This Cucumber is Pickled with Love

Some people make hearts out of chocolates and whipped cream. But if you want to go the extra mile to impress your valentine in February, how about making them a bento box filled with heart-shaped cucumbers?!

It’s not exactly an aphrodisiac, but when prepared the right way, cucumbers will make anyone fall in love with you!

Start off with this product by Yamagata-based CMR to sculpt your baby cucumbers. It’s a heart-shaped encasing (stars, too!) that you wrap around a baby cucumber; as it grows it conforms to the mold. When it’s done, you simply pop off the encasing and get cooking.

My favorite cucumber recipe is called sunomono, sweet pickled cucumbers. First, mix two parts vinegar with one part sugar. Then slice your prized cucumbers thinly and salt them generously to help extract some moisture. After about 10-15 minutes, they should be crunchy. Put the cucumbers in the vinegar mixture and after about an hour they’re ready for eating.

I like eating sunomono with a hot bowl of rice and miso soup. It makes me all warm and fuzzy inside because it reminds me of home. Okay, pickled hearts may not make someone fall in love with you, but it’s a tasty attempt! \(^o^)/

Himawari

—————————————————————————
Visit us on facebook!

—————————————————————————
Thinking of doing business in Japan? We can make it easy for you!
japanizmo, a Los Angeles based company, provides practical solutions for U.S. ? Japan business projects. Our experienced Japanese staff will support all phases of your business project to seize business opportunities and turn your vision into a reality. >> Learn more