Sansho no Tsukudani (Japanese Pepper simmered with soy sauce) ｜ Our Regional Cuisines

1. [Pre-cook]
(1)Pick Sansho (=Japanese pepper) fruits with hand, then clean and rinse them. Boil the fruits with plenty of hot water. (About 15mins for young fruits, 30mins for old ones)
(2)Soak them into cold water immediately. Keep soaking for a half day with changing water.
(3)Drain them on a strainer, and remove liquid with cotton cloth or paper towel. You can divide the fruits into some portions and freeze them to cook whenever you want. (It tastes better than to freeze cooked one.)

2. [How to cook]
(1)Put Sansho (=Japanese pepper) fruits and seasonings into a pan and heat. Take the lid out when boiling, then simmer a while with weak heat.
(2)Warm over sometimes until the liquid is almost gone, and serve. Add sugar if you make it sweeter.

How to freeze and store
Put a pinch of salt into boiled water, then parboil Sansho fruits for 10 seconds. Drain well, then spread them on a strainer to cool down quickly. Divide into small portions and wrap with plastic wrap and freeze. You can use it for ‘Chirimen Sansho’ (=Dried small sardine with Japanese pepper simmered with soy sauce), simmered fish or salted kelp.