Easy
Published 2019
Sauerkraut is another one of those preparations that you can buy anywhere, but it tastes so different from what you can make at home in a week that the store-bought stuff should be called something else.
Using the magical proportion of the 5 percent brine (which I learned from my first instructor, chef
Indeed, any vegetable can be pickled this way with great results. Make your own carrot and daikon pickle for a homemade Bánh Mì. Or pickle your own Thai chiles, then seed and chop them to garnish anything from a sautéed steak to roast chicken to any of the curries. The flavor of the chile pickling liquid—salt water alone—creates its own delicious tart condiment to be sprinkled on anything that needs a little kick. Or make your own kimchi, with cabbage and daikon and Korean chili paste (the chef
Of course, it’s best to use a scale, but if you don’t have one, you can still make a close-enough 5 percent brine using Morton’s coarse kosher salt: 1 tablespoon weighs just about ½ ounce/14 grams.
Combine the water and salt in a saucepan and heat on the stove till the salt is dissolved (or use a bowl in the microwave). Let cool to room temperature.
Fill a
Fermenting is best done in normal to cool room temperatures. In the summer, if your kitchen is hot, spoilage bacteria can take over (it will look like foam and scum and mold), so find the coolest spot available.
The vegetables should be nicely pickled after 7 days (perhaps even 5) and ready to use. For long-term storage, make a 3 percent brine and cool to room temperature. Drain the pickled vegetables (taste the liquid; you may want to reserve some for use as a vinegar or seasoning alternative, especially when pickling chiles). Pour the 3 percent brine over them, cover, and refrigerate for 2 to 3 weeks.
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