Just enough spice, just enough crunch.
I love Vietnam. So much so, in fact, that my first post was a love letter to the country.
I also love cooking Vietnamese food, but I feel like a lot of my friends don't see it as an easy home-cooking cuisine. So, here's a super simple Vietnamese pickle recipe that'll prove them wrong.
*All these ingredients, if you don't have them, can be picked up at your local supermarket/safeway/whatever else.
INGREDIENTS:
☞ One English cucumber
☞ A handful of salt
☞ Tsp Sambal chili paste
☞ Tbsp whole Sichuan peppercorns
☞ 1/3 cup sesame oil
☞ A piece of ginger, about the size of a thumb
☞ Two Thai chilis (fresh)
☞ A handful of dry red chilis (the little ones)
☞ One cup sugar
LET'S GOOOO
𝟙. Cut the (rinsed, of course) cucumber in half (long way), then slice into smaller pieces. Dump that, with the salt, into a bowl. Make sure it's mixed evenly.
𝟚. Mix the sesame oil, sugar, and Sambal paste in another bowl. It's awesome if you can mix til the sugar dissolves, but it's fine if there's some left at the bottom.
𝟛. Seed the Thai chilis (I use a little spoon), then slice them, longways, as thinly as you can. Peel the ginger and slice it the same way.
𝟜. Put the sesame oil, dry chlis, and Sichuan peppercorns on a frying pan. Cook on high heat for 15-30 seconds, depending on your mood.
𝟝. Rinse the salt off the cucumbers, then combine everything in a bowl.
𝟞. Leave it be for two hours-ish. An hour and a half is fine too.
While you're waiting, here's a list of some of my favorite movies under two hours!
⭒ Ladybird (the best piece of work you will ever see, other than these pickles)
⭒ The Florida Project (SHOULD'VE BEEN NOMINATED)
⭒ The Bourne Ultimatum (don't judge me)
⭒ The Incredibles (my favorite Pixar movie)
⭒ Pan's Labyrinth (an exploration of Spanish history through fantasy? count me in)
⭒ Moonrise Kingdom (makes me smile, also... aesthetic)
Once your timer's gone off, or you've finished sobbing at the beautifully crafted ending of the Florida Project, the pickles are ready! You can leave them in the liquid for another hour or two if you're not hungry, but but I'd recommend taking them out and putting them in another container (chilis and all- just get them out of the liquid) before the five hour mark.
HOW TO EAT:
These pickles are a great stand alone snack, but if you're pairing them with something else, I'd recommend something hot and filling (Vietnamese congi is my favorite)- the spiced pickle really cuts the warm, thick starchiness, which is kinda awesome. Make sure to crunch as loudly as possible!
I love Vietnam. So much so, in fact, that my first post was a love letter to the country.
I also love cooking Vietnamese food, but I feel like a lot of my friends don't see it as an easy home-cooking cuisine. So, here's a super simple Vietnamese pickle recipe that'll prove them wrong.
*All these ingredients, if you don't have them, can be picked up at your local supermarket/safeway/whatever else.
INGREDIENTS:
☞ One English cucumber
☞ A handful of salt
☞ Tsp Sambal chili paste
☞ Tbsp whole Sichuan peppercorns
☞ 1/3 cup sesame oil
☞ A piece of ginger, about the size of a thumb
☞ Two Thai chilis (fresh)
☞ A handful of dry red chilis (the little ones)
☞ One cup sugar
LET'S GOOOO
𝟙. Cut the (rinsed, of course) cucumber in half (long way), then slice into smaller pieces. Dump that, with the salt, into a bowl. Make sure it's mixed evenly.
𝟚. Mix the sesame oil, sugar, and Sambal paste in another bowl. It's awesome if you can mix til the sugar dissolves, but it's fine if there's some left at the bottom.
𝟛. Seed the Thai chilis (I use a little spoon), then slice them, longways, as thinly as you can. Peel the ginger and slice it the same way.
𝟜. Put the sesame oil, dry chlis, and Sichuan peppercorns on a frying pan. Cook on high heat for 15-30 seconds, depending on your mood.
𝟝. Rinse the salt off the cucumbers, then combine everything in a bowl.
𝟞. Leave it be for two hours-ish. An hour and a half is fine too.
While you're waiting, here's a list of some of my favorite movies under two hours!
⭒ Ladybird (the best piece of work you will ever see, other than these pickles)
⭒ The Florida Project (SHOULD'VE BEEN NOMINATED)
⭒ The Bourne Ultimatum (don't judge me)
⭒ The Incredibles (my favorite Pixar movie)
⭒ Pan's Labyrinth (an exploration of Spanish history through fantasy? count me in)
⭒ Moonrise Kingdom (makes me smile, also... aesthetic)
Once your timer's gone off, or you've finished sobbing at the beautifully crafted ending of the Florida Project, the pickles are ready! You can leave them in the liquid for another hour or two if you're not hungry, but but I'd recommend taking them out and putting them in another container (chilis and all- just get them out of the liquid) before the five hour mark.
HOW TO EAT:
These pickles are a great stand alone snack, but if you're pairing them with something else, I'd recommend something hot and filling (Vietnamese congi is my favorite)- the spiced pickle really cuts the warm, thick starchiness, which is kinda awesome. Make sure to crunch as loudly as possible!
Comments
Post a Comment