japanese pickles - ideas and uses?

[thew]

i usually buy a few bags of various japanese pickles whenever im in a japanese market.. i love the crunchy texture and various flavors. Just curious of any ideas of using outside the traditional box (or i guess inside it too)

as a side question how long do you think these keep in the fridge?

[Rodeline]

I've used them as a condiment for hot dogs.

[thew]

i was looking for something non traditional. i know the traditional and standard uses

[Klimbim78]

This is not a joke - Hokkaido people dump them into hot tea. The usual sencha would be ok.

Alternatively you can chop them up and use them as an ingredient in fried rice with them - well, not all types but this works very well with takana.

I'd like to help out more but I dont know what kind of pickles you have access to. The different types have pretty different functions. Pickles made from green leafy vegetables can be used with a tarako or mentaiko pasta. Just mix it in.

[Sam Fujisaka]

Been racking my brain, but everything I come up with is ridiculous: in hot oatmeal, in a PB & J sandwich, in a Jello salad, in scrambled eggs, ...

One that might work: finely diced in a tuna fish sandwich

[pitu]

I was thinking diced into tuna (or chicken or ham) salad
any place you'd put diced cornichon, perhaps

It never occurred to me to buy these pickles at a japanese grocery...
I always order a pickle plate at restaurants.
I bet there's some interesting cocktail applications you could come up with, depending on which pickle we are talking about...

[njbiru]

the scrambled eggs idea is not ridiculous -- i made it last week. as usual i started with olive oil, garlic, then the eggs. i then added some baby spinach and takana. really good. adding the takana to the scrabled eggs was suggested to me by a woman from Yamaguchi-ken in western Japan.

[lnyc]

Chazuke, add the pickles, rice and pour hot tea over everything..... so yummy and comforting.

[Sam Fujisaka]

Best eaten with hot gohan. You need eat nothing else. They will last for a minimum of ten years.

[Hank1]

Tsukemono are usually served on a small dish are just eaten as an accompaniment with rthe meal.