We all know about red chilies. We’re so well informed, well educated, well versed about them. Karate chop them for stir fries. Blend them for curries or chili sauces. Sun bathe them to make dry chili flakes. Fumble with their seeds then touch your eyes, your lips and not forgetting your nose to spice up your life….. literally.
But green chilies. They are the weird bunch. It doesn’t even feel like they belong in the supermarket. More so, it looks as though your supermarket’s playing a prank on you. Shouldn’t they turn red before they’re put up for sale? Maybe you feel bad for the green chilies laying there all by themselves, so you bring them home and wait for them to turn red. Guess what? They won’t. Now they just lay there all by themselves in your pantry. All green.
So, to get back at them for their unappreciative manner, we ought to vinegarize the heck out of them. That’ll teach them. While we’re at that, let’s sting them too with a little salt. Just to make them believe we’re still the nice guys, we sugar coat them. Now they’re really confused.
And really delicious too. You’ve just turn them into Chinese pickled green chilies.
No, we’re not trying to be racially superior here. Who would’ve thought that there are other pickled green chilies out there. Indian. Korean. Mexican. To differentiate the lot, we had to label it Chinese. That’s not to say you can’t enjoy these on your tacos. I’ve never done so though. Just sayin’.
Chinese pickled green chilies. Your stir fries, noodles, rice, or any other Chinese dishes you can imagine is not going to be the same without this condiment. Ever. Again.
Quick Recipe
what you need:
5 oz green chilies (eg. serrano)
1 cup rice vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
directions:
1. Wash the chilies and pat them dry with a paper towel.
2. Slice and deseed the chilies. Place the chilies in a sterilized glass bottle.
3. Put vinegar, sugar and salt in a saucepan to boil until sugar and salt has dissolved completely.
4. Pour the hot vinegar mixture into the bottle with chilies.
5. Let it cool completely before storing in the refrigerator.
6. The chilies are ready to be eaten in 2 – 3 days. They are best consumed within a month.
Notes:
- The easiest way I found to deseed the chilies is to place them on a strainer with holes big enough for the seeds to fall through but not for the chilies to fall through. Give it a shake.
- Be careful when handling chilies. Use a rubber gloves as a precaution. Do not touch your eyes or any part of your body or it’ll burn. Make sure you wash your hands with soap after. If you do accidentally get burn, use cold milk or yogurt to ease it.
How ’bout enjoying these chilies with some Chinese BBQ Pork (Char Siu)?
How do you enjoy your Chinese pickled green chilies?
