11.222

14 (Fri) August 2020

Cheese Pizza with Zhacai

3.0

from Pizza Maru

by me

at home

-Changgok, Sujeong, Seongnam, Gyeonggi, Republic of Korea-

solo

Glad to confirm that Pizza Maru is still in business (see 4.063 Italian Cheese Pizza) and doing business in Wirye.

For no apparent reason, I was suddenly struck by the idea to eat the plain cheese (and corn) pizza with zhacai, straight out of the jar, as a topping.  It totally worked, the salty/spicy tang of the pickle balancing like a charm with the richness of the cheese, as if they were made for each other – seriously.  I wonder if anyone, in or outside of China, has also done this.

Zhacai (榨菜) is a Chinese pickle.  Made from mustard plant stem, which is rubbed in chili paste then fermented.  In Korea, over the past decade or so, the pickles have become an essential side dish in almost all Chinese restaurants, where the stems are sliced into thin strips, mixed with sliced onions/scallions, and seasoned with chili oil, soy sauce, and sesame oil.

(See also FOODS.)

(See also PLACES.)