Vietnamese pickled vegetables, called do chua (đồ chua) in Vietnamese, are super easy to make and delicious served alongside any southeast Asian dishes. Traditionally vegetables were pickled during the warmer months when they were abundant, so they could be enjoyed during the cooler months when fresh food was in shorter supply. Today the flavour and texture of Vietnamese pickled vegetables (as an accompaniment or an ingredient) is enjoyed year-round. It’s worth making a big batch of do chua as they keep well in the fridge for at least a month and add crunch and colour to all sorts of dishes, including bánh mi. If you’re in a hurry, you can shortcut by coarsely grating the vegetables and just pickling them overnight. Every Vietnamese family has their preferred ratio of sugar to vinegar for pickling, depending on how sweet or sour they like their pickles. I like a roughly 50/50 blend, you can vary the ratio to suit your own taste if you prefer them more sour or sweeter.
Makes about 2 cups
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