Ingredients

Cucumbers (きゅうり / Kyūri) ２ kg
Coarse salt (粗塩 / Arajio) 200 g (10% of the cucumber weight)

Brine
Water (水 / Mizu) 400 ml
Coarse salt (粗塩 / Arajio) 40 g

First addition of salt
Coarse salt (粗Salt (塩/ Shio)/ Arajio) 200 g

Second edition of salt
Coarse salt (粗Salt (塩/ Shio)/ Arajio) 100 g

Enamel pot (ホーローのタンク / Hōrō-no-tanku) 1 (10 l capacity)
Plastic bag (ポリ袋 / Poribukuro) 1
Weight (重石 / Omoshi) 8-10 kg

How to Make
1. Spread a handful of salt (from the total of 200 g) evenly on the bottom of the enamel pot.
2. Place the cucumbers in the pot. Form one layer, packing the cucumbers as tightly as possible. Sprinkle a handful of salt on top this layer.
3. Repeat step two until you have placed all of the cucumbers in the pot. When you sprinkle salt onto the top layer, use a bit more than you did for the layers below.
4. Make the brine by dissolving 40 g of salt into 400 ml of water. Pour this into the pot, so that it flows down the inside wall.
5. Cover the top of the cucumbers with a plastic bag and then place a weight (8-10 kg) on top of the plastic. Set the pot aside for 4-5 days in a cool dark place.
6. After 4-5 days, remove the weight and the plastic bag. You should see that the pot has filled with water. Sprinkle on 200 g of coarse salt and then replace the plastic bag and the weight. Set the pot aside for another week.
7. After a week, drain the pot and rinse the cucumbers and the pot with water. At this point, the cucumbers should have flattened considerably.
8. Return the cucumbers to the pot. Add 100 g of coarse salt and mix it into the cucumbers. Cover again with the plastic bag and place the weight on top. Set the pot aside for at least one month. After that period your cucumber furu-dzuke will be ready to eat.
9. To eat cucumber furu-dzuke, take out from the pot the amount you want to eat and soak it in plenty of water. Let the cucumbers soak for at least half a day, changing the water 2-3 times along the way. This is to remove salt, so you can stop at whatever point suits your taste.

Note: During the pickling process, clusters of a white substance may form on the surface of the brine. This is a kind of fungus. Remove the fungus from the surface of the brine, then filter and boil the brine. Let the brine cool. In the meantime, rinse the pot and the cucumbers with water, and then return the cucumbers to the pot. Once the brine is down to room temperature, return it to the pot, cover with a new plastic bag, and place the weight back on top.

Recipe Developed by Machiko Tateno

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