Knotted Vegetable

Knotted Vegetable

　　Also known as Knotted Vegetable or Mustard Root Tuber, this vegetable is produced in Huai'an, Jiangsu. First, select tubers weighing over half a pound with neat and attractive shapes as raw materials, and peel off their outer skins. Stack the skinned tubers neatly and cover them with straw mats. After five to seven days, place them in a vat for "freshening" (soaking). During the soaking period, mash them once daily with a wooden mallet. After three to four days, wash them clean in the brine and remove them, then transfer them to another vat for another three to four days of "freshening" to become semi-finished products. The semi-finished products are washed clean in the brine, removed, and poured into vats, jars, or cement pools. They are then leveled, tamped down firmly, covered with straw mats, and weighted with bluestones. Next, clarified old brine is poured in — this step is called “sealing the vat.” During this period, salt and brine are added as needed. The so-called old brine refers to the pickling liquid that has been used for more than three years for curing mustard root tubers. Around the Dragon Boat Festival, the old-brine mustard root tubers are fully cured. This process ensures that they do not turn sour or rot during the summer, and their flavor actually improves the longer they are stored.