If you've got carrots and soy sauce, you're just a few steps away from these savory-sweet Japanese pickled carrots. Shoyuzuke (醤油漬け) means "pickled in soy sauce," and it's a traditional Japanese method that uses the salt and deep umami of soy sauce to brine and preserve. I like to add a touch of dried chili for gentle heat and a strip of kombu to enhance the umami further. This kind of soy sauce pickling isn't just practical meal prep; it's rooted in the traditions of Japanese cuisine. Here's why this soy sauce pickle deserves a spot in your fridge.
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Why This Recipe Works
- Balanced soy sauce brine — Diluting soy sauce with water and adding a whisper of sweetness softens its salinity while preserving that rich, earthy depth.
- Kombu for natural umami — Kombu infuses the brine with glutamates, which enhances savoriness without overpowering the carrots. It's a subtle depth you taste more with each bite.
- Endlessly versatile — Once you master the basic soy sauce brine, you can apply this method to everything from daikon radish and cucumber to garlic, burdock, or even mushrooms. The salty-sweet umami base adapts beautifully to a wide range of vegetables, making it a flexible, go-to pickling technique.
Ingredients
- Carrots — The star of the show, carrots bring crunch, sweetness, and a vibrant orange hue. Choose firm, fresh ones for the best texture. You can also use other root vegetables such as daikon radish, ginger, or garlic.
- Soy sauce — Adds salt, umami, and its rich nutty flavor to the brine. I used regular Japanese dark soy sauce (koikuchi) for this, but other varieties, such as usukuchi or tamari, will work.
- Sugar — Enhances the natural sweetness of the vegetables and helps balance out the salt in the soy sauce.
- Dried chilies — Bring gentle heat mix, but these are optional, and you can omit them if you want milder Japanese pickles. Alternatively, you could also add some slices of ginger for another kind of heat.
- Kombu — A natural source of umami, this dried sea kelp boosts the savory taste of the brine.
How to Make Japanese Pickled Carrots
If your carrots are thick, slice them lengthwise into halves or quarters so they're roughly ¾ of an inch thick. This helps the vegetables pickle evenly.
Next, make the pickling liquid directly in a zip-top bag. Combine the soy sauce, water, sugar, chili peppers, and kombu. Give the bag a good swish to dissolve the sugar fully.
Tuck the carrots into the bag and squeeze out as much air as you can before sealing. The goal is to keep the brine in direct contact with the vegetables. I usually lay the bag flat in the fridge so the carrots stay submerged. Turn the bag once or twice over the next few days to ensure even pickling.
They're ready when they've turned a slightly darker color and have soaked up the complex flavors of the brine. Once done, remove them from the pickling liquid and store them in an airtight container for up to a week. To serve, simply slice them up and sprinkle them with toasted black sesame seeds or shichimi togarashi (a seven-spice chili powder).
Serve This With
These Japanese pickled carrots are incredibly versatile, adding crunch, color, and umami to all kinds of meals. I love them alongside a traditional Japanese breakfast where they balance the richness of grilled fish and miso soup. They're a perfect side to any kind of onigiri or served with takikomi gohan for a hit of brightness. Try them with teriyaki eggs or tamago kake gohan to add more flavor and texture to any rice dish. They also make a fantastic salad topping, especially when dressed with my ginger miso dressing or Japanese sesame dressing.
📖 Recipe
Units
Ingredients
- 260 grams carrots (peeled and trimmed)
- ½ cup soy sauce
- ¼ cup water
- 15 grams evaporated cane sugar (~1 mounded tablespoon)
- 2 dried chili peppers
- 2 grams konbu (1.5x2-inch piece)
Instructions
- If your carrots are very thick, halve or quarter them lengthwise so that they are about ¾ of an inch in diameter.
- Add ½ cup soy sauce, ¼ cup water, 15 grams evaporated cane sugar, 2 dried chili peppers, and 2 grams konbu to a plastic zipper bag and swish the mixture around to dissolve the sugar.
- Add 260 grams carrots to the bag, and press out as much air as possible before sealing the bag.
- Let the carrots pickle in the fridge for 2-3 days before eating.
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