Dried ZucchiniDrying Time, Storage and a Sesame Miso Rice Recipe

Zucchini is a summer squash. Dried, it doesn’t develop any strong taste or smell; it keeps its mild flavor and gains a much chewier bite.

It fits Japanese and Western cooking alike, from ratatouille and soups to stir-fries and mixed rice, which makes it a very handy dried vegetable.

	Drying time	Storage
Dry	2–3 days	3–4 weeks at room temperature (fridge in humid summer)
Semi-dried	4 hours–half a day	5 days in the fridge

Drying times assume drying during the day in sunny weather and bringing them in at night.

How to dry zucchini

1. Cut: Trim both ends and slice into rounds about 8 mm (⅓ in) thick. Don’t peel.
2. Pat dry: Blot the cut surfaces with paper towels.
3. Lay out and dry: Spread on a basket without overlapping, somewhere sunny and breezy. Turn about once a day and bring in by evening.

Where and when to dry is covered in How to Dry Vegetables, and tools in Tools for Drying Vegetables.

When it’s done

Dry (2–3 days)

It’s done when the edges have shrunk into waves and the center feels dry when pressed. The area around the seeds in the middle dries last.

Semi-dried (4 hours–half a day)

The surface is dry and the rounds are limp. Pan-fried, they’re not watery and come out nicely browned.

Day by day

Before drying

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Storage

• Dry: Put completely dry rounds in a bag or airtight container with a desiccant, and keep somewhere cool and out of direct sun for 3–4 weeks. In humid summer weather, keep them in the fridge.
• Semi-dried: Keep in a bag in the fridge and use within about 5 days.
• Frozen: Both dry and semi-dried can be frozen for 1–2 months.

Fuzzy white or green growth, black spots or a bad smell are signs of mold or spoilage. Don’t eat it; throw it away. More in How to Store Dried Vegetables.

Rehydrating and using it

• Rehydrate: Soak dry rounds in boiling water for 2 minutes, or in water for about 10 minutes.
• Use it dry: Add straight to soups, ratatouille, curry and miso soup.
• Good in: Stir-fries, pasta, mixed rice, marinades.

Recipe

Mixed rice with dried zucchini, sesame and miso

Ingredients (serves 2)

• Dried zucchini rounds from 1 zucchini
• A: 1 tbsp miso, 1 tbsp mirin
• 1 tbsp ground sesame seeds
• 2 bowls of cooked rice
• Dried green shiso (optional)

Method

1. Soak the dried zucchini in boiling water for 2 minutes and drain.
2. Put step 1 and A in a small pan and simmer over low heat for 3 minutes. Miso burns easily, so turn off the heat once most of the liquid is gone.
3. Mix step 2 and the ground sesame into the rice, and sprinkle with dried green shiso.

Shape it into rice balls for a packed lunch. It’s also good made with soy sauce instead of miso. Dried green shiso is handy to keep on hand.