KITCHEN PRACTICE 2 — Shiozuke vs. Su-zuke, Same Vegetable
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TASK
Make a batch of su-zuke using the same vegetable as Kitchen Practice
1, and compare it directly against the shiozuke batch. Note the real
difference in flavour character.

WALKTHROUGH

Step 1 — Slice the same vegetable the same way.
Consistency here makes the comparison meaningful - same vegetable,
same thickness of slice, same rough quantity.

Step 2 — Make the su-zuke marinade.
Combine rice vinegar with a little sugar and salt - similar in spirit
to Chapter 2's sushi-zu, just used directly on a vegetable instead of
rice.

Step 3 — Submerge and marinate.
Let the slices sit in the vinegar mixture for 30 minutes to a couple
of hours depending on the vegetable's own firmness.

Step 4 — Taste both batches side by side.
Go back and forth rather than tasting one long before the other.

Step 5 — Note the real difference.
The shiozuke should taste more purely salty, with the vegetable's own
natural flavour still leading. The su-zuke should taste noticeably
brighter and more acidic, with a real vinegar tang the salt-only
version never has - genuinely two different flavour profiles, not
just "more or less salty" versions of the same thing.

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WHY THIS MATTERS
Recognising that shiozuke and su-zuke are two genuinely different
tools, not two strengths of the same tool, means you can pick the
right one deliberately for a given meal - a bright, acidic su-zuke
next to a rich dish, or a simpler shiozuke where you want the
vegetable's own flavour to stay in front.