Give Homemade Pickles A Japanese Style Twist With One Umami Ingredient

Pickles are one of the few foods that (depending on the type) can hit all five major categories of flavor: Sweet, spicy, salty, bitter, and umami. If umami is what you're craving, there's one ingredient that you should use in your next batch of homemade pickles for a unique Japanese twist — soy sauce. While umami is a relatively new term in the Western culture, the semi-modern history of the word umami is essentially used to describe a rich, meaty, savory taste.

Pickles are a staple in Japanese cuisine and are traditionally served whenever rice is included in a meal (they're even a staple Japanese breakfast food). When made with cucumbers and soy sauce, these Japanese pickles are called shoyuzuke kyuri. There are several different styles of this tasty side dish, but most versions contain a simple mix of sushi vinegar, soy sauce, and sugar. The combination of flavors has the perfect amount of acidity and, of course, a nice touch of umami from the soy sauce. Some recipes involve cooking the pickles, while others skip the cooking and simply allow the cucumbers to steep in the soy sauce and vinegar mixture.

Whether you cook your cucumbers or steep them, this type of pickle does not undergo the lactic acid fermentation process (which relies on salt and water, rather than vinegar). They're also not stored in sealed, sterilized jars, so the shelf life is much shorter than some types of pickles. You can generally expect them to last as long as other non-preserved foods when they're stored in the fridge, about five days.

Patience is key if you want the cucumbers to absorb all the flavor of the brine, so you should allow your cucumbers to pickle for at least eight hours, and ideally overnight. Crisp, crunchy varieties of cucumbers work best here. A cucumber variety you might not know about are Japanese cucumbers, which are perfect, but Turkish or Persian cucumbers also work much better than English. The basic template for the type of pickle is delicious on its own, you can also use additional ingredients. Ginger and chilis are both great options that pair well with the bright, umami-rich brine.