When shopping, it's best to choose a heavy Chinese cabbage with firm leaves. Now, I would like to take this opportunity to explain why red pepper is used and all about kouji. Red pepper.......prevents the pickles from going sour. Kouji.......Loose kouji may be used, but kouji softened in warm water is better. My grandmother Umeko's special Hakusaizuke recipe 《 Quantity....Just as with pickled herrings, at any one time, my grandmother makes enough pickles to fill a barrel (30×30cm) that she keeps at her house 》 Ingredients Chinese cabbage 1 carrot a little kombu a little kouji a little ginger a little red pepper a little salt to taste *The important thing is to use all of the seven ingredients listed above. 《 This time my grandmother used sliced yuzu peel. This slightly increased the bitterness of the pickles and gave them a nicer smell. Yuzu is added at the very end. When water has accumulated in the container, another layer of ingredients is added and this is sprinkled with yuzu peel (to taste).》 1. After washing the cabbage cut it into four, six or eight pieces and then dry it in the sun. 2. Sprinkle the dried cabbage with salt and place a weight on it to pickle. 3. When water has accumulated in the container, remove the cabbage and cover it with kouji. 4. Put finely chopped carrot, kombu, ginger, red pepper and salt (to taste) into the container. 5. Arrange a layer of Chinese cabbage on top of (4), and sprinkle with salt. 6. Arrange another layer of finely chopped carrot, kombu, ginger, red pepper and salt (to taste) on top of (5)《 Here my grandmother added yuzu peel 》 7. After putting the lid on the container, place a light weight on top of the container. 8. When water has accumulated in the container, the pickles are ready for eating.