NEJIRI UME/Plum blossom shaped carrots
If you are a Japanese food lover, you’ve probably seen flower-shaped carrots.
ねじり (nejiri) means ”twisted”. 梅 (ume) means ”plum”, in this case, it means ”plum blossom”. You probably know cherry blossoms even if you don’t know plum blossoms. Plum blossoms bloom earlier than cherry blossoms, from February to early March. It’s also popular among those who can’t wait until spring. These are pictures of the plum blossoms that I took in the park near my house.
Both Cherry and Plum blossoms can be formed from carrots and are often used in Japanese cuisine. These are effective to make your dish appealing!
The way of making the blossoms is not as difficult as it looks if you have shape cutters like these.
I always use the leftover parts for soup, stew or other simmered dishes. This time, I tried to use the leftover carrots for this soup called すまし汁 (sumashi jiru) or clear soup.
I can’t deny that Nejiri ume is more elegant than the leftover carrots. But I don’t think it looks so bad if you serve this soup at home.
Anyway, Let make beautiful Nejiri ume!
Nejiri Ume/Plum blossom shaped carrots
Equipment
- Plum blossom shape cutter
- Knife
Instructions
- Cut the carrot into 1 cm slices. (0.4in)
- Cut out the carrots with a plum blossom shape cutter.
- Hold the carrot and use a knife like this photo.
- Make five cuts along the white lines starting at the edge of the carrot in between the petals finishing at the center.
- This is a side view. Each cut of the edge is 1/3 to 3/4 deep. The center should be shallower.
- Make a diagonal cut along the blue line.
- Remove each parcel like this photo.
- Congratulations on making your first beautiful Plum Blossom!
I hope you enjoy using “Nejiri ume” for your dishes!
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