Williams-Sonoma The Art of Preserving by Lisa Atwood, Rebecca Courchesne, and Rick Field

If you've been here long enough, you've probably figured out that I love pickles and pickled food. So when the folks at Andrea Burnett PR asked if I'd like to receive a free copy of "Williams-Sonoma The Art of Preserving" by Lisa Atwood, Rebecca Courchesne, and Rick Field, I immediately jumped at the chance.

"The Art of Preserving" includes more than 130 recipes for sweet and savory jams, jellies, marmalades, pickles, chutneys, relishes, and foods that use those ingredients. There's also information on the basics of home canning and pickling with tips in case various problems occur.

All that aside, this cookbook is simply gorgeous. As if the cover didn't lure me in enough, I immediately latched onto this recipe for pickled fennel.

Thit Heo Kho Cai Chua (Vietnamese Braised Pork with Pickled Mustard Greens)

When I originally blogged Thit Heo Kho Trung (Vietnamese Braised Pork with Eggs) long ago, I also included a suggestion for adding in Cai Chua (Vietnamese Pickled Mustard Greens). Then I retook the photos and in updating the recipe, decided to make this variation a separate post. I've been meaning to make this again to re-do the photos, but it's been sitting in the queue since October 2008 so I might as well just get it out there. It seems silly since I've blogged other versions including Thit Heo Kho Dau Hu (Vietnamese Braised Pork with Tofu) and Thit Heo Kho Mit (Vietnamese Braised Pork with Jackfruit).

While some Vietnamese serve pickled mustard greens as a side dish to cut the fattiness of the braised pork, I like how the tartness adds another dimension to the savory sweetness of the thit heo kho.

Hanh Dam (Vietnamese Vinegared Onions)

Hanh Dam (Vietnamese Vinegared Onions) is rather similar to Do Chua (Vietnamese Pickled Stuff ie. Carrots and Daikon). You can stuff it into sandwiches, mix it with salads, serve it on the side as edible garnish, or add it into a bowl of Pho Bo (Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup).

Ggakdugi Kimchi (Korean Pickled Daikon Radish)

Recently, I bought two gigantic daikons from the Alhambra Farmers' Market for only 50 cents apiece. It was too good of a deal to pass up so I figured I'd use the opportunity to experiment and make ggakdugi kimchi (Korean pickled daikon radish). I basically used the same method as my Baechu Kimchee (Korean Pickled Napa Cabbage) recipe for the spicy version. And for the non-spicy version, I made a sweet pickle like what I ate at KyoChon Chicken. Although, you'll need to brine all of the daikon, just the same.

 

Gaennip/Kaennip Kimchee (Korean Pickled Sesame/Shiso/Perilla Leaves)

My youngest uncle grows a lot of gaennip (Korean sesame/shiso/perilla leaves) in his garden so I decided to pickle them at the same time I made a batch of kimchee. The only recipes I could find for gaennip leaves were seasoning them with soy sauce and stuff and that didn't appeal to me. I know they're eaten fresh with lettuce wraps but there was quite an abundance of the herb this summer so I was brainstorming ways to preserve them. I'm not sure if Koreans eat this, although both of my Korean friends didn't say anything when I served it at dinner the other night, so it mustn'tve appeared too unusual. Gaennip leaves taste, to me, like a more green version of tia to (Vietnamese purple shiso/perilla) - slightly minty, slightly herbal. They're sometimes called sesame leaves but that's a misnomer as they're not related to the sesame family at all. Again, this isn't such a precise recipe as I don't know how big your bunches of leaves are. I grabbed about half a dozen bunches. Gaennip/Kaennip Kimchee (Korean Pickled Sesame/Shiso/Perilla Leaves) Adapted from my recipe for baechu kimchi (Korean pickled napa cabbage) You'll need: Half a bunches of gaennip leaves or so, about a 2-inch height if you loosely stack them Salt 2 tsp mam ruoc (Vietnamese fermented shrimp paste) 2 tsp nuoc mam (Vietnamese fish sauce) 2 tsp gochujang (Korean chili paste), or more if you like spicy 2 cloves garlic, minced 1-inch knob ginger, minced Pluck and wash gaennip leaves. Salt in between every other leaf or so. Put the leaves in a bowl with just enough water to cover. Leave for several hours or overnight. Drain leaves. Mix the rest of the ingredients together until you get a loose paste. Then using a butter knife, put a small schmear of the paste in between every other leaf, or every third leaf or so until all the chili paste is used up. Fold up the whole stack and place into a jar. Adding water until the leaves are covered. Leave in a cool, dark place to ferment. This takes about a week. To serve, I just leave a small plate of the leaves to be eaten as panchan. Or wrap it up with some lettuce and daeji bulgogi (Korean spicy pork), roll and eat. Enjoy! My other gaennip recipe: Bo Nuong La Tia To Dai Han (Vietnamese Grilled Beef with Korean Perilla Leaves) ***** 1 year ago today, muop tom xao (Vietnamese loofah and shrimp stir-fry.

Pickled Grapes

Since I was on a pickle tangent with Do Chua (Vietnamese Pickled Stuff ie. Carrots and Daikon) and Rau Muong Chua (Vietnamese Pickled Water Spinach), I had also experimented with sweet pickles a few months back. After Molly of Orangette mentioned serving pickled grapes at her wedding reception, I was immediately intrigued. Pickled Grapes Adapted from Orangette For one 24-oz jar, you'll need: 1 bunch of large red or purple grapes, seedless 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar 1/2 cup water 1 tblsp sugar 1/2 tsp salt 1 cinnamon stick You can trim off a bit of the grape near the stem so it can absorb more vinegar if you wish. Place cinnamon stick inside jar. Wash grapes and place them inside jar. In a pan, heat 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar, 1/2 cup water, 1 tblsp sugar, and 1/2 tsp salt. When the water boils, pour into jar. If there's still space on top of the jar, add water until the grapes are completely covered. Tighten lid immediately. You should hear a "pop," indicating the jar is sealed. The pickles should be ready to eat the next day. The grapes will still be crisp with a salty, sweet, sour taste. Eat within a week as the grapes will become too soft and too sour. Enjoy! My other pickle recipes: Baechu Kimchee (Napa Cabbage Kimchee) Bok Choy Kimchee (Korean Pickled Bok Choy) Do Chua (Vietnamese Pickled Stuff ie. Carrots and Daikon) Gaennip/Kaennip Kimchee (Korean Pickled Sesame/Shiso/Perilla Leaves) Ggakdugi Kimchee (Korean Pickled Radish/Daikon) Rau Muong Chua (Vietnamese Pickled Water Spinach) ***** 1 year ago today, Pho Ga (Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Soup).

Rau Muong Chua (Vietnamese Pickled Water Spinach)

This recipe came about when I was making Rau Muong Xao Toi Chao (Vietnamese Water Spinach Stir-fried with Garlic and Fermented Bean Curd) and had all these leftover stems.

So I decided to pickle them using the same recipe as my pickled okra. Super simple. Very tasty. Makes a great snack on its own, or as a side dish.

Do Chua (Vietnamese Pickled Stuff ie. Carrots and Daikon)

Do chua (literally translated as Vietnamese pickled stuff) is commonly found in banh mi sandwiches. While it can be made of any type of vegetable, it usually means pickled carrots and daikon.


The recipe is super-simple and should be adjusted depending on the size of your carrots and daikon. The key is to julienne the vegetables as grating them just makes them a bit too mushy. Since they're pickled, they'll keep for months and months in the fridge. So don't worry if you don't eat it all at once.

Baechu Kimchi/Kimchee (Korean Pickled Napa Cabbage)

One of the foods that lil' sis requested I make for her to bring to school was a jar of kimchee, or rather specifically baechu kimchee (Korean napa cabbage kimchee). While most people automatically think of napa cabbage kimchee when the word is mentioned, kimchee is actually seasoned and fermented vegetables. So you can have kimchee made of radish or cucumber or Gaenip (Korean Shiso/Perilla Leaves). It doesn't even have to include chili peppers. And you can keep it vegetarian by only using salt.


It's a simple enough recipe. One head of napa cabbage...

Chanh Muoi (Vietnamese Salty Lemonade) and How to Preserve Lemons

Since I'm on this tangent about acquired tastes ie. weird food combinations, it seemed only fitting to post my recipe for chanh muoi (Vietnamese salty lemonade). It's on the menu at most Vietnamese restaurants so if I've now stirred your curiosity, you can order it the next time you go. You can also find jars of this at the Asian grocery store. Since I'm blessed with an uncle who has a Meyer lemon tree, you know I had to make my own!