Pickled Small Vietnamese Leek

As you know about the pickled or preserved foods. Pickling your own vegetables and fruits can help you preserve the produce in your fridge that’s about to go wrong, as well as bring new flavors to your food.

So the recipe for today will be doing Pickled Small Leeks ( Traditional Vietnamese pickled food which usually favorites on Lunar New Year)

Pickled Small Leeks

Ingredients :

500gr Small Leeks,( it will be useful if you can have them the same size )

- 1 liter of water

- 1 liter of water + 1 pinch of salt

• For sweet pickle : - 200gr of white sugar + 1 tablespoon of salt (1)
• - 200ml white vinegar + 1 tablespoon sugar + ¼ teaspoon salt (2)

• For soaking fish sauce : - 250ml pure fish sauce + 300gr sugar (3)

Washing out one time with clean water. Then soak leeks overnight in salt ( 5g )

- Take out the Leeks after the night. cut the head (root) and tail *Note do not cut the beginning of the offense, otherwise the leeks will soak the water that loses the savory of them. Bring to soak in salt water. Can dip in ice water will be more brittle.

- Take out, rinse a few times for clean water. Bring a few days of sun drying.

- After drying, pre-process the palanquin again, stripped membrane, dried roots left.

There is two type of pickling small Chinese leeks.

• For sweet and sour leeks :

Put the marinade in the jar/glue, marinated with salt, sugar (1). Every 2 cm thick, the road is spread evenly and less salt. Arrange when filled. It takes about 5-7 days for the sugar to dissolve and infiltrate the leeks - If you want to keep long, add about ½ teaspoon of salt, when the sugar melts, stop at this step, to ferment the natural fermentation. This can be kept for years if left in the refrigerator. When you want to eat, three days before, pick up Leeks to another jar.

- Dissolve vinegar, sugar, salt (2) and simmer for 15 minutes for glue. Allow to cool entirely new poured into the pot to absorb.

• For pickling with fish sauce :

-Leeks after drying (should be exposed to 2 days sun-dried), put into the jar, accompanied by less dried chilies. Dissolve sugar and fish sauce (3), cook for 20-25 minutes for glue, let cool completely, and pour into the jar.

- Soak in 3 days, the water in the leeks will dilute the sauce. At this time pour the fish sauce, renew the fish sauce again to glue again. Allow to cool completely and then poured into the pot. This can be kept for the whole year in cool outside conditions.

The Sensory Evaluation :

My friend: It’s crunchy and sweet. However, the palate will be better if you soak the leeks with dried-shrimp. Dried-shrimp will give more delicate flavor.

My little brother: It’s good eating as a side dish for Asian foods especially Vietnamese pork stew. I eat this on every Lunar New year. The way I usually prefer to soak pickled leek separate with dried-shrimp. Once when it serves, we will put the dried-shrimp later and with a little fish sauce plus sugar and pepper.