Senmaizuke

Ingredients

• 1.2 kg shogoin turnip, or 2 large turnips, or a fat length of daikon
• 24 g fine salt (about 2 per cent of the peeled weight)
• 10 g kombu, cut into fine strips with scissors
• 120 ml rice vinegar
• 80 g caster sugar
• 2 tsp mirin
• 1 dried red chilli, deseeded and sliced into rings

Before you cook

• Peel the turnip thickly, taking off the fibrous layer just under the skin as well.
• Slice the turnip into 2 mm rounds on a mandoline, holding it flat so the slices stay even.
• Weigh the slices and adjust the salt so it comes to 2 per cent of that weight.

Steps

1. Layer the turnip slices in a bowl, scattering salt between the layers as you go.
2. Set a plate on top and weight it with a heavy tin.
3. Leave the turnip to draw for 4 hours at cool room temperature, until a good amount of liquid has pooled.
4. Pour off the liquid and squeeze the slices very gently, keeping them whole.
5. Warm the rice vinegar, sugar and mirin in a small pan until the sugar dissolves, then let the syrup cool completely.
6. Pack the turnip slices back into a clean container, tucking strips of kombu and rings of chilli between the layers.
7. Pour the cooled syrup over so the slices are just covered.
8. Press a small plate onto the surface and cover the container.
9. Refrigerate for 2 days, turning the slices over once on the second day.
10. Taste a slice, which should be sweet-sour and faintly slippery from the kombu, and serve it in a small heap alongside rice.