Quick pickled vegetables is a quick and easy way to have pickle vegetables when you are in a hurry. Pickling is practised in many cultures across the world and it entails the immersion of food in saltwater brine or acidic liquid like vinegar until they are no longer raw. It has some health benefits too.

Pickling is used to preserve food for a few weeks or months. The texture, flavour and colour of pickled food are normally affected, it should be refrigerated.

It is used as a snack, in salads, shawarmas, Taco, omelette, spring rolls, burger, served with roasted or fried meat and fish, noodles etc.

All about quick pickling of vegetables

Fermentation or real pickling is labour intensive, it is done with specialized equipment and takes weeks and months to achieve. With quick pickling, you have your pickled vegetables in a fraction of that time say between 1 hour and 48 hours. The flavour is very good and the longer you leave it in the liquid, the more intense the flavour gets.

It is best to use very fresh vegetables. Cut them to your desired shape example carrots and cucumber can be cut in rounds or sticks, ribbons, diagonally etc. Softer veggies will take a shorter time to pickle.

You can use most types of vinegar, you might need to experiment a bit but white vinegar and apple cider vinegar are the most versatile. Of course, apple cider vinegar will give a less acidic taste. The ratio of vinegar to water can be adjusted to your taste. If you want a less tart pickle, reduce the amount of vinegar used. This also goes for sugar, for a sweeter pickle, add more sugar and reduce the amount of sugar for a tangier taste. I add all the sugar because my children prefer their pickled veggies not too tangy.

Quick pickled vegetables taste great with added spices and herbs. It all depends on what you like, garlic is an excellent addition to any pickle. You can boil the garlic first in the pickling liquid before adding salt and sugar, to remove that peculiar garlicky taste.

So many types of vegetables, fruits, even meat can be pickled, Cucumber, carrot, cabbage, beetroot, daikon, bell peppers, green beans, onions, radish, garlic, ginger, apple, lemon, orange etc.

Use wide-mouth jars like empty jam jars.

Warning:

If your stored pickled vegetable develops bubbles, throw it out there are bacteria growing in it.

To make Quick pickled vegetables

2 Clean wide mouth jars
2 cucumber
2 carrots
1 green bell pepper
1 onion
6 cloves garlic
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon salt
1 1/2 cups vinegar
3 cups boiling hot water

Prepare your jars, wash jars and lids in warm soapy water and rinse well.

Set aside to dry, or dry completely by hand.

Wash and dry the vegetables. Peel carrots and cut all the vegetables into your desired shapes and sizes.

Place garlic and vegetables into the jars, packing them in gently as tightly as possible. Leave about half an inch of space from the rim of the jar to the tops of the vegetables.

Place sugar, salt, vinegar and water in a small pot and bring to a boil. Boil and stir until sugar and salt have dissolved.

Pour liquid over pickling vegetables, tap gently on the table to remove air bubbles. Cover and set aside for 2 hours at room temperature.

Store in the refrigerator for a minimum of 8 hours before eating.