How to Make Vietnamese Pickled Bamboo Shoots with Chili
This pickled bamboo shoot recipe has a perfect balance of salty, sweet, sour, and spicy flavors, with vibrant and appealing colors. Sweet and sour pickled bamboo shoots can be enjoyed with fried rice, instant noodles, pho, or used in soups such as fish soup with bamboo or chicken and duck stews for a flavorful dish.
Ingredients
- 1.6kg bamboo shoots
- 12-15 garlic cloves
- 5 large chili peppers, 2 hot chili peppers
- Seasonings: fish sauce, sugar, vinegar, salt
Ingredient Notes
- For pickling bamboo shoots, you can choose bamboo shoots, bamboo tips, or bamboo leaves based on your preference. Choose fresh bamboo shoots that are firm to the touch, not mushy, and free of any unpleasant odor.
- The jar used for pickling should be thoroughly washed and dried. To ensure cleanliness, you can rinse the jar with warm salt water before drying. Glass jars are recommended for pickling bamboo shoots.
Instructions
Prepare the Ingredients
Peel off the outer layer of the bamboo shoots to refresh them, and remove the base as it is tough and fibrous. Slice the bamboo into thin pieces, or cut them into sticks about 5-6 cm long and 1 cm thick.
After slicing, rinse the bamboo shoots thoroughly and boil them. Place the bamboo shoots in a pot, cover with water, and add 1 tablespoon of coarse salt. Do not cover the pot while boiling to allow any toxins or preservatives to evaporate.
Once the water boils, cook for another 5 minutes, then drain and replace the water. Usually, Cookbeo boils the bamboo 2-3 times to ensure they are clean and safe to eat, without worrying about them becoming mushy.
The garlic and chilies are divided into two portions: one portion is thinly sliced, and the other portion is minced. Use 3-5 larger garlic cloves and 1-2 chili peppers for slicing. These will be mainly used for garnishing to make the pickled bamboo shoots more visually appealing.
For the remaining garlic and chilies, mince them in a food processor. Remove the chili seeds before mincing. This minced mixture will be added to the pickling liquid to enhance the flavor and give the pickled bamboo shoots a vibrant red-orange color, similar to store-bought versions.
Make the Pickling Brine
The original amount of bamboo shoots is 1.6kg, but after trimming, it is about 1.4kg. To fully submerge the bamboo shoots in the pickling liquid, you will need about 1.5-1.6 liters of brine.
Mix 900ml vinegar, 180ml fish sauce, 720g sugar, and 84g salt. The ratio is 10 vinegar: 3 fish sauce: 8 sugar: 1 salt. You can adjust the amount of salt slightly, ranging from 0.8-1, depending on your preference for a milder or saltier taste.
Skim off any foam to keep the brine clear. This recipe strikes a good balance of sour and sweet, but you can adjust the taste to your preference, as it will depend on the acidity of your vinegar and the saltiness of your fish sauce.
Once the mixture comes to a boil, reduce the heat and let it simmer for 2 more minutes. Turn off the heat and let it cool. As it cools, stir in the minced garlic and chilies.
Pickle the Bamboo Shoots with Chili
Once the sweet and sour brine has cooled and the bamboo shoots have drained, place them in the jar. Start with a layer of bamboo shoots, followed by a layer of sliced garlic and chili, and repeat until all the ingredients are used. Finally, pour the sweet and sour brine over everything.
To keep the bamboo shoots submerged in the brine, you can use a bamboo press or, if unavailable, fill a plastic bag with water and place it on top, then seal the jar tightly.
This sweet and sour pickled bamboo can be eaten after 1 day. After that, you can store it in the refrigerator to slow down the fermentation process and keep it fresh for up to a week without it becoming too sour, while maintaining its crunch.
Pickled bamboo shoots with chili are visually appealing and delicious, with a crunchy texture and a balanced mix of salty, sweet, sour, and spicy flavors. Add a bit to fried rice, instant noodles, pho, or use them in soups like fish soup with bamboo, or stews with chicken or duck. The flavor is incredible.
Good luck!
