Simple fermented bok choy

Name: Simple fermented bok choy
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 15 min
Yield: Makes 2 x 500 ml (17 fl oz/2 cup) jars
Cuisine: Nepalese
Ingredients: fresh or dried hot chillies, to taste; 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves; 1 tablespoon coarse sea salt; 450 g (1 lb) bok choy (pak choy), washed thoroughly and chopped; 1 tablespoon prepared horseradish; 1 onion, chopped; 2 celery stalks, chopped; 3 garlic cloves, crushed

Preparation info

Makes
2 x 500 ml
jars

Difficulty
Easy
Ready in
15 min

Appears in

Lands of the Curry Leaf

By Peter Kuruvita

Published 2018

About

This method of fermentation has been used for centuries. You can use it with any vegetable and it will keep for months — but I prefer the pickle fairly fresh, at about 4–6 days old. I have loosely based this recipe on the Nepalese version; try it in a vegie burger with some grilled eggplant (aubergine) and haloumi cheese.

Ingredients

450 g (1 lb) bok choy (pak choy), washed thoroughly and chopped
1 onion, chopped

Method

Combine all the ingredients in a crockpot or food-grade bucket, making sure the salt is distributed evenly.

Press the mixture down with your fist, then set aside for 1 hour, or until the salt has drawn out enough moisture to submerge the vegies in the brine.

If not enough moisture is drawn out, add enough water to almost cover the vegies.

Cover the mixture with a non-met