb better.
-
Seasoning
- A balance of salty, sweet, and sour is key. Adding kombu deepens the layers of umami.
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Pickling Time
- Refrigerate and pickle for at least 1 hour, or ideally overnight for deeper flavor.
Ingredients for "Mixed Pickled Summer Vegetables (Goccha-zuke)"
14 items* Tap ingredient names to find on Amazon
How to Make "Mixed Pickled Summer Vegetables (Goccha-zuke)"
- 1
Thinly slice the cucumbers and eggplant diagonally
Diagonally slice the 2 cucumbers (plus any leftovers). Cut 1 eggplant in half lengthwise, then thinly slice it diagonally.
- 2
Salt-rub the vegetables with salt and sugar
Place the sliced cucumbers and eggplant in a bowl, and sprinkle 1/2 tsp each of salt and sugar. Gently rub the vegetables by hand for about 1 minute until they soften and moisture begins to release. Let them sit for a while to draw out more water.
- 3
Julienne the myoga ginger
Finely julienne 3 myoga ginger buds and transfer them to a separate bowl.
- 4
Julienne the ginger
Scrape off only the dirty or dry parts of the 1/2 knob of ginger with a knife. Thinly slice it with the skin on, then finely julienne. You can freeze the scraped-off skin to use for making stock later.
- 5
Julienne the shiso leaves
Cut 10 shiso leaves in half, stack them, roll them up, and finely julienne. Tossing and loosening them with your hands after cutting enhances their refreshing aroma.
- 6
Mix the pickling brine
In a separate container, pour 250 ml of water. Add 1 tsp each of salt, sugar, and vinegar, 1 tsp of mirin, and about 1/2 tsp of soy sauce (eyeballing is fine). Whisk well to combine, then add one 5 cm piece of kombu.
- 7
Squeeze all moisture from the vegetables
Squeeze the rested cucumbers and eggplant firmly with both hands to completely remove the moisture. The squeezed juice is packed with nutrients, so you can even drink it chilled like barley tea.
- 8
Pickle all ingredients in the brine
Place the squeezed cucumbers and eggplant, along with the myoga, ginger, and shiso leaves, into a ziplock bag. Pour in the prepared pickling brine and gently massage the bag to combine. Press out as much air as possible, seal, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, preferably overnight.
Food Science
Salt-rubbing with salt and sugar efficiently dehydrates the vegetables, improving their crunchy texture and helping them absorb the brine. Additionally, combining the glutamic acid (umami) from the kombu with the acidity of vinegar, the sweetness of sugar and mirin, and the saltiness of salt and soy sauce balances the five basic tastes, resulting in a refreshing yet deeply complex flavor profile.
Detailed Commentary on "Mixed Pickled Summer Vegetables (Goccha-zuke)"
* Content organized by topics from the video.
Intro and Seasonal Small Talk
Chef Mike Maki greets the viewers with a warm 'Hello' while tying his apron. He starts with some casual small talk about the recent unpredictable weather, mentioning how hard it is to choose what to wear when it's hot one day and cool the next. He jokingly suggests, 'Why don't guys just wear loincloths and girls wear bikinis?' before immediately cracking himself up with, 'Though I'd absolutely hate to do that myself,' showcasing his playful personality. Today, he will be making 'Goccha-zuke' (mixed pickled vegetables) using leftover veggies from the fridge—a perfect dish to boost your appetite on hot days.
Slicing Veggies and Fun Nutrition Facts
The stars of today's dish are the summer vegetables resting in the fridge. First, he diagonally slices 2 cucumbers plus a small leftover piece. He gets a laugh by sharing a fake trivia fact: 'Cucumbers contain a weight-loss compound called peptorichinin, and slicing them thinly boosts its fat-burning effect!' Next, he cuts 1 eggplant in half lengthwise and slices it thinly on the diagonal. He then shares a real nutritional fact: the purple pigment in eggplants, nasunin, suppresses active oxygen, helps prevent arteriosclerosis and high blood pressure, and has anti-aging benefits. 'Even a silly old guy like me tells the truth sometimes!' he jokes as he deftly transfers the cut vegetables into a large bowl.
Salt-Rubbing the Vegetables
To the bowl with the sliced cucumbers and eggplant, he sprinkles 1/2 tsp each of salt and sugar for the salt-rubbing step. While some prefer precise measurements, he assures viewers that eyeballing it is perfectly fine. 'I'm a bit eccentric, so whenever I measure things exactly, I usually mess up,' he jokes. He gently rubs the vegetables by hand, separating the pieces. The key is to toss them thoroughly from bottom to top until they soften and moisture begins to bead on the surface. After rubbing for about a minute, he lets them sit to draw out the water.
Julienning Three Aromatic Herbs
Next, he prepares the aromatic herbs that add an outstanding flavor boost to the pickles. He juliennes 3 myoga ginger buds, jokingly referencing the old wives' tale that eating too much myoga makes you forgetful, and transfers them to a separate bowl. For the ginger (1/2 knob), he scrapes off only the dirty or dry parts, slices it thinly with the skin on, and cuts it into fine matchsticks. He notes that the scraped-off skin can be frozen and saved for making soup stock. Finally, he takes 10 fresh shiso leaves from his garden, cuts them in half, stacks them, rolls them up, and juliennes them finely. Tossing and loosening them with his hands after slicing instantly releases their refreshing aroma.
Mixing Brine and Squeezing Veggies
He prepares the pickling brine in a separate container. To 250 ml of water, he adds 1 tsp each of salt, sugar, and vinegar, along with 1 tsp of mirin and about 1/2 tsp of soy sauce (eyeballed). After whisking well, he adds a 5 cm piece of kombu to infuse umami. His simple philosophy shines through: 'As long as you have salty, sweet, and sour, it's bound to taste good.' Once the brine is ready, he squeezes the rested cucumbers and eggplant with both hands as hard as possible to completely extract the water. Since this squeezed juice is packed with nutrients, he suggests chilling it and drinking it like barley tea.
Pickling for 1 Hour to Perfection
In a ziplock bag, he combines the thoroughly squeezed cucumbers and eggplant with the prepared myoga, ginger, and shiso leaves. He pours in the pickling brine and gently massages the bag to distribute the flavors. If the herbs clump together, he suggests using chopsticks to mix them evenly inside the bag. After pressing out the air and sealing the bag, he refrigerates it for at least 1 hour, or ideally overnight. After 1 hour, the beautifully seasoned vegetables are plated and ready. The result is a refreshing yet deeply savory quick pickle that you won't be able to stop eating.
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