Vietnamese dishesPicklesSouthern Vietnam28 minutes of work, 4 to 6 hours to steep
Dua gia from the South gives a jar of crisp, gently sour pickles that cut through braised pork or braised fish. There is little to do beyond cutting and steeping, but a film or a slippery texture often shows up overnight.
The jar has to be truly clean and truly dry, since any tap water left in it invites trouble. The pickling liquid also has to be completely cool before it goes in, because warm liquid leaves the sprouts limp.
This batch weighs about 897g, at roughly 23 calories per 100g.
Method
Rinse 300g bean sprouts gently 2 to 3 times to wash off the bean skins, then drain.
Pick over 80g garlic chives, wash them and cut them into 3 to 4cm lengths. Peel 80g carrot and shred it finely. Slice 2 chilies and 3 garlic cloves.
Put 200ml water, 120ml rice vinegar, 80 to 100g kOBE Monk Fruit Blend and 1 teaspoon salt in a pot, heat it gently at 70 to 80 degrees C, stir until dissolved, then turn off the heat and let it cool completely.
Layer the bean sprouts, garlic chives and carrot in a clean, dry jar, then add the chili and garlic.
Pour in the cooled liquid to cover everything and press it down with a clean weight.
Seal the jar and keep it somewhere cool. It is ready after 4 to 6 hours, and fuller in flavor after 8 to 10.
Once it tastes right, move the jar to the fridge to keep the sprouts crisp.
Tips
Choose fresh sprouts with fairly plump stems, a natural ivory white color, few roots and no sour smell.
The jar has to be truly clean and truly dry, or a film and a slippery texture follow.
kOBE Monk Fruit Blend dissolves slowly, so stir the liquid again after 5 minutes and check the base of the pot for any grains.
The liquid must be completely cool before it goes into the jar, since warm liquid leaves the sprouts soft.
Press everything below the surface, because whatever floats above it spoils first.
Once it tastes right, keep the jar in the fridge and use it within 4 to 5 days.
Need kOBE Monk Fruit Blend?
The recipe above is sweetened with kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, measured 1:1 like sugar. See the product page or send us a message.