Authentic Sichuan Pickles Recipe

First, for making kimchi, buy a jar. Jars are sold in large vegetable markets. You should first test the jar's seal by asking the seller to test it: light a piece of paper and place it inside, then add water to see if any leaks occur. It should not leak. Then pour water along the inner edge of the jar, cover it, and slowly try to open the lid. If it feels very tight and hard to open, it means the seal is good. After buying the jar, wash it thoroughly, dry it, and let it air out.

How to make brine: Boil purified water and let it cool, or use mineral water (again, make sure there’s no oil). Pour it into a jar until it’s half full, then add 800 grams of pickling salt and 50 milliliters of white liquor. Make sure to use authentic Erguotou or pure grain liquor; don’t buy fake ones. Regarding the amount of salt and liquor, there is no strict ratio. Start with less salt, try it with pickled cabbage, taste the saltiness, and add more as needed. Use more salt if pickling peppers, less if pickling vegetables. The amount of liquor should not be too much; start with a small amount, and if you see a white coating forming on the surface, add a bit more as needed. If you like a bit of sweetness, you can add some rock sugar; in our household, we don’t like to add sugar to any dishes, so we didn’t.

Fresh small red chili peppers can be used, and using slightly larger red chili peppers is also very tasty. They are not as spicy. Cut them into two pieces with scissors and soak them. The chili peppers need to have their stems cut off, and then poke holes with a toothpick, as shown in the picture (toothpick removed).

Fresh young ginger, washed and air-dried

Tender garlic, remove both ends, peel off the outer membrane, wash, and let dry

Half a bag of bagged green Sichuan peppercorns, this cannot be missed, as it makes the brine taste especially good and also prevents the formation of that white layer. It's hard to buy in supermarkets; you need to go to the seasoning section of a wet market.

A moderate amount of red carrots, soak these for one or two hours before eating, soak as you eat, or soak 'Xinli Mei' and cut into pieces, this will make the brine very pretty, slightly red, and the radish will also be crisp and refreshing. Seasonal vegetables like cucumber, cowpea, and cabbage can all be pickled.

A jar of well-fermented pickles

Crispy and tasty kimchi