Suan cai is a sour pickle from northeastern China, made by rubbing cabbage with salt and letting it ferment naturally over several weeks. Getting the salt ratio neither too low nor too high is critical for the fermentation to progress properly. With no nuts and no need for fish in its plain ingredients, it suits many different diets.
Rub the thinly sliced cabbage thoroughly with the rock salt and let it sit for 15 minutes to release its own liquid.
Pack the cabbage along with its released liquid tightly into a clean jar, then top up with the cooled boiled water.
Loosely cap the jar and leave it to ferment in a dark place at room temperature for 3 weeks, checking for foam daily.
Once fermented, store the pickle in the fridge and use it for weeks.
Check the jar every day during fermentation and skim off any foam on the surface; left unchecked, the foam can spoil the pickle.
Adding a few slices of fresh ginger to the jar gives the suan cai a sharper aroma.
Admin DadaGastro · verified in test kitchenKavanozu her gün kontrol edip yüzeydeki köpüğü tarifte anlatıldığı gibi düzenli temizledim, 3 hafta sonunda turşu hiç bozulmadan mükemmel bir ekşilikte olgunlaştı, lahananın dokusu da hâlâ hafifçe çıtırdı.
Editör notundaki gibi kavanoza 3 dilim taze zencefil ekledim, turşunun aroması gerçekten çok daha keskin ve derin bir hâle geldi, 3 hafta sonunda ekşiliği de tam kıvamındaydı, ailem bayıldı.
Zencefil fermantasyon sırasında hafifçe daha da güçlenir, bu yüzden ilk günlerdeki tadı son hâlinden biraz daha hafif kalır. Sabırla beklemeye değer.
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