Every country has its own favorite pickled vegetable recipe – from the spicy Korean Kimchi to sour crunchy American pickles. The Taiwanese style I grew up with is defined by the sweet and sour flavor and crunchy texture. It is made with mostly cabbage and some carrots or cucumbers mixed in. Taiwanese especially love cabbages grown on high altitude mountains for their sweet and crunchy flavor. The high altitude slows the growth cycle of cabbages resulting in thinner fibers.
I used apple cider vinegar, which is not traditional, in this recipe because I really like how well the light apple taste complements the cabbages. I like a slight bit of heat from adding garlic and hot pepper, but it’s completely optional.
[recipe]
Makes a one-quart jar
[ingredients]
- 400g Cabbage, cut into bite size
- 1/2 Carrot, cut into diamond-shape bites or strips
- 3 cloves Garlic, smashed
- 1 hot pepper, smashed (optional)
- 60g Sugar
- 1/2 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
- 3/4 cup Water
[directions]
1. Add some salt to cabbage and carrot and let stand until vegetable soften
2. Heat water, vinegar and sugar until sugar dissolves. Let cool.
3. Wash cabbage and carrot with water a few times. Drain well.
4. Place cabbage, carrot, garlic and hot pepper into a jar then add liquid.
5. Seal and shake a few times. Refrigerate overnight.
Note: The pickling liquid should be lukewarm to cool otherwise the hot liquid will cook the cabbage into a soft mess.
[/recipe]