Asian Quick Pickled Carrots Recipe: Easy Recipe for Asian Pickled Carrots (2024)

FAQs

Do you have to peel carrots before pickling? ›

The first step in making pickling carrots is to wash and peel them. In theory, you could pickle your carrots without peeling them. But unless the carrots are young and small, the skins can taste bitter, so I recommend peeling all but the smallest before pickling.

The flavors will deepen and intensify the longer it marinates. Best flavor is achieved after 24 hours. Will keep in the refrigerator for 2-3 weeks (sometimes longer). Not freezer friendly.

To a small saucepan add vinegar of choice, water, salt, and sugar. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and stir to fully dissolve salt and sugar. Taste and adjust flavor as needed, adding more salt or sugar to taste. Pour the brine over the vegetables, ensuring they are fully submerged.

Most pickle recipes call for distilled white vinegar. This is the clear, colorless vinegar made by fermenting grains. It has a mellow aroma, tart acid flavor and does not affect the color of light-colored vegetables or fruits.

Sugar in pickling is used to balance the tartness of the vinegar. Although the sugar can be eliminated from pickle recipes, the pickles are likely to be too sour. Note: Under no circ*mstances should the amount of vinegar be decreased or diluted to compensate for less sugar.

If you're using green vegetables — to make, for example, green bean pickles or zucchini pickles — you can blanch vegetables first in boiling water for two to three minutes and then shock them in an ice bath to preserve their color, but this step is purely optional.

Visible mold: This is an obvious sign that your pickles have gone bad. Unusually sour taste and smell: If things smell and taste a bit more sour than usual, in an unpleasant way, this may not be a good sign. If you're not liking the taste anyway, it may be time to toss those pickles.

Pickling doesn't have to be a long process involving canning and special supplies. If you have vegetables that would be good pickled, like onions, garlic, carrots or green beans, toss them in the jar of leftover pickle juice, and see what happens. They'll make a nice addition to a charcuterie platter or Blood Mary.

Quick pickling, or refrigerator pickling, involves a simple boil-and-pour method of pickling. You take all of your ingredients, apart from the product that is being pickled, and bring them to a boil. The heating process helps activate the flavors in the brine and marry them together.

All-Purpose Quick Pickling Brine

Measure out about 1 tablespoon of your chosen spices and herbs and add to your pickling jar. Add your washed and sliced produce, packing the jar tightly. In a medium saucepan, bring the water, vinegar, salt and sugar to a boil.

What is the most important ingredient in pickling vegetables? ›

Vinegar: Use white distilled or cider vinegars of 5% acidity. Any kind of vinegar with unknown acidity should not be used. White vinegar is usually preferred when a light color is desirable. The level of acidity in a pickled or fermented product is as important to its safety as it is to taste and texture.

The classic ratio is super easy to remember and is easily scale-able depending on how many pickles you're making. It's 100% vinegar, 50% water, 25% sugar and 12.5% kosher salt by weight.

Carrots or daikon are divided into parts 4-5 cm long and cut into thin plates. These plates are laid one on the other and cut with straw. For cutting long bow straws, take only the white part.

Julienne Carrot Sticks

If you prefer a finer texture, you can julienne the carrot sticks. Take the carrot sticks and carefully cut them into long, thin matchstick-like pieces. Aim for sticks that are about 2-3 inches in length.

Slice your carrots diagonally to maximize surface area for all that lovely heat to work its magic. Remember, not too thin, not too thick, just perfect. If you want to use large carrots, peel them with a vegetable peeler first. Depending on the size of the carrot, you may want to leave it whole, or cut it in half.