White raddish salad with Umeboshi dressing

Ohama beach, Hayama
The imperial villa on the right side

Now in the middle of consecutive holidays called "Golden Week". Hayama, my town are crowded with people by car from neighbor cities and prefectures to drive along the coast and eat out at a restaurant with the ocean view. I am proud of my village, at the same time dissatisfied with the traffic jam during the period which prevent my daily life.

I prepared Daikon salad. Can you get Daikon easily? Daikon can be described as a white raddish and a staple vegetable in Japan. It is used as raw pickled, dried or cooked to eat. I often make a salad with its root raw and stir-fry its leaves with meat and fried tofu.

Umeboshi dressing is best for the salad. Umeboshi are pickled Japanese apricot and typical stuffing for rice balls inside. Furthermore we simmer sardines with it to remove the distinctive smell and to make their bones tender with its acid.  

Umeboshi is our traditional food and symbolises the taste of each famiy. But the more people easily get Umeboshi at supermarket, the less pickle them unfortunately. My aunt pickles them every year for herself and me. Her Umeboshi are very salty, but they remind me of my grandmother as they come to resemble grandma's one in flavour. By the way, Umeboshi on the pic were pickled 10 years ago.

I often use organic Umeboshi paste which are easy to use but healthy. Umeboshi dressing is to be mixed 15ml Umeboshi paste with 100ml rice vinegar and 30ml olive oil. Don't forget Sprinkle the teared nori on top !