Shibazuke Pickles

1. Gather all the ingredients. Wash the vegetables and weigh them. My vegetables weigh 573 g. Use salt equivalent to 2% of the vegetables’ total weight, which is 11 g for me.
2. Cut 3 Japanese or Chinese eggplant in half lengthwise and slice diagonally.
3. Soak the eggplants in water to prevent them from changing color.
4. Cut the ends of 2 Japanese or Persian cucumbers and cut again in half lengthwise.
5. Remove the seeds with a small spoon and slice diagonally.
6. Cut 3 myoga ginger in half lengthwise and julienne.
7. Peel the skin and julienne 1 inch ginger.
8. Combine all the vegetables in a freezer bag and sprinkle with the measured Diamond Crystal kosher salt.
9. Mix all together and knead the vegetables. Press the vegetables with twice the weight of the vegetables (roughly 1 kg). Leave at room temperature for 1 hour.
10. Tightly squeeze the liquid out from the vegetables (you can first drain the vegetables into the strainer, too, if you‘d like) and discard the liquid. Transfer the squeezed vegetables back to the bag.
11. Cut 20 shiso leaves (perilla/ooba) into julienne slices.
12. Add the shiso leaves, 4 Tbsp ume plum vinegar, and 1 Tbsp mirin in the bag.
13. Mix and knead the vegetables.
14. Remove the air out of the bag and press with a heavy object. Keep in the refrigerator for 2–3 days and you can start eating it. Transfer to an airtight container or mason jar and consume within 2 weeks.

To Store

1. Keep it refrigerated for 2 weeks.