Green Pickled Chilies (Quick Pickle)
If you like sweet and sour, you'll love these Asian quick pickles. Green Pickled Chili is so easy to make, and goes with so many Chinese and Western recipes, you'll be wondering why you didn't make them sooner!
Calories: 156kcal
Equipment
- Heat-proof jar No plastic as the brine is acidic, sterilised with boiling water.
- Non-reactive Pot
- Knife and chopping board
Ingredients
- 1 Cup large green chilies Stems removed and sliced into ⅓ inch rounds. (This was approximately 86g or 3 oz in weight. It will vary depending on how tightly the chilies are packed.) I usually use Spur chilli or Kashmiri chilli but you can also use Cayenne, Jalapeños or Serrano chilies. (Red chilies are OK too.) However, I would stay away from bird's eye chili or chili padi as these small chiles are super spicy!
- 1½ Cups boiling water or enough to cover the chilies, optional (This is for an optional step of soaking the chilies.)
- 1½ Cups white rice vinegar Add more if more is needed to cover the chilies and increase the sugar and salt proportionally. Substitute: equal amount of apple cider vinegar. The flavor does change slightly as the chilies will taste a bit modern.
- 1 Tablespoon white sugar I prefer to use less for health reasons. You can even use up to ⅔ the amount of vinegar! (1 Cup in this instance.)
- 1½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Optional: soak the chilies in hot water for 10-30 seconds. You can skip this step if you are going to boil the brine later. However, I recommend doing both to soften the chilies. If not the skin can be a bit tough!
- Optional: if you did the hot water soak, you can skip this but I recommend doing both.Bring the vinegar, salt and sugar (and other spices, if using) to a boil, stirring till all the sugar is dissolved.Remove and allow to cool.Note: if you're only doing 1 of the 2 optional steps, I recommend this over blanching as, if not, it can be difficult to ensure all the sugar is dissolved. (See below.)
- Strain the chilies (better if you want to shake out the seeds), using a slotted spoon or colander and place in a sterilised container.
- Pour the pickling solution mix over the chilies, ensuring all the chilies are submerged in the liquid.
- Close the jar tightly then refrigerate for 1 hour to overnight before using. You will see the color change after 1 hour. Enjoy!
Notes
Food Safety 1: Make sure the chilies don't bring a lot of water to the vinegar solution to prevent spoilage. You may need a kitchen towel or paper towel to soak up any excess!
Food Safety 2: Make sure the chilies are always submerged. If you see mold, toss. I personally don't keep it longer than a week but some people keep it for up to a month! Make sure to use a clean and dry utensil to scoop any whenever you want some!
How to use: Scoop some of the brine whenever you grab some slices- the brine is full of flavor to lift heavy Asian sauces!
The chilies can be mixed with light soy sauce, Chinese sesame oil and/ or scallions to make dipping sauces for Chinese dumplings and spring rolls!
Great with wonton and other dumplings and noodles.
Note: the nutritional information is an estimate automatically calculated using the WPRM recipe maker and I am not responsible for its accuracy.
Nutrition
Calories: 156kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Fat: 0.04g | Sodium: 4013mg | Potassium: 9mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin C: 18mg | Calcium: 36mg | Iron: 0.1mg