I’m not going to lie – a few of these take a little bit of effort. However when you get satisfaction from rising your personal greens, imagine me it’s much more satisfying to style your personal pickled and preserved greens!
When my mother and father had been rising up, refrigeration was non-existent, so Vietnamese folks would protect or pickle any produce that wasn’t consumed in time so it wouldn’t go to waste. Now we do it out of style versus necessity.
Vegetable pickles are served alongside meat dishes to supply freshness and crunch. Vietnamese folks love wealthy, fatty dishes, and pairing them with salty bitter pickles heightens the flavour expertise but in addition balances the palette, so you’ll be able to eat extra.
Dua cai
Preserved mustard greens. Mostly paired with pork stomach
The fermentation course of for these is not going to work if any a part of the greens are uncovered above water. If there are cussed floaters, place any ceramic kitchen object on high of the greens to push them down – a plate or small cup, for instance, relying on the dimensions of the vessel used for the pickled greens.
The longer you pickle the greens for, the sourer they style. They need to be crispy, tart and barely bitter. To cease the pickling course of, drain the liquid and refrigerate the mustard greens.
Prep 30 min
Cook dinner 5 min
Ferment 3 to five days
Retains 3 months
1 bunch mustard greens
For the brine
200g salt
3 cups water
2 cups vinegar
1 hen’s eye chilli (non-compulsory)
Trim mustard greens of any bruised, yellow or broken leaves and ends. Wash nicely and go away to wilt and dry in a single day.
To organize the selecting liquid, put all elements in a medium saucepan and cook dinner on low warmth till the salt has dissolved. Flip off, and go away to chill earlier than pouring over the mustard greens.
Switch contents to a jar or container sufficiently big to carry the combination and guarantee all of the leaves are submerged within the water.
Depart the jar in a heat, sunny spot for 3 to 5 days. Then refrigerate as soon as open, eat as desired. You possibly can flip it right into a pickle as per the recipe under, or rinse and eat the way in which it’s.
Cu cai trang muoi
Preserved daikon
As soon as preserved, Vietnamese folks do every thing from turning this right into a pickle to including it to stir-fries. It affords such a powerful umami flavour, and likewise makes scrumptious broths with little or no effort.
Prep 10 hours over the course of a number of days
Makes 1kg
Retains 1 yr
2kg daikon
700g salt
Wash, scrub and dry your daikon, leaving pores and skin and roots intact.
Place a layer of salt right into a container or bucket that allows you to preserve the daikon flat.
Layer daikon on high of the salt, adopted by one other beneficiant layer of salt. Repeat the method till you run out of salt. Guarantee each little bit of daikon is touching salt.
Cowl the container with a lid and go away in a cool, dry place for twenty-four hours.
While you verify it, the daikon ought to really feel hole to the touch and be submerged in its personal brine. Depart the liquid within the container.
Place the daikon on a bamboo tray or cooling rack to dry within the solar for as many hours as potential a day.
When there isn’t any extra daylight, submerge the daikon into the brine water in a single day. Return to “solar bake” as above the following morning.
Repeat this course of between 5 and 7 days, till the daikon turns a light-weight brown color and has a white chalk exterior. Discard the brine water.
Discover a jar sufficiently big to carry all of the dehydrated daikon, squish it in and seal it for one more week. The moisture that’s trapped inside will rehydrate the daikon barely and intensify its umami flavour.
The ultimate product needs to be washed completely earlier than being utilized in different dishes.
Retailer by maintaining in an hermetic jar in a cool, dry space. A darkish pantry is ideal.
Dua chua
Carrot daikon pickle
This, alongside Nuoc Mam Chua, has obtained to be the largest indicator you’re in a Vietnamese kitchen! I’d virtually guess that it might be current in 90% of Vietnamese properties, at any level of time. It’s best served to accompany meat dishes and closely utilized in numerous salads to supply up texture and further flavour. We additionally use it as garnish on sure dishes.
Prep 30 min
Cook dinner 10 min
Serves 30
Retains 3 months
3kg greens, minimize into pickling dimension or julienned
400ml vinegar
300g sugar
1 tbsp salt
Combine vinegar, sugar and salt in a saucepan. Cook dinner on the range on low warmth till all of the sugar is dissolved, stirring often.
Pour over your greens and blend completely. Depart to take a seat for 10 minutes earlier than transferring into hermetic containers, equivalent to décor containers or mason jars. As there’s loads of quantity on this recipe, I desire giant décor containers, in any other case you’ll in all probability want 5 giant mason jars. Make sure the greens are submerged within the liquid.
Gia and he muoi
Bean sprouts and chives pickle
That is finest made contemporary on the day of consumption, because the greens usually are not sturdy and won’t keep crisp if left within the pickling liquid for too lengthy. That is historically served with braised pork stomach and egg.
Prep time 10 min
Cooking time 5 min
Serves 4
½ cup vinegar
⅓ cup sugar
1 tbsp salt
200g bean sprouts
Bunch of garlic chives, minimize into 5cm lengths
Juice of 1 lemon
Combine vinegar, sugar and salt in a saucepan and cook dinner on the range on low warmth till all sugar is dissolved, stirring often.
Pour over your greens. Squeeze lemon juice excessive and blend completely.
Depart to take a seat for 10 minutes earlier than serving.
Dua cai muoi
Pickled mustard greens
This acts as an accompaniment to any braised or caramelised meat dish.
Prep time 10 min
Serves 5
Hold 1 week in fridge
500g preserved mustard greens
2 hen’s eye chillies, thinly sliced
3 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp sugar
Juice of 1 lemon
Take preserved mustard greens and rinse underneath chilly water for 2 minutes. Squeeze extra water and go away to dry in a colander for not less than half an hour.
Chop your mustard greens into 2-3cm items and blend with the remaining elements.
Ideally go away to marinade for a day earlier than consuming. They be saved in one other jar, and saved for per week within the fridge.
Dua leo muoi
Pickled cucumber
Weigh these down with one thing heavy to maintain the cucumbers underneath the pickling water. A plate or a brick will do the job!
Prep 1 hour
Relaxation 4 days
Serves 10
Hold 6 months within the fridge
1kg pickling cucumbers
For the pickling liquid
200g salt
3 cups water
2 cups vinegar
To complete
3 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp soy sauce
5 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
10 hen’s eye chillies
1 tbsp lemon juice
Combine pickling liquid in a container giant sufficient to carry all of your cucumbers comfortably. No cooking required with this one, simply make sure the salt is generally dissolved.
Submerge entire cucumbers underneath the pickling liquid – nothing will be sticking above the floor. Pickle for 4 days in a cool, dry space.
Pressure off the cucumbers in a colander for half an hour, then minimize into bite-size items. Toss nicely with the remaining elements in a big mixing bowl.
Bottle in a glass jar and retailer within the fridge.