Shiomomi is a method of massaging thinly sliced or julienned vegetables with sea salt. Remember to use this technique to prepare crunchy and delicious Japanese quick pickles, asazuke. The Shiomomi process removes excess water and bitterness from the vegetables, adds a hint of salty flavor, and prepares them for the next pickling process. First, rinse the vegetables – daikon, carrot, cucumber, Napa cappage or turnip - and cut them into thin slices or strips. I use a Benriner slicer. This is a great tool to use to speed up preparations in any kitchen. Next, transfer the vegetables to a bowl and add 2% of salt to the weight of the vegetables (10 ounces/300g needs 6g of salt). Toss and massage the vegetables with salt with your hands. Leave the vegetables for 15-20 minutes. The water seeps out from the vegetables quickly. Pick up a small handful of vegetables in your hand and, with the help of another hand, squeeze them firmly to remove excess water. You find that the crispy slices transform into pliable and crunchy slices. Transfer the vegetables to a clean new bowl. Finish squeezing and transferring all of the vegetables to the bowl. Almost 2/3 cup of water, with sodium and bitter flavor, is squeezed out of the vegetables. This recipe is continued in the Asazuke Quick Pickles article.
