Senmaizuke (Thin Turnip and Kombu Pickle)
Quick answer
- Total time
- 30 min
- Level
- Easy
- Servings
- 4 servings
- Ingredients
- 7
About this dish
Senmaizuke is a Kyoto pickle of large Shogoin turnip peeled deeply, sliced to 2mm, salted under weight for one day, then layered with kombu and chili in a cooled sweet vinegar of sugar and mirin for another day.
Read more
Its name evokes the many paper-thin slices, literally a thousand sheets. Unlike long-keeping lactic pickles, this form is a short cure intended to preserve the turnip's fresh, tender crunch. Kombu gives the brine light viscosity and savory depth, while chili leaves a clean finish rather than strong heat.
Instructions
Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.
- 1Prep
Trim the top and root and peel about 3mm deep to remove the fibrous layer.
Slice crosswise into uniform 2mm rounds with a slicer or knife.
- 2Season
Toss turnip gently with 20g salt for 2 minutes.
Pack flat in a nonreactive container, weight with about 1.5 times the turnip weight, and cure under refrigeration for 24 hours.
- 3Season
Bring vinegar, 90g sugar, and 40ml mirin to a boil and stir for 2 minutes to dissolve.
Cool completely. Wipe kombu and cut to 3mm strips; seed and thinly slice chilies.
- 4Season
Drain salted turnip for 10 minutes without rinsing or wringing.
In a clean container, repeat layers of turnip with small amounts of kombu and chili.
- 5Finish
Pour over the cold sweet vinegar and add a light weight equal to about half the turnip weight.
Refrigerate for 24 hours, turn the layers once, and serve cold.
Practical Cooking Checks
The cues that matter most while cooking.
- Key technique
- Deep-peeled Shogoin turnip sliced to 2mm
- Finish cue
- Pour over the cold sweet vinegar and add a light weight equal to about half the turnip weight.
- Storage and reheating
- Pack flat in a nonreactive container, weight with about 1.5 times the turnip weight, and cure under refrigeration for 24 hours.
Cooking decision evidence
Calculated Charim data and applicable official food safety guidance.
This recipe
30min, 7 ingredients
Category median
33min, 8 ingredients
Based on 152 recipes
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