KitchenNippon

Ingredients for 4 Servings

Green ume (青梅 / Ao ume) 200 g
Miso (味噌 / Miso) 150 g
Light brown sugar (きび砂糖 / Kibizatōh) 75 g

How to Make
1. Soak the ume in water for 2-3 hours.
2. Drain the ume and use paper towels to dry them. Use a bamboo skewer or toothpick to remove the small disk of material where the stem was attached.
3. Make a cut all the way around each ume, following the natural top-to-bottom depression along the side of each fruit. Place an ume on a cutting board. Position the fruit, so that the cut is perpendicular to the board and then press down on the ume with a wooden spatula or another cutting board to split the fruit. Now use a small spoon to carefully remove the seed. Repeat. Set all the seeds aside for later use.
4. Add the miso and light brown sugar to a storage bag, and then massage the bag to mix the miso and sugar well. Add the ume and massage the bag to mix the ume into the miso-sugar paste.
5. Seal the bag and place it in a refrigerator to age for one month.