Cabbage is a familiar side dish in everyday meals. The dish has a sour and crispy taste, with a tempting aroma, no less than the Korean kimchi.
However, because many women have trouble with their homemade pickled cabbage, they have to buy it from the market despite their concerns about hygiene and food safety.
Therefore, you can refer to the following small tips to ensure that pickled cabbage never becomes slimy or tough and always remains crispy and delicious.
Everything should be dry
This is the most important principle in making delicious pickled cabbage. After sun-drying the cabbage, wash it thoroughly and let it dry. Many people wash the cabbage before sun-drying it, which is also acceptable. But one special thing to note is that when pickling cabbage, the cabbage must be completely dry, otherwise it will become slimy and spoiled.
The pickling jar should be made of glass, porcelain, or china and should be thoroughly washed and sterilized by boiling in boiling water (or rinsing with boiling water) and completely dried. The cabbage pack should also be dried similarly.
Your hands when making pickled cabbage should also be dry and not wet with any water.
In addition, women should pay attention to other issues to ensure that the cabbage remains golden, crispy, and free from slime:
– Choosing cabbage
You should choose mature cabbage, not too young, and not crushed. Mature cabbage is both crispy and resilient, so it won’t get soggy or tough when pickled.
You should choose mature cabbage, not too young and not crushed (Image: Internet)
– Wither the cabbage
Before pickling, take the cabbage outside to dry in the sun a little. This step will reduce the water content in the cabbage, so it will be less likely to get slimy when pickling. The cabbage will also be crispier.
If the weather is not sunny, it is possible to dry it in the wind. Or you can boil a pot of water, dip the cabbage in it and then take it out or slightly dry it in the oven at 90 degrees C. This is one of the tips to make the pickled cabbage much tastier.
– Seasonings
Usually, the seasoning for pickled cabbage only needs spring onion, which already makes it aromatic. However, some people add garlic, chili, and dried shallots. This depends on personal taste.
From the cabbage to the storage jar, the pack, and your hands should also be dry when pickling to prevent the cabbage from getting slime and tough (Image: Minh Luật)
– Making the pickling brine
The pickling brine needs to have salt, and it should be boiled and cooled before pickling to prevent sliminess. The amount of salt should be slightly more, to taste. If you like sweetness, you can add sugar, but adding sugar will make the cabbage slimy quickly.
When all the steps are completed, simply put the cabbage in a glass jar, pour the pickling brine, add spring onion, and then pour in the pickling brine. Place the pack on top, then cover the jar with the lid and leave it for 3-5 days until it is ready to eat.
Another note is that the cabbage needs to be completely submerged in water, avoiding having part of the cabbage not submerged in water.
– The amount of salt, sugar, and vinegar can be adjusted according to personal taste.
– When the cabbage reaches the desired sourness, it should be stored in the refrigerator to prevent further fermentation.
With the above tips for pickling delicious cabbage, I hope you can make the dish as you like it, without having to buy it from outside stores.
According to Khám phá