Asazuke is a Japanese word which means “shallow pickling.” My first memory of this dish was when I was a child, seeing this clay crock in the basement with a rock on top. Inside, Mom was making what she called her “cabbage pickle” which she has eaten at least once a day, for over eighty five years.
In Japan, a small dish of pickles and some rice are so commonly served with almost all meals, that a quick pickling method comes in quite handy. What Mom made by the crock, I usually make a few quarts at a time and it lasts me a week or two. It also makes a great healthy stand-alone snack mid-afternoon.
My recipe varies from the traditional recipe because I often eat it at my desk at work and so I keep it a bit milder in order to avoid offending my American colleagues with the aromas of daikon and dashi. Variations are noted below.