Under The Squash Vines

Bắp Cải  Chua: Pickled Carrots

Ingredients: 

For the vegetables:

1 medium sized cabbage, shred thinly

1 small onion (I use white onion and red is fine too), sliced thin

1 small bag of matchstick carrots. If you use fresh carrots, cut them into matchstick size.

As many cloves of garlic as you want, sliced thin

1/4 cup rice vinegar

1 tablespoon sea salt

1 tablespoon sugar

Instructions: 

1. In a large mixing bowl, add the cabbage and carrots. Add the salt and mix thoroughly. Cover and let sit at room temp for at least 30 minutes.

2. Rinse the cabbage and carrots a couple of time with water. Add the onions and garlic.

3. Pour some boiling water over the veggies, enough to submerge them. Let sit for 1 minute. Drain most of the water out.

4. Add the vinegar, sugar, and more salt to taste if needed. Mix thoroughly. Massage the vinegar mixture into all the veggies.

5. Transfer to an airtight glass jar and let pickle in the fridge for at least 24 hours before serving. Use some clean chopsticks or a fork to stir the mixture to make sure the veggies are evenly coated in the vinegar solution.

Keeps fresh for 2-4 weeks. But I've eaten mine after it sits longer than that and I haven't died 🙂. Use your nose and eyes as judgement and do what's best for you.

The Story of Cabbage and My Family's Life in 1975 US

When my grandparents and 4 of their 6 children started their new life in Oklahoma after spending 6 months in a refugee camp, grandpa was working as a construction worker at 2.55 per hour in 1975. On that one income, all they could afford on their food budget were: rice, chicken, and cabbage.

As my aunt recalled: "Chicken was 25 cents a pound, and cabbage was 5 cents a pound, and that was all we could afford for a while." And like the resilient people that we are, they found a way to make it work, and grandma had several recipes on rotations to make these humble ingredients stretch.

Cabbage is an extremely versatile and frugal vegetable that could be served multiple delicious ways. One of my favorite methods is pickled cabbage with onion, garlic, and carrots. I always have a big jar of this pickled combination in the fridge, because it serves as a base for several of my favorite meals:

- If I need a quick curtido to eat with Salvadorean pupusas, I just take out the amount of pickles I want, then add a pinch of dried oregano and let the flavors seep for 30 minutes.

- If I want a quick coleslaw, I will simply add some honey mustard, mayo, salt, and black pepper.

- If I want a Vietnamese cabbage salad, all I have to do is add some chopped Thai basils, cilantro, Vietnamese mints (rau ram), toasted peanuts, and fish sauce dressing.

- Or if I want to eat the pickled mixture as is on the side with rice, or in tacos or sandwiches, or mix into a salad with some other salad greens...I can also do that.

Always having prepped pickled/fermented vegetables in my fridge allows me to cut down on everyday meal prep time, maintain a nutritious routine, and stick to my budget...just like my family did when they had no other choice.