June is rainy in Japan. Warm air normally approaches from the Pacific Ocean, but it is blocked by dry and cooler air of Eurasian Continent somewhere around our archipelago. The meeting point of these gigantic air masses is a weather front which brings us continuous rain. It has a particular Japanese name, Baiu Front 梅雨前線. “Bai 梅” = Japanese apricot (Prunus mume), and “U 雨” = Rain. You may wonder why the weather is called by apricot. Flowering season of Japanese apricot is early spring. June is not, is it? Well, June is time for Japanese apricot to bear ripen fruits. For generations, we Japanese harvest these Japanese apricots and make lots of preserved foods that can help us survive our harsh summer. So, rain in Japanese June is called Baiu 梅雨, the rainy weather when we collect Japanese apricots. It’s important season for us.
You could also be puzzled. “Apricots for preserved food? Does Japanese eat lots of dried apricots for summer?” Er, no. Japanese apricot is VERY sour. We cannot eat them raw. The fruit contains lots of organic acid, including hydrogen cyanide. Unless your stomach is robust enough and the apricot is extremely ripe, it is not at all advisable to eat them raw, or simply dried. We have to process them to neutralize tartness as much as possible before enjoying them. Though, it is their acidity that lets us endure our hot and humid summer, like, cool coke for beach front, you know? There are many ways to defuse acids for apricots. This week I tell you one way to make compote of Japanese apricot. Sure, it takes time, but the end result is sweet seasonal dessert we can enjoy for just a brief period of a year. 😄 Oh, by the way, Chinese character for Japanese apricot “梅” is read Ume if it is not combined with another word such as “rain 雨.” So, if you visit Japanese greengrocers, search for Ume, not Bai.
It’s possible to make compote from ripened Ume, but the best result is from green immature ones. (You’ll see the reason soon.) When you harvest or purchase Japanese apricots for this recipe, find these in Late May to early June. I show you how-to in photos.
First, wash them in running water and soak them for about 2-3 hours in cold still water. Mine is harvested from organically grown Ume in our garden. They have lots of scars, but I find them fairly OK. And it is very rare to find worms inside fruit. I guess it’s because of their extreme acidity. 😈
Meanwhile, prepare a bundle of 5-6 bamboo skewers with rubber band.
After soaking, dry apricots with clean clothes, and
Remove stems with a toothpick or bamboo skewer (we have to do it gently!),
like this.
Next, perforate the entire fruits with the bundle of skewers, to make “detox” easier.
Poked Ume fruits
Place them in a stainless or enameled pan, cover with just enough water, and put it over a VERY weak fire.
Eventually, the inside wall of the pan begins to have tiny bubbles (of course). At this stage, turn off the heat, and let it cool “as is” for one day.
Next day, change the water in a pan without moving out the fruit. This is to preserve the skins of fruits unbroken. I found this much of water pressure, in this photo, from the tap is too strong. Please be careful.
Put the pan with replaced water over a VERY weak fire, and repeat the same process for 3 days: one operation a day. When you sip the water and it is not bitter, the detox is done. You see? If the fruits are ripe their skins can be broken easily in this process.
On the 4th day, replace water, and cover the fruit in new water with a paper towel.
Next, add crystal sugars over the paper towel. The amount is 70% of the uncooked weight of Ume fruit.
Return the pan over VERY (again) weak fire. NEVER boil it! The sugar will eventually melt like this. Just be patient.
Ume compote, for Naomi’s 2019. Gingerly take them out from the pan and refrigerate in a tapper ware. It can last at least for one month.
The syrup after the cooking can be boiled down with strong fire to ½, like
this. We can use them with pancakes, ice cream, etc. It can also be used for braised pork. For 1Kg of boneless pork lib, add 100cc of this syrup + 100cc of soy sauce + 500cc of H2O + one piece of ginger, and cook the pot for about half an hour. Cool it, and the supper is ready. It’s easy, and De-li-ci-ous!
The syrup can be stored in a refrig for about 3 months (or more). Cooking this compote now becomes a ritual for me every June. If you have some green Ume fruit, try it. Next week, I tell you another recipes with Japanese apricots. These days, I’m very busy to process the fruits. Time is their essence!
 |
| Dessert
for June. Admitting some have teared skin, that’s that. The dish is mouthwatering, trust me. |
If you find an environmental issues
in Kanagawa Prefecture, please make a contact with Kanagawa Natural Environment Conservation Center 神奈川県自然環境保全センター
657 Nanasawa, Atsugi City, 243-0121 〒243－0121 厚木市七沢657
Phone: 046-248-0323
You can send an enquiry to them by
clicking the bottom line of their homepage at http://www.pref.kanagawa.jp/div/1644/
No comments:
Post a Comment