LapLap

I've got a bunch of turnip stems/leaves and would like to make something approximating Nozawana with them.

Can anyone help me out with any recipes/techniques/pointers on how to prepare them in a vaguely Japanese style? (Nothing too complicated please!)

I can't find anything in English that would help.

SJUAMMF

Here is a nozawanatsuke recipe although in Japanese. May be you can get it translated:

http://www.localinfo.nagano-idc.com/...ana/index.html
(2nd paragraph)

Another one, click the 2nd jumping button then 8th paragraph down:
http://www.janis.or.jp/users/t.kishi/

With pictures:
http://www.nhk.or.jp/nagano/eve/chubo/2004/1203.html

This one looks the most complete but still in Japanese:
http://oshiete1.goo.ne.jp/kotaeru.php3?q=18176
50kg batch!!!

LapLap

Thanks. If I could do that so easily, I wouldn't be asking for help here.
I have no problems with entering "野沢菜" into Google.

The second recipe is the kind of thing I'm after, but I can't make out what all the ingredients are, nor am I completely clear on the instructions.

Could someone give me a hand on the basics please?

SJUAMMF

Sorry, I can translate some for you. You can use Excite and Babelfish translators for others.

In the last recipe, for ingredients:
Nosawana 50kg
salt 1.5kg
miso 1kg
shoyu 0.5liter
peppers 20
Extracted niboshi soup stock 1-1.5cup
Other: cooking wine, brown sugar, seaweed, perilla seeds, soybean, horseradish to taste.
4% ingredient to vegi for quick consumption and 5-6% for longer retention.
1. Normally done in late fall when frost appears. Pickle within one to two days of harvest. Separate the leaf and stalk. Leave in the sun for 2-3 hours.
2. dry the vegi after washing
3. Place stock of dry sardines in the bottom of the vessel (for fermentation?).
4. Mix in vegi and ingredients. Place weight stone on top.
5. Add salt depending on the frost conditions (higher ambient temp more salt?).
6. Strong smell if consumed within one week but should wait for 20 days.

Keep at low temp but from freezing.

SJUAMMF comment: so you should keep it in the frig covered.

Zarf4

50 Kg of Nozawana??

Is that an army recipe book?

SJUAMMF

In one of the recipes, they clean the vessel with shoju.

LapLap needs a big frig.

msb0b

The 2nd recipe on NHK link? Let's see...

Ingredients (serves 4)
Nozawana (including stems) 2kg
Soy sauce 200ml
Salted kombu 20g
Vinegar 100ml
Mirin 100ml
Sugar 100g
Peppers as needed

1. Cut Nozawana into 4cm long pieces
2. Place cut vegetable into plastic bag and mix with ingredients. Remove air from the bag by rubbing.
3. Place plastic bag in a bucket. Place heavy items on bag to prevent vegetables from floating. The pickled vegetables can be eaten next day.

Nozawana can be enjoyed for up to 3 to 10 days.

I think that's the jist of recipe.

LapLap

Ooooh!!! THANK YOU!!!

I could see from the translation software that this was the most suitable recipe for my needs, but I was unclear about many points. You've clarified these. Arigatou gozaimashita!

I'll be getting more turnip greens soon, so I'm confident enough to try this recipe with my next batch (I had to make a start yesterday) but I got enough inspiration from what I could glean for myself from it to attempt a variation of a recipe I found here.

Last night I cut the stems and soaked them in soy sauce and ginger. Today I'll drain them and make a sauce (roughly 1:1) of sugar and soy sauce, combine it with some mirin and vinegar and let the stalks steep in that for another night/day.

I'll report back with the results of both versions.

Again, thanks so much for your help!

EDIT TO ADD:
Report 1 (sooner than expected)
We just tried stage one of the recipe I posted, the turnip green stems having spent the night bathing in soy sauce with a little ginger root, and they're very nice just like this. I've completed stage two now and ziplocked them into the fridge (with a little chilli & a whole clove of garlic) as I like the idea of a sweet sour taste, but I'd be happy to recommend just soaking them in soy sauce for 16 hours or so - with or without your choice of ginger, garlic, chilli - and eating the stalks with rice. No cooking required, and the taste and texture are as if you'd blanched them.

Report 2
Next stage was the clincher as the stems were much more delicious as a result.
24 hours of marinating in the sweeter sauce mellowed out and deepened the flavours. The greens retained some 'crunch' but they also developed a mild 'wasabi' flavour - not something I'd associate with the turnip but must be there inherently. To serve I rinsed the greens, patted them dry and cut them into 1 inch pieces. They tasted entirely 'authentic' to MrLapLap and were superior to the plastic packed tsukemono he usually buys. Quite salty, as we would have expected, and perhaps best eaten with rice. I'm still surprised by how simple the process was and will be doing this again.


For the turnips themselves, I sliced these and layered them in a small container with a generous sprinkling of salt and a touch of garlic (a little goes a long way). I put a piece of plastic on the top (which I'd cut to fit from a disposable box) and a weight on this and placed it in the fridge. The turnip releases water to make a brine and the slices pickle in this liquid. Make sure you leave them for at least 24 hours (longer preferred) as they taste of bleach or some other cleaning product about 6 hours later... the turnips need more time to mellow. Summer radishes can also be prepared this way.

Turnips - version 2^
I sliced a turnip and salted it for 2 hours. Rinsed and patted it dry and put the slices into a small container with some of the soya sauce/sugar, mirin and vinegar marinade left over from the stalks 'stage 2' recipe. 24 hours later the slices had absorbed the pickle and were delicious. Tasted like those from a decent 'homestyle' Tokyo restaurant. I'll be applying this method to Daikon at the next opportunity.

msb0b

You are welcome. Douitashimashite. Glad to hear the pickled vegetable is coming out well.

This thread is making me to want to try some daikon tsukemono. I have found some nice fresh specimens at the supermarket. Maybe one of these days.

emarat

Hello people:
I am not much a blogger but I was searching for recipes for turnip greens and found you. I get bags of greens. One of my many summer jobs is selling produce for a farm at urban farmer's markets. Many people who purchase turnips don't want the greens. I grew up eating japanese food and had some memory of dishes containing them.
I'd be happy if Laplap and you all wants to keep sharing ideas.
It was fun to find this thread.

emarat

P.S.
Anyone have good tips for pickling vegetables as they can be found in Japan? I have looked at a few books but haven't got very far with techniques. I guess I'm a little intimidated.

LapLap

Hello emerat,
welcome to Flyertalk!

That 50kg recipe might come in useful after all, it seems!

I've just updated my post with more results, but I'll recap my findings here as the process was so much simpler than I would have anticipated (I've felt quite intimidated too).

Turnip stems (I believe Daikon stems could also be used and I'll be experimenting with beet greens soon)

Stage 1: Clean and dry stems - marinade them for 12 hours in soy sauce (you can add other flavours such as ginger but not necessary). By using a zip lock bag you can cut down on the soy sauce used as this gets discarded anyway.

Stage 2: Heat 1 measure of 'fresh' soy sauce in a pan with same quantity of light brown sugar until dissolved. Allow to cool. Add approximately 10% of this volume of Mirin and 25% of rice vinegar.
Rinse and dry soysauce infused stalks and put them into container/bag with sweet marinade. Add one garlic clove and one small chilli (or 1 dash of cholula/tabasco sauce - a little will go a long way!). Refrigerate for 24 hours. You might like to rinse and pat dry before serving, but this isn't necessary.

Serve with rice and miso soup, or add to ochazuke.

We also have a general food/dining forum, please feel welcome to drop by: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=371

SJUAMMF

I had some summer nozawana today. It is rather fresh, green in color and lightly salted. I was told that winter nozawana would be brown in color. They also said that adding miso is not common. I think adding garlic is also uncommon as they are love or hate here.

Q Shoe Guy

　Here is where ?

SJUAMMF

Sorry, here in Japan.