The health benefits of pickled foods

As part of our menu, Bamboo offers home made kimchi and oshinko.

Pickled vegetables are a common sighting in Japanese cuisine - served as a side to just about any dishes, they are a diet staple that's been around for thousands of years. You'd think these fermented veggies high in sodium would only be bad for your health, but it turns out that pickling your food can also be extremely good for you!


Just like yogurt, pickled vegetables are great at boosting the gut's good bacteria, which support a healthy digestive system. Some researches even suggest that eating pickled foods can help clear up and heal skin prone to acne and other skin ailments.




There's a lot more good stuff associated with pickling-- pickles are:

• low in fat and calories
• high in calcium and antioxidants
• known to fight off certain cancers of the digestive system
• good for strengthening the immune system

Oh! And one more thing: They taste GOOD! Bamboo Izakaya loves tasty dishes that are also good for the body and mind.





Here's a quick and easy recipe taken from pickledplum that we love!

Tsukemono - Japanese pickled vegetables

Ingredients:

• 2 carrots
• 2 zucchinis 
• 2 turnips (or 1 medium size daikon), peeled
• white miso paste

Directions:

1. Slice vegetables 1/4 inch thick. Add vegetables to tupperware container (not too deep, like a plastic take-out container), slowly incorporate the miso paste to the vegetables, until all they are all well coated. 
2. Cover and pickle for about 24 hours. Thoroughly rinse the vegetables under water until all the miso paste is gone. Pat dry with paper towel and leave uncovered for a couple of hours, to evaporate some of the water. 
3. Keep refrigerated. Serve.