Published 1988
These dusty pink wrinkled spheres seem innocuous enough sitting in their clear plastic tubs on the shelf of a Japanese grocery store. In reality they possess the most explosively refreshing, mouth-puckering taste imaginable! Many Japanese wake up to pickled plums with their breakfast bowl of rice, just as Americans rely on a strong cup of coffee to get them going first thing in the morning. Pickled plums are also thought to settle and cure intestinal problems. In this cookbook I’ve called for the pulp (bainiku or neri umé) of pickled plums to perk up a sauce and a salad dressing. Either make your own paste by mashing moist, softly wrinkled large plums, or buy the paste in a clear plastic tube or tub. Cover and refrigerate the plums and/or paste after opening; either will stay fresh for at least a year.
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