Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski
This method works so well for a few reasons: First, salting draws water out of the vegetables, so they’re more flavorful. Then squeezing expels more water and relaxes them into a crunchy-but-silky state. A final seasoning then has even more impact: The veg have been primed to absorb the rice vinegar and salt.