To be clear: these aren’t real pickles. No fermentation takes place. A bit of salt, a bit of vinegar, all tossed together for a “pickled” effect without the time or fuss. These are inspired by the ban chan served with Korean meals (hence the Korean chile flakes). Serve them as part of an appetizer spread—they add a burst of spicy freshness to any meat or cheese plate. They are also a nice break to the heaviness of any meat-centric meal. Beef roast. Barbecue. Grilled anything.
A similar process with cucumbers makes something very pickle-like; with harder vegetables, the transformation of texture is less… transformative, but equally tasty. Note that this method also works with turnips. And cauliflower. And carrots. And radishes of all sorts.
Ingredients
- 1 pound Brussels sprouts
- 1 1/2 teaspoons fine sea salt
- 1 small clove garlic, minced (optional)
- 1 teaspoon gochugaru (Korean chile flakes)*
- 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds (optional)
Instructions
* If you don’t have gochugaru, use 1/3 to 1/2 tablespoon red chile flakes instead
Trim off and discard the stem ends of the sprouts. Remove the outer layer or two of leaves to reveal a lighter more delicate green. Cut the sprouts lengthwise (up through the stem end) into quarters.
Put the prepped sprouts in a colander set over a large bowl. Sprinkle the sprouts with the salt and toss them gently to combine. Let them sit for 60 minutes. You can toss them again every now and again if you’re so incline
The salt will draw out water from the sprouts. Not a ton, but some. After they've sat, squeeze them firmly to get even more water out of them. Do this by laying the sprouts on a clean kitchen towel or rolls of paper towels, and roll up the towels tightly around the single layer of sprouts to squeeze as much moisture out of the sprouts.
Put the sprouts in a medium bowl. Add the garlic, if you're using it, and toss to combine. Add the pepper flakes, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and sugar. Toss everything to combine thoroughly. Add the sesame seeds, if you want to use them, and toss to combine them, too.
Cover and chill the pickles for at least an hour and up to a week. Know that the longer you keep the pickles, the less crunchy they will become.
