Chinese Pickles Recipe: Sweet and Sour, Mixed Pickles
Who doesn’t love pickles? Sweet and sour pickle triggers the flow of saliva inside your mouth, which helps in digestion. This appetizing pickle is super easy to make and needs only a few ingredients. I have added a bit of a twist to this Chinese pickles recipe.
Instead of a simple brine, I will use Sprite for this pickle. It may sound counter-intuitive, but the pickle will taste amazing. This pickle can be made in a short time and stored for months. Let’s make Chinese pickles that you can eat directly or pair with other dishes.
Table of Contents
Recipe Overview
You might wonder how long these pickles will take to prepare. The following overview chart contains the necessary information.
| Course: Snack | Cuisine: Chinese | Difficulty: Easy | ||
| Total Time: 24 hours | ||||
| Serving | Preparation Time | Cooking Time | Calories | |
| 4 persons | 24 hours | No cooking | 55 kcal | |
Ingredients Needed for the Recipe
I am using multiple vegetables to make this mixed pickle. The required ingredients are given below.
- Sprite: 1 liter
- Ginger: ½ cup, roughly sliced
- Garlic: ½ cup, roughly sliced
- Red Chili: 10-12 chilies, cut into segments
- Green Chili: 6-8 pickled green chili with brine
- Rock Candy: 18 pcs
- White Vinegar: 2 tbsp
- Salt: 2 tbsp
- Radish: ½ cup, cut into julienne
- Cucumber: 1 cup, cut into julienne
- Carrot: 1 cup, cut into julienne
- Cabbage: 1 cup, torn into ribbons
Besides, you will need a glass jar to preserve the pickles.
Chinese Pickles Recipe: Step-By-Step Instructions
This recipe doesn’t require any cooking. Let’s start assembling the pickles.
Step 1: Prepare the Aromatics
Peel the ginger and garlic first. Then, slice the garlic and ginger roughly. Also, chop the red chilies.
Step 2: Assemble the Pickle in a Bowl
Pour 1 liter of Sprite into a large bowl. Then, add the ginger slices, garlic sliced, chopped chili, and pickled green chili with brine to the bowl. Also, add 2 tbsp of white vinegar and 18 rock candies to the brine.
Step 3: Put the Vegetables
Add white radish strips, cucumber strips, carrot strips, and hand-torn cabbage to the brine. Stir well so that all the vegetables are covered in brine.
Step 4: Preserve in a Jar
Put the aromatics and vegetables in a glass jar. Add 2 tbsp of salt to the jar. Then, pour the brine into the jar. All the ingredients should be covered in brine. Close the lid and store the jar in the refrigerator for 24 hours. After one day, the pickle is ready to eat.
You Can Also Try Chinese Pickled Cucumber Recipe
Nutrition Facts of the Recipe
Chinese pickle is very low in calories and has many essential nutrients. The following list will give you the nutritional values of this recipe.
- Total Carbohydrates: 2.26g
- Protein: 0.33g
- Total Fat: 0.2g
- Saturated Fat: 0.052g
- Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.081g
- Monounsaturated Fat: 0.003
- Total Dietary Fiber: 1.2g
- Total Sugar: 1.06g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
- Sodium: 1210mg
- Potassium: 23mg
- Magnesium: 4mg
- Iron: 0.4mg
- Phosphorus: 14mg
- Vitamin A: 10IU
- Vitamin C: 1mg
Do’s and Don’ts of the Recipe
While making these pickles, the following tips from my experience can be helpful to you.
Do’s
- Clean the jar properly before storing the pickle in it. There should be no oil or water in the jar.
- Close the lid tightly while preserving the pickles. It will accelerate the fermentation process.
Don’ts
- Even if the amount of salt seems little, don’t add more salt. The pickled green chili brine is already salty.
- Don’t add dark vinegar. It will change the color of the pickles and they won’t look as translucent.
Chinese Pickles Recipe
Ingredients
Method
- Peel the ginger and garlic first. Then, slice the garlic and ginger roughly. Also, chop the red chilies.
- Pour 1 liter of Sprite into a large bowl. Then, add the ginger slices, garlic sliced, chopped chili, and pickled green chili with brine to the bowl. Also, add 2 tbsp of white vinegar and 18 rock candies to the brine.
- Add white radish strips, cucumber strips, carrot strips, and hand-torn cabbage to the brine. Stir well so that all the vegetables are covered in brine.
- Put the aromatics and vegetables in a glass jar. Add 2 tbsp of salt to the jar. Then, pour the brine into the jar. All the ingredients should be covered in brine. Close the lid and store the jar in the refrigerator for 24 hours. After one day, the pickle is ready to eat.
FAQs
I compiled the answers to several common questions regarding this recipe that people ask online. You can check those answers below.
What is the difference between Chinese pickles and Western pickles?
Western pickles mostly use vinegar to preserve the ingredients. They also contain a moderate amount of salt. Chinese pickles also use salt, vinegar, etc., but they are slightly sweeter than Western pickles.
How do you start a Chinese pickle brine?
To start a Chinese pickle brine, you have to mix water, vinegar, salt, etc. Then, you can add the aromatics and the vegetables. It takes about 24-48 hours for the pickle to be ready.
What type of jar is best for pickling?
A glass jar is the best choice for preserving pickles. You can also use ceramic jars to store pickles. These materials don’t alter the taste of the ingredients. Remember, the glass or ceramic jar you use for pickling should be durable and have air-tight lids.
How do I sterilize the jar before storing Chinese pickles?
First, you need to wash the jar thoroughly. Then, pour boiling water into the jar and swirl it inside. It will sterilize the jar. Let the jar dry before storing the pickles in it.
Conclusion
The history of Chinese pickles is as old as the Zhou dynasty. Pickles are still a popular way of preserving various items. Mixed pickles are enjoyed with a variety of dishes. Making Chinese pickles is pretty straightforward and requires no cooking.
The Chinese pickles recipe I shared with you is very close to the authentic one except for the fact that I used Sprite in it. It makes the vegetables crispier and the pickle becomes more enjoyable. Make this pickle at home and enjoy!
