Shikinbai ｜ Our Regional Cuisines

1. Wash the plums in water, place them in a colander, carefully wipe them dry one by one, and put them in a thick plastic bag. Put them in a thick plastic bag and break the fruits by hitting them on a hard table with a wooden pestle.

2. Break into pieces several times to remove the seeds. If the fruit is soft and ripe, you can break it by hand.

3. Weigh the pulp of the berries without the seeds, and prepare 10 to 15% of the weight in salt. If the fruit can be stored at room temperature, 15% salt can be used. 10% salt can be used if the fruit can be stored in the refrigerator. You can use refined salt or natural salt, as you prefer.

4. Wash the jars, sterilize them by boiling, and dry them completely. Avoid metal lids as they corrode easily. Add plums and salt.

5. Shake the jar to distribute the salt throughout; shake the jar morning and evening to distribute the salt throughout for 4 to 5 days, and store in a cool, dark place until the red perilla is ready to use. If red perilla is already available, proceed immediately to 6.

6. Sprinkle red perilla with a quantity of salt in two batches, blanch the perilla with salt, and squeeze out the scum each time. When the water is thoroughly squeezed out, break it up and add it to the jar.

7. Shake the jar to distribute the red perilla leaves. If the ume vinegar has risen, the color will turn a beautiful reddish-purple immediately.

8. Remove and shake the jar once a day or so to distribute the reddish-purple color over the entire surface until the entire surface is nicely colored. 10% salt should always be stored in the refrigerator, otherwise it should also be stored in a cool, dark place.

9. When the whole mixture is smooth and has passed the heat, the salt will acclimate and it will be delicious. Until then, store in the refrigerator or in a cool, dark place. If you want to make it smoother, you can put it in a food processor in step 2 and then pickle it.