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Sichuan Pao Cai {泡菜}, Szechuan Style fermented vegetables is an iconic Chinese side dish. The fermented long beans {Suan Dou Jiao 酸豆角) and radish leaves {Xue Li Hong 雪里蕻} are particularly delicious and popular.
What makes Sichuan Pao Cai {Szechuan Style Fermented Vegetables} so unique?
Sichuan Style Fermented Vegetables are refreshing and naturally delicious. It uses both dried seasonings such as bay leaves. star anise, Sichuan pepper, cinnamon, as well as fresh spices including ginger and garlic. All give the vegetables a yummy flavor.
It is worth mentioning that we do not add vinegar to make Sichuan pickles, as sourness comes from the naturally occurring fermentation.
Another unique aspect of the Sichuan pickle is that high-proof Chinese alcohol is used to sterilize the pickle jar. It is also added to the top of the pickle for anti-bacterial function.
Sichuan Pao Cai (Szechuan Style Fermented Vegetables} Recipe
Sichuan Pao Cai {泡菜}, Szechuan Style fermented vegetables is an iconic Chinese side dish. The fermented long beans {Suan Dou Jiao 酸豆角) and radish leaves {Xue Li Hong 雪里蕻} are particularly delicious and popular.
Ingredients
- 1 liter filtered water (1 kg) + 5 tsp (~30g) fine salt, such as Himalayan pink salt to make the brine, dissolve the salt in hot water first
For each 32 oz glass jar:
- 6 slices of ginger
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 1 star anise
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 Sichun peppercorn (Hua Jiao)
- a tiny pice of Ceylon cinnamon stick
- 1 tsp Chinese high proof liquor such as Jian Nan Chun {剑南春}
Vegetables:
- cucumber, green pepper, radish, long beans, carrots, zucchini are all good candidates
Instructions
- Wash canning jars and air dry. Soak a small piece of clean paper towel with the Chinese liquor and use it to wipe clean the inside of the jar.
- Add 5 tsp salt to 4-cup glass measuring cup, pouring some hot water, mix well and wait for the salt to dissolve, and then add the filtered water to make a total of 1 liter of water.
- Wash the vegetables and air dry. If using daikon radish, peel and cut into julienne slices. Also, peel and cut carrots into bite-size slices. For long beans and radish leaves, just trim the ends. For cucumbers, I usually cut into quarters along the length.
- Prepare ginger and garlic. Set aside Sichuan pepper, star anise, bay leaf and cinnamon.
- Stuff each 32 oz glass canning jar with vegetables, leaving about 1 inch headspace.
- Pour the brine over the vegetables in the jar, vegetables are now submerged in the brine. Add 1 star anise, 1 bay leaf, 3 Sichun Pepper, one tiny piece of Ceylon cinnamon stick, 6 slices of ginger, and 3 cloves of garlic. Shake to mix the spices with the brine.
- Splash the top with 1 tsp Jian Nan Chun.
- Seal the lid and store in the fridge.
- You can try the pickles as soon as in one week, and they are getting better as time goes by.
- One unique thing about Sichuan Pao Cai is that you can re-use the brine indefinitely as long as they still smells deliciously sour, and keep them in refrigerator helps the longevity.
- When adding fresh vegetables, for 500 g vegetables, add about 2 tsp salt. To refuel each32 oz jar, add 1 piece of fresh ginger and 1 clove of fresh garlic, and 1 tsp Jian Nan Chun.
- Enjoy the delicious SiChuan Pao Cai alone or make a Suan Tang {酸汤} dish.
Notes
- This recipe makes about 4 x 32-oz canning jars' Sichuan Pao Cai. If you are short of brine, just top with filtered water and add a pinch of salt.
- For starting from scratch, dissolve 5 tsp salt in 1 kg water to make the brine.
- For refueling, add 2 tsp salt for every 500 g vegetables. For each jar, add 1 slice of fresh ginger, 1 clove of fresh garlic and a fresh splash of 1 tsp Jian Nan Chun on the top. The dried spices {star anise, bay leaf, Sichuan pepper, cinnamon stick} are pretty potent. No need to worry about replacing them for a long time.
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Nutrition Information
Yield 16Amount Per Serving Calories 24Total Fat 0.1gSaturated Fat 0gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 0gCholesterol 0mgSodium 7.5mgCarbohydrates 4.4gFiber 1.3gSugar 1.4gProtein 1.1g