Today I'm giving you another post from Veronica! I've never actually made these, but please feel free to still ask questions or make comments--I'll have Veronica stop by and answer them!
Pickled Radish
1 cup rice vinegar or Kombucha vinegar*
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
1/4 tsp turmeric
1 pound of Chinese white radish (白萝卜－bai luo bo)
1/4 cup salt
Heat vinegar, water, sugar and turmeric. Bring to a boil. Stir to dissolve sugar. Remove from heat. Allow to cool. Meanwhile, peel radish. Slice 1/4 inch thick matchsticks. Place into a jar with salt.
Mix well. After 1 hour rinse well. Pack into smaller glass jar (because the radish will have shrunk). Pour cooled brine though a strainer over radish and into the jar. These can be used immediately or they can continue to pao (pickle) in the fridge for as long as you like. Keeps for several weeks in the fridge.
Use in sushi, Vietnamese wraps, Korean lettuce wraps or as a side with Chinese dishes.
*I'll be posting Veronica's Kombucha vinegar in the future.
Pickled Radish
1 cup rice vinegar or Kombucha vinegar*
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
1/4 tsp turmeric
1 pound of Chinese white radish (白萝卜－bai luo bo)
1/4 cup salt
Mix well. After 1 hour rinse well. Pack into smaller glass jar (because the radish will have shrunk). Pour cooled brine though a strainer over radish and into the jar. These can be used immediately or they can continue to pao (pickle) in the fridge for as long as you like. Keeps for several weeks in the fridge.
Use in sushi, Vietnamese wraps, Korean lettuce wraps or as a side with Chinese dishes.
*I'll be posting Veronica's Kombucha vinegar in the future.
Hi Veronica, if you put it in the fridge right away will these radishes be rich in probiotics/ good bacteria? I am a beginner and have a ton to learn about real food, but I was under the impression that pickles needed to be left out at room temperature for a few days in order to create probiotic rich food.
ReplyDeleteI also wanted to ask about the lard in the picture. Did you render it yourself? I have read a lot about using natural fats like butter, lard and coconut oil and I would love to use more lard in my cooking, but someone cautioned me against using pig fat that isn't grass fed or organic because most of the toxins/hormones are concentrated in the fat. Do you have any thoughts on that? Do you have a suggestion on the healthiest oil to use for Chinese food?
Julie--
ReplyDeleteI can't find anything consistent about oils. Some sites say one is good and another will say its bad. However, for Chinese, its looking like peanut oil might be the best bet for high smoke point (good for frying and sautéing) but also not the worst health wise. Obviously olive oil has the best reputation. Then you'll read that Canola and Sunflower and Safflower are okay IF they are processed in certain ways and to read labels--well that gets tricky here! And can you really even trust what the label says in China? I feel like we are dealing with a lot of variables that make healthy eating choices difficult for us China people! I keep going back to the idea that moderation in all things and rotating our "poisons" so to speak is the best approach! :) Ha!
I just found your blog. My family of six lives in central China but is back in the States for a year. I've been learning a lot about the Nourishing Traditions style of cooking this year and am totally overwhelmed about how to transfer that to my life in China, where, like you say, you can't always trust what labels say. I'd love to contact Veronica and/or hear what you and she have to say about eating healthy, whole foods in China. I know it's balancing act. Just looking for some good diet changes to take back with me. I'll be perusing the blog for ideas. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteAshley
Ashley--
ReplyDeleteVeronica does a lot of cultures and fermenting. I think that stuff transfers very easily since the Chinese do a lot of paocai and vinegars anyway as well. I don't know what all the Nourishing Traditions style of cooking includes or emphasizes. At my house, I do yogurt but not all the paocai. I've started trying to use more whole grains for my family. So I'm learning all about what types of whole grains are available, nutrition value of those, and how to incorporate (and sneak in!) to what we're eating. Some posts on that will be coming. :) I recently started a blog post that isn't done about my food thoughts on where we live, eating healthy, and food fads/trends that get pushed on us in the blog world. Its not ready to share yet, but I just keep coming back to eating in moderation. If we just don't swing with all the fads but try to eat healthy, balanced diets and rotate our not so great China options then I think we're doing the best we can for ourselves and our kids. Also, Veronica said it well--start small and work into it. It can be overwhelming anywhere to make a lot of changes but especially in another culture! If you have some specific questions about availability of things and such, feel free to contact me on FB or email (sarabeth(at)pobox(dot)com). And I'll see how Veronica wants to be contacted as well.
Thanks, Sara Beth. We're in the thick of trying to return to China, hopefully in the Fall, so I will very likely e-mail with a question or two once we return. And I'd love to get in touch with Veronica if she's willing.
ReplyDeleteAshley