Pickled Vegetables

Ingredients:

~syrup

1/2 cup rice vinegar 

1/2 cup sugar

Few small chilies (thinly sliced)

*More if prefer spicy

*I can taste the heat of thinly sliced chilies. Just halfed the chilies if you prefer dish out when you eat.

~vegetables

3 medium cucumbers

1 small carrot

2 big chilies

1 big onion (I used white onion. Bombay onion is better)

2-3 tsp salt 

Methods:

1. Remove seeds from big chillies. Cut diagonal into strips. Leave aside.

2. Add vinegar and sugar in a pot. Bring to boil and stir occasionally till sugar melt. 

3. Off the heat, add in small and strips chilies and leave to cool completely.

 

4. Peel the cucumber. Cut length wise into half. Then further divide into quarter. With a knife remove seeds by running blade from one side to other side. Cut diagonal into thin slices. Slice till all finish.

* not need to be very thin as you can taste its crunch after pickled.

5. Sprinkle about 2 teaspoons salt into cucumber slices bowl. Mix with hands till all well combine. Keep aside for about 5 minutes for the salt to extract excess water from cucumber.

 

6. While waiting for cucumber do the same for carrot and onion.

 

7. Squeeze all the salty juice out. Rinse (with drinking water) and squeeze again (I rinse for one more time and squeeze again). Do the same for carrot and onion.

*Taste it. It should not be too salty.

 

8. Toss all the squeezed vegetables into the cool vinegar mixture. Keep into container with lid on. Keep in fridge and best to enjoy after an hour.

Chinese-style Pickled Vegetables

• SERVES: one x 750ml bottle of pickles
• PREP: 20 mins
• COOK: 5 mins

This Chinese-style pickles is the perfect appetizer dish to complement any Chinese meal. You can eat it an hour after soaking but for best results, allow to soak overnight before consumption. Keeps refrigerated for about a week (though it will probably not last that long).

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cucumber de-seeded, cut to uniform, chunky fries strips
• 1 carrot peeled, cut to uniform, chunky fries strips
• 8 shallots peeled and thinly sliced
• 50 grams sliced pineapples diced
• 2 chilli padi sliced thinly; to taste
• 1 cup rice vinegar
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tsp + a pinch of salt to taste
• one x 750ml glass bottle

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Rub cut cucumber with 1 tsp salt, allow to 'sweat' for at least 30 minutes. This will make the cucumbers more crunchy. Rinse, drain and squeeze dry.
   
2. In a saucepan, bring to a simmer: vinegar, sugar, water and a pinch of salt, until the sugar dissolves. Adjust to taste accordingly to your preference.
   
3. When the vinegar solution has cooled, add to it the prepared cucumber, carrot, shallots, pineapple and chilli. Store in a covered glass bottle and refrigerate.