How to make sweet and sour spring onion bulbs that last long and taste crispy
When making sweet and sour spring onion bulbs, in addition to mixing the fish sauce to the right taste, you also need to pay attention to the pre-processing of the spring onion bulbs and cleaning and drying the glass jar used for soaking to ensure the sweet and sour spring onion bulbs last long and remain crispy without becoming soggy.
Ingredients
- 900g spring onion bulbs
- 220g carrots
- 2-3 hot chili peppers or horn peppers
- Spices: Vinegar, fish sauce, sugar, salt
- 1 1.5-2 liter glass jar
Instructions
Preparation of the Chinese leek
Similar to preparing pickled onions, before pickling the Chinese leek in a sweet and sour solution, soak them in rice water for 1-2 days. This process reduces the sharp taste and accelerates the pickling process. To be extra careful, you can also soak them in a mixture of water and ash from the stove, or crushed star fruit water, which has a similar effect. However, rice water is the easiest and most convenient method.
After 1-2 days of soaking, start prepping the Chinese leek by trimming the roots and the tips of the leaves. Along with this, peel the outer layer of the leek. As it has been soaked, peeling will be quite easy and won't irritate your eyes.
Once the leek is prepared, rinse it in a light salt water solution one more time to clean it thoroughly. Then rinse with clean water and dry it well.
Preparing the carrot and other ingredients
Peel the carrot, wash it thoroughly, and then cut it into batons with a thickness of about 0.4-0.5cm. To make the carrot look more appealing, you can trim it a bit or use a serrated knife to cut it.
Once the carrot is prepared, place it in a large bowl and marinate it with 1/2 a tablespoon of salt. The salt reduces the sharp taste of the carrot and makes it cleaner and crisper when pickled. Additionally, marinating it with salt will draw out some water, making the carrot crisper and more durable when pickled.
Let the carrot marinate in salt for about 10 minutes. If you accidentally leave it for too long, reduce the amount of salt in the sweet and sour pickling solution to avoid making the carrot too salty.
After about 10 minutes of marinating, rinse the carrot to remove the saltiness. Then, let it dry just like the Chinese leek.
To make the Chinese leek and carrot crisp when pickled in a sweet and sour solution, you can sun-dry them after preparation. However, if there is no sunlight, make sure they are completely dry before pickling.
Wash the chili peppers, dry them, and then cut them into chunks or diagonally. Horn peppers are moderately spicy and have a beautiful color. If you want it spicier, you can use bird's eye chili.
The jars used for pickling need to be cleaned thoroughly and dried well. For extra caution, you can rinse them in warm water mixed with a little salt to clean and sterilize them.
Mixing the sweet and sour fish sauce for pickling the Chinese leek
For about 1kg of ingredients stored in a 1.5-2 liter jar, you need to mix a corresponding amount of pickling solution to ensure the ingredients are fully submerged in the solution for even flavoring and to prevent spoilage.
You will need:
- 600ml of vinegar
- 120ml of fish sauce
- 460-480g of sugar
- 60g of salt
Bring this mixture to a boil and let it cool. Boiling the solution reduces the sourness and fermentation process of the vinegar, allowing the pickled Chinese leek to last longer without becoming too sour.
This recipe has a very balanced sweet and sour flavor, but feel free to adjust it to your liking. It can also depend on the sourness of the vinegar and the concentration of the fish sauce.
If you want to eat the pickled vegetables quickly, increase the amount of vinegar and sugar. But if you want to serve them with traditional dishes such as sticky rice cakes or rice... you can reduce the amount of salt a bit.
Making sweet and sour pickled Chinese leek
Once the sweet and sour pickling solution has cooled and the Chinese leek and carrot are dry, layer the leek, carrot, and chili in the jar... Continue this process until all the prepared ingredients are in the jar. Finally, pour the sweet and sour pickling solution over them.
To ensure the Chinese leek and carrot are fully submerged in the pickling solution, you can use a small plate or stick to press them down, or fill a food-grade plastic bag with tap water, tie it securely, and place it on top before sealing the jar.
Store the jar of pickled Chinese leek in a cool place. In cold weather, after about 5 days, they should be ready to eat and won't have a strong taste. In hot weather, they will be ready faster. To make the pickled Chinese leek last longer, store the jar in the refrigerator to slow down the fermentation process.
The pickled Chinese leek made with this recipe is very fragrant, with a balanced sour, spicy, salty, and sweet flavor. It's very crispy, delicious, and aromatic. Especially when kept in the fridge, it's very refreshing and appealing.
This dish goes well with sticky rice cakes, braised or roasted meat, fried rice, or instant noodles, and works great as a palate cleanser. It's also a traditional Vietnamese New Year dish, so you can save this recipe to prepare for your family.
Especially with this sweet and sour fish sauce recipe, you can use it to pickle sweet and sour onions, sweet and sour pickled kohlrabi and carrot, sweet and sour radish, and sweet and sour fig... all are very delicious and balanced.
