Making Crunchy Pickles

[Jet Gorgon]

Are you using large onions? I have never seen smaller onions in Thailand. If you use the larger onions how long do you pickle them for.

Shallots with the red skins. Fresh at the market.

[tutsiwarrior]

did sum ribs; always a big hit wid the family...got sum beef on the go with green papaya tenderisin'...later to do sum stew...the wife's birthday today, hope it turns out OK...

(cheater???...I want to knaw the reptiles offa yer skull, thou vile and bewitching, impure and unchaste heathen... )

You misquoting Lear or Henry, you spearchucker? Don't leave the papaya on too long now, it's not like soaking kidney beans. Happy Birthday to Mrs Tutsi.

having a go wid ol' GB Shaw outta Saint Joan wherein a cleric spat 'thou wanton...' at the protagonist...(I hate bein' educated...don't yew?)

(tutsi is at work composing a letter to a contractor who has mis-applied caulking to a gas turbine enclosure...'and we were dismayed to find that the substance had been applied in wanton fashion...'...later, the contractor in a meeting: 'and we contend that the caulking was applied carefully and not wantonly as was alleged...' isn't power station project engineering wonderful?)

Edited September 6, 2007 by tutsiwarrior

[mpdkorat]

Are you using large onions? I have never seen smaller onions in Thailand. If you use the larger onions how long do you pickle them for.

Shallots with the red skins. Fresh at the market.

Ill give those a try then, Thanks.

[Jet Gorgon]

^ Ya, Mpd, peel them and do your brine. A bit sharp in taste, but people seem to like them.

(tutsi is at work composing a letter to a contractor who has mis-applied caulking to a gas turbine enclosure...'and we were dismayed to find that the substance had been applied in wanton fashion...'...later, the contractor in a meeting: 'and we contend that the caulking was applied carefully and not wantonly as was alleged...' isn't power station project engineering wonderful?)

in a wanton fashion? Mebbe he meant won ton -- this is the food forum after all.

[bikerlou47]

I have made pickles several times, but the cukes aren't as crunchy as I like, although all my Thai neighbours love them. Any suggestions for creating the perfect crunch factor?

I usually do the regular brine thing, add layers of dill, baby cukes, cauli heads, garlic cloves, and a few big chilis for colour. I tried the refrigerator cooling process as I do not have a root cellar (hee), but that didn't work either.

Any hints, Forum Chefs?

More salt more crunch!

[hotgeekus]

I have made pickles several times, but the cukes aren't as crunchy as I like, although all my Thai neighbours love them. Any suggestions for creating the perfect crunch factor?

I usually do the regular brine thing, add layers of dill, baby cukes, cauli heads, garlic cloves, and a few big chilis for colour. I tried the refrigerator cooling process as I do not have a root cellar (hee), but that didn't work either.

Any hints, Forum Chefs?

More salt more crunch!

Everytime, actually it was the only recipe I've ever tried, is to salt the vegetables overnight beforehand, then wash thoroughly. I used the recipe and then winged it, as I am a, gulp, professional chef, and I would fall asleep measuring 3 tbsp for every gallon, when I made about 100 lbs every batch.

From what I assume, salt draws out the water, making them more crunchy, less soggie.

[tutsiwarrior]

^ Ya, Mpd, peel them and do your brine. A bit sharp in taste, but people seem to like them.

(tutsi is at work composing a letter to a contractor who has mis-applied caulking to a gas turbine enclosure...'and we were dismayed to find that the substance had been applied in wanton fashion...'...later, the contractor in a meeting: 'and we contend that the caulking was applied carefully and not wantonly as was alleged...' isn't power station project engineering wonderful?)

in a wanton fashion? Mebbe he meant won ton -- this is the food forum after all.

there werne't no noodles on the table at the meeting, as I remember ...however, I got to admit that the justice was bittersweet as the guy died of a heart attack soon after, he had a lovely wife and beautiful children...I hate to think that dealing with an absurd treatment of the language led to his demise

[Jet Gorgon]

^ too much stress, Tutsi. that is sad tho.

[cathyy]

Okay a new possibility for making crisp pickles is to ice the cukes for half and hour or so immediately before making the pickles. Not tried, just read about in several different recipes.

As mentioned in another thread, I've been making pickles lately. I make the kind you need to refrigerate, and it's easy. If I wanted to make some to keep at room temperature, how long would I need to process them? Would a boiling water bath be sufficient or is a pressure canner needed? Could I use the same basic procedure I use now and just process them when the jars are filled and closed? I use the jars with the glass top and gasket, not the US standard jars with lids and rings.

[Jet Gorgon]

Check out the other chef here who soaks in salt overnight to draw out the moisture. Heck, canning jars? My neighbours saved all their screwtop glass jars for me. Boiled them to sanitise and never had a prob, even for pickles I left to age on a bottom kitchen shelf.

[Yorkie]

Three months...I can't keep my neighbours waiting more than a week. They start foraging through my fridge and cupboards the day after, but I hold 'em off for seven. Not enough empty jars to do more and there's nowhere to hide them anyway.

The onions I leave for at least 4 weeks in a dark cupboard. After that, I place them in the fridge overnight. I use pricked fresh red chilies for flavour (about 8 or 9 Thai chilies per litre) and the longer the onions are left, the hotter they become.

Talking of chili for flavouring, I added some cayenne peppers to a bottle of vodka. After 2 weeks it blew my head off!

[griser]

Not sure if its been mentioned but Dill is sold here at all the markets. It's called Pak Chee

Greg

[cathyy]

Pak chee is cilantro. Pak chee lao is dill. And I believe most people reading this already knew that.

Last batch of pickles were set to rest for 10 days instead of 7. After 10 days the dill and garlic are too strong, and there wasn't enough salt. I did get the amount of peppercorns and bay leaf determined in this batch, though. I finally got my husband to take me to a market to get the pickles and dill. He was surprised to find we paid half as much for them there.

[Jet Gorgon]

^ ya, way cheaper and fresher too, I bet.

Greg, thanks for the Thai note. We can all use new Thai words for foods. Tutsi, are you writing this down? hehe

[Yorkie]

Pak chee is cilantro. Pak chee lao is dill. And I believe most people reading this already knew that.

And pak chee farang is parsley.

To clarify for English speakers, cilantro is coriander leaf.

I was cooking something the other day and I realised I didn't have any coriander leaf. I asked the old lady at the pub next door if she had any spare "pak chee". She brought me a Pepsi.

My Thai has got to get better!

[Jet Gorgon]

^ hehe. That's a refreshing post.

[Yorkie]

Talking of herbs, I have some market pictures on www.freebeerforyorky.com

The "Markets of Thailand" pages

[seppl04]

I think everybody has an own recipe for brine and what else to put into it

crunchy pickles: buy small fresh cucumbers

befor putting them in any brine, put a few small wholes with a toothpick in their skin (this lets the brine enter faster

many wholes that is !

I always change what I pickle together with the cucumbers, but the wholes and the rest keeps the same and the pickles are always crunchy

rest: cover the pickles with boiling hot brine (all the veggies must be covered), then put them in the fridge

repeat that once a day for three days and ready they are

keep them always in the fridge and they stay crunchy

[Yorkie]

cover the pickles with boiling hot brine (all the veggies must be covered), then put them in the fridge

repeat that once a day for three days and ready they are

I wouldn't recommend putting boiling brine straight into the fridge. Imagine the temperature drop of the beer!

[Beachbunny]

My Dutch grandma always used the coldpack method. HOWEVER, your vinegar/salt brine must be boiling hot when you pour it over cucumber in your pre-sterililzed, pre-packed jars....and if you don't want to refrigerate them you need a jar that will seal, such as Ker or Mason. With that type of jar you should get a good seal and not have to refrigerate...........If you still don't feel like this is safe enough, you can process 15 minutes in a boiling water bath. I prefer not to as in my opinion tends to make the pickles softer.

Having said that, here in Thailand I just don't want to mess with that........so this is the method I now use and they are always crunchy, unless you use

those fat little cucumbers. You have to buy fresh (local market)slim cucumbers between 3 and 4 inches long. I guess you could use the slim korean/japanies

type slender cukes. The first thing I do is clean them well, put in a stainless pitcher or bowl cover and refrigerate for 24 to 48 hours. Then I pack everything into

a large rectangle sealable tupperware type container, that had been cleaned with hot water and let air dry. Then I pack the container just like I would the jars......

Layers of dill, sliced garlic, cukes, and dried whole chilis. After the brine has cooled down a bit I pour that over the cukes put the lid on burp it and let it set a little if it's

still too hot to put in the frig. Put in the fridge for two weeks and enjoy.

I always use hard water, no filtered water, that gives you soggy pickles. If you still have soggy pickles you can use 1/2 tsp of alum for 8-10 quarts of pickles.

Also, if you are using regular salt with iodine, you will have soggy pickles. You have to use either kosher salt, pickling salt, or sea salt. Personally I use sea salt.

More salt will not make your pickles crunchier, just saltier.

I don't know if the vinegar is weaker here or what, but I had to increase the amount of vinegar I use. Right now I use 3/4 to 1 cup of vinegar to a quart of water and

not quite a 1/4 cup of sea salt.(2T + 1tsp) You may have to adjust that according to your taste.

Happy Pickling,

Beachbunny

P.S. pak chee farang is not coriander or cilantro, nor is it what is called italian parsley...... it is the flat leafed jagged edged herb that has a much stronger aroma and taste.

[Beachbunny]

I can't find the edit button, but on my previous post, that should be no purified water. You could probably use mineral water, or filtered well water if it's not too soft. Also, city dwellers, make sure your water doesn't have any chlorine in it.

I use filtered well water, but our well is too high in calcium so I add some other water to it.

Beachbunny