The secret ingredient is pickled plums! "Upgrade your usual flavor" seasoned rice and side dishes that go well with snacks

Hello. I am Ayumi Nakaganji, a chef.

It's the season for plum work. My friends have been uploading pictures of their work on social media. I have a plum tree at my parents' house, but this year may have been a bad year, as it didn't bear much fruit. I'm looking forward to next year.

This time, we will introduce a recipe using seasonal umeboshi plums.

The sour component of umeboshi, citric acid, helps to recover from fatigue and increase appetite. It is a food you should especially incorporate into your diet during the summer, when your physical strength tends to decrease!

1: "Dried horse mackerel and pickled plum rice" with a nice sour accent

If you have dried horse mackerel, be sure to give this a try! By grilling it until golden brown before cooking, you can reduce the fishy smell.

It tastes better if some parts have umeboshi mixed in and some don't, so be careful not to mix it too much.

Image: Ayumi Chuganji

[Ingredients] (Serves 2-3)
Rice・・・2 cups
Horse mackerel dried overnight...1 fish
Pickled plums...2 pieces (one size larger than your thumb)
Perilla leaves...appropriate amount
Dashi kelp...1 piece, 5cm x 5cm
A Sake・・・1 tablespoon
A Salt...1/4 teaspoon
A Light soy sauce・・・1/2 tablespoon

<How to make>

(1) Wash the rice, drain it in a colander, and soak it for 30 minutes to an hour.

(2) Grill the horse mackerel on a fish grill.

(3) Add (1) and A to the inner pot of the rice cooker and add water up to the 2 cups line. (If using a pot, use 400ml of water, sake, and light soy sauce.) Place the horse mackerel flesh-side down, along with the pickled plum and kelp, and cook on normal mode.

Image: Ayumi Chuganji

(4) Once cooked, remove the kelp, remove the bones and skin of the horse mackerel (as they will still have bristles attached), and mix everything together while breaking up the flesh. Also remove the seeds from the pickled plums.

(5) Place in a rice bowl and garnish with shredded shiso leaves.

It may be difficult to remove all the bones from the horse mackerel, so please eat carefully. You can also cut the kelp used in the soup stock that is cooked together into thin strips and mix it in. The amount of salt depends on the dried fish and pickled plums, but if you feel the flavor is too bland, add a little salt.

By the way, I've recently become interested in making my own dried fish (I hang them on the balcony as shown in the photo). I buy whole fish when they're cheap, open them up, soak them in salt water, and then dry them out. It's as simple as that, but the end product is delicious. Please give it a try.

Image: Ayumi Chuganji

2: Quick and easy! "Plum Mayonnaise Cucumber"

If you have a home garden, you will have a constant supply of cucumbers. It's good to have a variety of ways to eat them.

This recipe can be used as a side dish or a snack.

Image: Ayumi Chuganji

[Ingredients] (easy to make amount)
Cucumber...1 piece
1 pickled plum (or tube plum, about 1/2 teaspoon)
Mentsuyu (2x concentrated)・・・1/4 tsp
Mayonnaise...1.5 tablespoons
Sugar...two pinches
Dried bonito flakes...appropriate amount

<How to make>

(1) Remove the stems from both ends of the cucumber, cut it in half lengthwise, and remove the seeds in the center with a spoon. Cut it into 4 equal parts, cut each part in half, and place in a bowl.

(2) Remove the seeds from the umeboshi plums and pound them with a knife. Place them in a container, add mayonnaise, noodle soup base, and sugar, and mix well.

(3) Place dried bonito flakes on top of (2). Serve with (1) for dipping.

If you have it at home, I recommend adding a little condensed milk instead of sugar. It will add more richness.

Even those who don't like eating pickled plums raw will find this dish easy to eat. Please give it a try. (Text by Chuganji Ayumi)
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