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Japanese Pickled Celery Asazuke with Rose Tteokbokki on side

Japanese Quick Pickled Celery (Asazuke)

Celery finally finds its place in the spotlight with this recipe for crisp, slightly spicy Japanese Quick Pickled Celery. 
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Rest in fridge time 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Course Side Dish
Cuisine Japanese
Servings 2 people

Ingredients
  

  • 3 stalks celery
  • 1 tbsp rice vinegar
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp sugar
  • 1/2 tsp dashi powder
  • 1 small, spicy dried chili sliced into thin rounds

Instructions
 

Peel and chop the celery

  • Use a vegetable peeler to gently peel the outer layer of the celery stalk.  This step is crucial as it removes the stringiness from your final pickle. 
    Peeled celery stalks before being chopped
  • Then chop the celery into bite-sized pieces on a bias and at a steep angle.
    Peeled and chopped celery pieces

Mix the celery with the pickling agents

  • Add the celery to a ziploc bag along with the vinegar, salt, sugar, dashi powder, and sliced chili.
    Celery pieces in ziploc bag with pickling agents
  • Once in the bag, use your hands to give the celery a good massage.  Do this for about 5 minutes.  The massaging process helps the liquid seep deep down into the celery.

Rest the celery

  • Put the bag of celery in the fridge and let them rest for around 30 minutes.  If you’re really in a hurry to eat, you can let them sit for just 10 minutes.
Keyword Pickle