Pucker Up! Momofuku's Pickles Are Perfect
Pickles are so much more than dill spears on the side of a Reuben sandwich or slices on a burger. Think beyond the cukes and beans preserved in the autumn. Think quick. Pick just about any veggie, add salt, sugar, spices, vinegar and... snap! You've got a quick pickle.
That's why I was so tickled the basic formula for making those sweet-tart treats was included in the smash-hit cookbook that chronicles Chang's path to culinary glory. His brilliance has a lot to do with the simple, clean flavors in his recipes. He resists the urge to pile on. Thank goodness.
To add a bright contrast to his rich shrimp and grits recipe (the secret is in the dashi used to cook the rustic grits, the broth made with dried kelp and smoky bacon), I recently made a perky pickle plate. Apples (yes, pickled apples), fennel, carrots, radishes and those delicate enoki mushrooms. That colorful assortment cleansed the palate like no fruity sorbet could.
Vinegar Pickles, Master Recipe from Momofuku by David Chang and Peter Meehan
Ingredients
1 cup water, piping hot from the tap
1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
6 tablespoons sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons Kosher salt
Fruit or vegetable, sliced thin
Instructions
1. Combine the water, vinegar, sugar and salt in a mixing bowl and stir until the sugar dissolves.
2. Prepare vegetables or fruit and place in a quart container. Pour brine over the fruit or vegetable and refrigerate. You can eat immediately. But they will taste better after they've had time to sit.
-- Leslie Kelly
Kitchen Monki Dan on March 06, 2010 at 11:18 AM
pickled daikons are one of my faves to eat. i'm glad chang brought pickled veggies/fruits to the forefront.