Food & Receipts

Delicious pickle recipes for a flavorful Lunar New Year with mouthwatering sticky rice cakes

During the Tet holiday, families often indulge in many traditional Vietnamese dishes such as banh chung, meat, nem, and gio cha. To add variety, women can make these two types of pickles.

Administrator

25 January, 2024

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Pickles with Carrots and Turnips

Ingredients

– Turnips: 2 bulbs

– Carrots: 2 bulbs

– Chili peppers: 2-3 fruits and spices including vinegar, fish sauce, and sugar.

Method

First, peel the skins of the turnips and carrots, then wash them thoroughly and let them dry. Next, cut the carrots into round slices, and if desired, you can shape the carrot slices into flower shapes for decoration. Cut the turnips into small pieces. Peel the garlic cloves and cut them into thin slices.

One important point to note is not to cut the carrot and turnip slices too thick; this will take more time for them to absorb the seasoning evenly. The ideal thickness for each carrot or turnip slice is about 0.3cm.

After that, prepare a large bowl, pour in 500ml of filtered water, add 100ml of vinegar, 150ml of fish sauce, and three tablespoons of sugar, stirring until the sugar is completely dissolved.

Finally, place the garlic, turnips, and carrots into a glass jar. Pour the prepared soaking liquid into the jar, gently mix it once, then tightly cover the lid. Let the jar soak overnight or at least 4 to 5 hours before using.

Pickles with Cabbage

Ingredients

– White cabbage: 200g

– Purple cabbage: 200g

– Carrots: 200g

– Vietnamese mint: 100g

– Garlic: 1 clove

– Ginger: ½ clove

– Chili peppers: 2-3 fruits

– Spices including rock salt and sugar

Method

First, peel the skin of the carrots, wash them, and then thin slice or julienne them. Rinse the cabbage, cut it into small strips, and let it dry. Clean the Vietnamese mint and finely chop it. Peel the garlic and cut it into thin slices. After peeling, slice the ginger into strips. After rinsing the chili peppers, remove the stems and cut them in half or slice them as desired.

Next, mix the cabbage and carrots with two tablespoons of rock salt, three tablespoons of sugar, and three tablespoons of vinegar. Then add the ginger, garlic, and chili peppers, and mix well. Wait for about 10 minutes for the mixture to absorb the seasoning. Finally, sprinkle the chopped Vietnamese mint and mix well again. The pickles will be ready to enjoy.

These are two pickle recipes that you can try during the Lunar New Year. The special feature of pickles compared to other types of pickled vegetables is that you can quickly prepare them without the need for a long fermentation process for the vegetables to absorb the seasonings, making it very convenient.