Tencho Umeboshi 120g
Whole shiso umeboshi: salty, sour pickled plums for rice and onigiri.
Tencho Shiso Umeboshi (しそ梅干) are whole ume plums pickled with red shiso leaves for a herbal edge. Serve one beside a bowl of rice, tuck it into onigiri, or chop it into a dressing. 120g tub.
Pairs with: Okahata ripe umeboshi paste, Yawataya umeboshi and chilli furikake and Yamazaki premium sushi rice.
Why Chefs Choose This
- Whole fruit: plums on show for the side of a rice bowl or bento.
- Shiso pickled: red shiso adds a herbal, minty note.
- Big flavour: one plum seasons a whole bowl of rice.
- Clear tub: see the fruit, reseal the lid, keep it in the fridge.
How to Use
- Onigiri: the classic filling: stone it and press it into the rice.
- Beside rice: one plum with plain rice or rice porridge (okayu).
- Cross-cuisine: chop into vinaigrettes, butter sauces or a salsa for fish.
- Noodles: a plum on cold soba or in a light broth for a sour lift.
Umeboshi (梅干し, "dried ume") are ume plums salted, pickled and dried in the sun. The red kind, shiso umeboshi, are pickled with aka-shiso (red perilla) leaves, which colour the fruit and add a herbal, slightly minty aroma. For generations they have been the sour companion to plain rice in Japan. A single umeboshi pressed into the middle of a white rice bento gives the hinomaru bento, named for its likeness to the Japanese flag.
Learn more: Japanese Pickles
What does umeboshi taste like?
Intensely sour and salty, enough to make you blink, then fruity and faintly apricot-like as it settles. The shiso adds a herbal, minty fragrance. The flesh is soft and juicy around the stone. Eaten with plain rice the sharpness is tamed, which is exactly how most people in Japan eat it.
| Type | Shiso umeboshi しそ梅干 (pickled ume plums with red shiso) |
| Brand | Tencho |
| Origin | Japan |
| Net Weight and Format | 120g clear tub with lid |
| Best Used As | Onigiri filling, side for rice and okayu, chopped into dressings |
How do I eat umeboshi?
Eat them with plain rice, a little at a time, as their flavour is strong. Put one in the middle of an onigiri, serve one with rice porridge, or chop the flesh into dressings and sauces. Remember they have a stone; remove it before chopping or serving to guests who do not know.
What is the difference between shiso umeboshi and plain umeboshi?
Plain (shiro) umeboshi are pickled with salt alone and stay golden brown. Shiso umeboshi are pickled with red shiso leaves, which turn the fruit red and add a herbal fragrance. Both are salty and sour; the shiso kind is the more familiar picture of umeboshi in Japan.
How should I store umeboshi after opening?
Keep the lid closed and store the tub in the fridge once opened. Their salt helps them keep, but cold storage holds their colour and softness for longer. Use a clean spoon or chopsticks to take them out and eat them within a few weeks of opening for the best texture.
SKU : S0047