Dưa Chua Recipe - Vietnamese Pickled Mustard Greens
This pickled gai choi side dish was one always present in my grandmas kitchens. Crunchy, lightly pickled slices of mustard greens with slivers of onions made them a great pairing for things like salty, braised meats.
- Prep time
- 15 min
- Cook time
- 10 min
- Yield
- 6 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 2 lb large head of gai choi (Asian mustard greens)
- 1 medium onion (sliced)
- 16 cups water
- 4 tbsp. salt
- 10 tbsp. sugar
- 2 tbsp. vinegar
Instructions
- 1
Break the gai choi leaves apart and clean thoroughly under running water. Dry on the counter for 10-16 hours or in the sun for 6-8 hours.
- 2
Cut the leaves and onions to desired size, about 1" pieces.
- 3
Combine water, salt, sugar, and vinegar in a pot and bring almost to a boil. Turn off heat and wait until water cools. It should be hot, but you can touch it without burning yourself.
- 4
Add all the vegetables into the pot, making sure everything is submerged. You can also add all of this into a jar instead of the pot. Leave your container in a warm place (window sill, or oven with the oven light on) so it can pickle. Taste a piece every 24 hours until it gets sour enough for your taste, then transfer to the fridge.