Agile in the kitchen

Pickled vegetables

Photo taken slightly form above. A wooden cutting board, with a folded flowery cloth napkin, three jars of pickled vegetables; one with sliced radishes, one with carrot sticks and one with sliced red onions.
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I love the tangy taste of pickled vegetables, a little sour a little savoury. I love it even more when I can rescue vegetables that are about to go bad. Pickled vegetables are a versatile dish that I can use a side dish or as the main event, and the vegetable combinations are endless.

On a wooden cutting board, with a folded flowery cloth napkin, three jars of pickled vegetables; one with sliced radishes, one with carrot sticks and in the front, a jar of sliced red onions.
Pickled vegetables collection

Pickling variations

I use two versions when pickling vegetables. It uses the same four basic ingredients water, vinegar, salt and sugar, but one applies heat and the other time. The first recipe is for hot pickling, referring to the cooking method, not the spiciness. Cooking the vegetables in a solution of mainly water and vinegar, then letting it cool down before bottling it. This version is good for things like onions of all kinds and gherkins.

The second version is a cold pickle, where you again mix all the ingredients for the solution and let the vegetables soak in it for a few hours before they are ready to eat. I use this version for vegetables that I would otherwise eat raw, such as carrots and radishes, or cooked beetroot.

Pickling by cooking the vegetables, will take slightly less time until they are ready to eat, which is good if you are in a hurry to get something on the table. Either way they are both delicious and quite simple to do.

On a wooden cutting board with a folded cloth napkin with flowers, a teaspoon with salt, a pink bowl with sugar, a blue ceramic bowl with vinegar, a glass bowl with radishes and a glass bowl with carrot sticks
Ingredients to make pickled vegetables

How long do pickled vegetables last?

Leaving the veggies in the fridge in an airtight glass jar, home made pickles will last for quite a while. I have had jars of pickled onions or beetroot for more than three months. Although, I will make sure that there is no sign of mold or any other impurities in the pickling juice or on the vegetables before using them. To be on the safe side, I would not keep them for longer than three months in an airtight container in the fridge.

On a wooden cutting board, a flowery cloth napkin folded, on top a teaspoon with salt, a pink jar with sugar, a garlic clove and two bay leaves. Next to the cloth, a ceramic bowl with sliced red onion in pickle juice
Pickled red onion

No waste cooking

When I have vegetables that is about to go bad, I will use pickling to make sure that they last for a bit longer. Of course, make sure that the vegetables you use are not past its best, you do not want to pickle something that has already gone bad.

Variations

I use my pickled vegetables as a side dish for most entrees. Perfect for when I do not have any fresh veggies to make a salad. I will throw on some pickled beetroot or carrots to make sure I have enough vegetables on the plate. But there are some dishes that I cook that do require pickles as the main ingredient, such as my Tofu Banh Mi bowl, a fun variation of the Vietnamese Banh Mi Sandwich and perfect to make if you do not have baguette at home. Or dip the vegetables into my Banh Mi sauce.

In barbecue times add pickled vegetables to my Barbecue Hamburger or Asian inspired hamburger.

Photo taken slightly form above. A wooden cutting board, with a folded flowery cloth napkin, three jars of pickled vegetables; one with sliced radishes, one with carrot sticks and one with sliced red onions.
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Pickled vegetables

Rescue some vegetables by pickling them. Pickled vegetables are versatile dish, use them as a side dish or the main event.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Cooling time30 minutes
Total Time55 minutes
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Swedish
Keyword: pickling, vegetables
Servings: 6 portions

Ingredients

Pickled red onions

  • 2 red onions
  • 500 ml water
  • 250 ml white wine vinegar
  • 3 tbsp sugar
  • 2 cloves garlic roughly chopped
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 tsp white pepper

Pickled carrots/beetroot/radishes

  • 300 g-500g vegetables depending on the size of your vegetables
  • 200 ml vinegar
  • 200 ml water
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 garlic clove crushed

Instructions

Hot pickled red onions

  • Slice red onions into half moons.
  • Peel and roughly chop garlic.
  • Put onions and garlic in pot.
  • Add sugar, bay leaves and white pepper.
  • Add water and white wine vinegar, give it all a quick stir.
  • Turn the stove to medium heat.
  • When mixture is boiling, take it off the heat and let it cool down.
  • Put in glass containers.
  • Once completely cool, leave in fridge until needed.

Cold pickled carrots/beetroot/radishes

  • Cut the vegetables into smaller pieces. Carrots into sticks, cooked beets in slices than in halves, radishes in thin slices.
  • Mix the liquid with sugar and salt. Use a fork or small whisk to dissolve the sugar and salt.
  • Crush the garlic clove with the back of your knife and add into the liquid.
  • Pour the liquid into a glass jar and add the vegetables.
  • Let it sit for at least two hours.
  • Leave in the fridge for up to three weeks as long as your jars are clean when you use them.

Notes

Use the pickling jar for your cold pickle, to mix your liquid. Pour in all the ingredients, put the lid on and shake vigorously to dissolve the sugar and salt.

2 responses to “Pickled vegetables”

  1. Banh Mi Sauce – Agile in the kitchen

    […] quick and easy sauce to add to your Banh Mi sandwich, or why not try my Tofu Banh Mi bowl with pickled vegetables. Or simply use it as a dipping sauce for vegetables. In about five minutes this sauce is ready to […]

  2. Barbecue hamburger in the oven – Agile in the kitchen

    […] I add in some pickled red onions too, made easy by always having a jar of them in the […]