Consume Me

These pickles are unbelievably simple to make. They take a little while to mature, but when you can make them in 5 minutes, stick a date on them and whack them in the fridge, who really minds? They're also delicious, and much healthier than the artificially coloured and flavoured Japanese pickles you'll usually find in shops.

I've given directions for carrots here, because they're a personal favourite, but you can also use other vegetables - broccoli stalks are particularly good. The pickles are great as a side dish for Japanese meals, or on rice as a snack, or as an ingredient in miso soup.

Ingredients

• 1 carrot, cut into neat chunks about the thickness of your little finger
• 1 tub miso (I prefer white miso. A Japanese friend of ours says to buy cheap miso, since it tastes just as good on the pickles)

Method

1. Bury the carrot chunks in the miso.
2. Make sure each piece is surrounded by miso and not touching other pieces of carrot.
3. Pop the lid on, write the date on it somewhere so you know when you make them, and put the tub in the fridge. The carrots will be ready in about a week, and will be just as tasty for several months. They may well last longer than that, but there's never been enough left for me to tell!