Almost any seasonal vegetable will lend itself to being pickled in a mix of apple cider vinegar and rice vinegar, tweaked with a little salt and sugar. Use a mixture of what’s in season, and choose small, slender vegetables when you can. Whatever you choose, make sure to scrub vegetables well and peel away roots and thick skins.
Ingredients
- 1cup water
- ¼cup rice-wine vinegar
- ¼cup apple-cider vinegar
- 5tablespoons white sugar
- 2teaspoons kosher salt
- 3whole star anise
- 15black peppercorns
- 15whole coriander seeds
- 1serrano chile, split in half
- 6-8 carrots, peeled, cut diagonally into 3-inch pieces
- 6-8 small turnips, scrubbed and halved
- 1small fennel bulb, cored and finely sliced
- 2Asian pears, peeled, cored and finely sliced
- 3-4 rainbow beets, peeled and finely sliced
- ½white onion, finely sliced
Preparation
- Bring water to a boil, and pour into a heatproof bowl. Mix with vinegars, sugar, salt, star anise, peppercorns, coriander seeds and chile, and stir until sugar is dissolved.
- Arrange prepped vegetables and fruit in a large jar or glass dish, and pour the vinegar mixture over them. (Depending on the size of the container, you may need to mix another batch of the vinegar mixture to cover them.) Let sit at room temperature until the liquid is slightly cooled, then transfer to the refrigerator for at least one hour, or overnight. Eat within the week.
Dining and Cooking