There is no dessert course in a traditional Japanese meal. Instead, pickles that refresh the palate are often the last thing eaten.
Ingredients
3/4 pound Napa cabbage, cut crosswise into 1/3-inch-wide strips
3 tablespoons finely chopped carrot
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
1 ounce (30 grams) kombu, about 20 square inches
4 fresh green shiso leaves or 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
Directions
Toss together cabbage, carrot, and salt in a bowl. Put kombu in a narrow straight-sided container (5 to 6 inches in diameter) and top with cabbage mixture. Cut a piece of cardboard to fit just inside container and enclose it in a sealable plastic bag. Top cabbage with plastic-covered round and stack 4 to 6 pounds of canned goods on top to weight it. Chill weighted cabbage at least 3 hours.
Discard kombu. Squeeze excess liquid from cabbage and toss with shiso.
