Liuzhou pickled vegetables

Liuzhou pickled vegetables

　　There is a saying in Nanning: "Travelers can't resist the pickled vegetable stalls," which vividly captures the appeal of "suan ye" (pickled vegetables). These are made from seasonal local produce such as papaya, radish, cucumber, lotus root, cabbage, pineapple, and more, pickled with vinegar, chili, and sugar. The result is a tangy, sweet, fragrant, and spicy flavor, all in one—crisp, refreshing, and appetizing.

　　Suan ye is a type of pickled vegetable, a distinctive snack from Guangxi and a brilliant invention of the Zhuang people. It involves pickling vegetables and fruits with vinegar, sugar, and other ingredients to stimulate saliva, aid digestion, kill bacteria, reduce inflammation, relieve fatigue, and supplement natural plant-based fiber and vitamins. Suan ye was first created in the late Qin Dynasty and remains popular in most parts of Guangxi and some areas of Guangdong. Varieties like vinegar-pickled radish skin have even been adopted and adapted by many regional cuisines, showcasing its strong regional character.

　　Buy a pickling jar, either glass or earthenware—the latter is preferable. Wash it thoroughly, scald it with boiling water, then let it dry. Boil a pot of water, and when it’s boiling, add salt while stirring clockwise for two minutes. Then take a small bowl of regular cooking rice, fry it in an iron pan until golden brown, and add the toasted rice to the pickling jar. Also add a small bowl of sweet wine (about a bowl’s worth), followed by the vegetables you want to pickle (make sure they’re dried). You can also add a bit of sugar. You can pickle radishes, ginger, bitter melon, lotus root, and more. After a few days, it’s ready to eat. It’s delicious and especially fragrant. If possible, place the jar in the sun—it gets even better. Once you’ve eaten the contents, you can add more vegetables to pickle, but remember to add a bit of salt. Throughout the entire process, make sure nothing touches oil.

　　Method:

　　1. Go to the market and buy fresh bamboo shoots, preferably shoot-tip bamboo shoots. Regular sweet bamboo shoots work too (if you’re unsure, just ask the bamboo shoot vendor). Also buy a pickling jar—glass is fine. I’ve successfully pickled a batch using a mineral water bottle before, and the taste was pretty good.

　　2. Wash the bamboo shoots and cut them into chunks. (You can also cut them into thin strips like the ones you usually eat, which makes cooking easier.)

　　3. Soak the cut bamboo shoots in clean water for two to three hours. (Tap water is fine; the water temperature should not exceed 20°C.)

　　4. Boil a pot of water and let it cool. (If you have well water, you can skip boiling.)

　　5. Place the soaked bamboo shoots into the jar, add the cooled water, and seal it. (Keep the jar in a cool, shady spot. If it’s a glass jar, store it away from direct light to prevent the shoots from discoloring.)

　　6. During the pickling process, ensure that the shoots, water, jar, and your hands do not come into contact with any oil. After a month, the jar can be opened and the shoots are ready to eat.

　　Characteristics:

　　1. "Sour"—the sourness is sharp and invigorating, almost making you stagger.

　　2. "Sweet"—the sweetness is mild, subtle, and lingering.

　　3. "Salty"—the saltiness is at a palatable level. Coarse salt is used for pickling; it results in a particularly crisp texture.

　　4. "Fragrant"—this fragrance is best described by the idiom "adding luster to a humble home."

　　5. "Crisp"—one bite produces a satisfying crunch, perfectly highlighting the juiciness, sweetness, and crispness of the fruit or vegetable.

　　6. "Fresh"—the freshness should be refreshing. Over-pickling, which turns radishes or cucumbers mushy, is off-putting.

　　7. Add rock sugar to rapidly promote the growth of lactic acid bacteria, quickly increase acidity, and eliminate harmful bacteria.

　　Varieties:

　　People in Liuzhou seem to pickle just about anything. Common varieties include: pickled radish, pickled carrot, pickled bamboo shoot skin, pickled sweet potato, pickled yam, pickled garlic, pickled chili, pickled papaya, pickled shallot, pickled sword bean, pickled chayote, pickled celery, pickled cucumber, pickled broccoli stem, pickled water spinach stem, pickled cabbage, pickled long bean, pickled leek heart, pickled lotus root, pickled water chestnut, pickled lettuce stem, pickled ginger sprout, pickled houttuynia, pickled green bean, pickled hawthorn, pickled peach, pickled bitter melon, and pickled papaya, among others.