There’s nothing more satisfying than making quick pickled Asian vegetables…unless it’s opening the refrigerator and enjoying some of the pickled vegetables! They’re so delicious and easy to make, you’ll be making them over and over!
Last week when I was thinking of what to make for dinner, I knew I wanted to include something with Asian flavors. The recipes I was looking at all included kimchi (which is salted and fermented vegetables) which my hubby is not that big a fan of. I thought back to when I made Korean beef bbq tacos with quick pickled cucumbers and how easy it was to make the cucumbers.
So I decided to try my hand at making some quick pickled Asian vegetables. The end result was seriously nothing short of amazing!
The next day when I was making dinner (a Korean inspired ground turkey and rice bowl that I’ll be sharing soon) I posted a picture of the pickled veggies to my Instagram/Snapchat – username: Sweetphi – stories and asked if anyone wanted to see the recipe. I was so surprised by how many people responded right away with YES, they wanted the recipe, so no question I had to make them again and share the recipe here.
These quick pickled Asian vegetables are truly awesome, all you do is make the liquid, chop up vegetables – I used carrots, cucumbers, red onion and jalapeno, but you could definitely add in some daikon or other radishes – and then put the vegetables in a jar (my favorite is using these weck jars (like these – I use them ALL the time), but a mason jar would work great too) and 24 hours later, vioa, you have yourself some quick pickles!! In the picture above, the two left jars are the new ones I made, and the jar on the right is a jar that had been in the fridge for 4 days.
Other recipes you might enjoy:
- Easy Healthy Asian Ground Turkey Lettuce Wrap Salad
- Instant Pot Asian Shredded Beef Bowls
- Asian Ground Turkey and Rice Bowls Recipe
Quick Pickled Asian Vegetables
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1-2 large carrots peeled and cut into matchsticks
- 1/2 seedless cucumber peeled and cut into matchsticks
- 1/4 large red onion finely sliced
- 1 jalapeno finely sliced
Instructions
- In a small saucepan combine water, rice wine vinegar, sugar and salt. Heat over medium -high heat for about 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally until the sugar and salt dissolve. Remove from heat.
- Peel and cut the carrots, cucumber, red onion and jalapeno.
- Place 1/2 of the vegetables into a .5 liter weck jar and the other 1/2 of the vegetables into another jar. You can add as many vegetables as you'd like to pack the jar full of vegetables - I only loosely packed them.
- Pour the liquid over the vegetables in each jar. Cover and secure the lid, and refrigerate for 24 hours (or for a few days) then enjoy!
Nutrition
Emma says
I’d like to preserve the nutrition of the veggies so heating is a problem. Also I try to avoid sugar. Any modifications that could achieve this?
Sweetphi says
You could totally make these without heating the veggies and omit the sugar, just let them ‘pickle’ and marinate a little longer – perhaps a few days. I’d love to hear how these turn out for you!
Quinn says
I like a little more spice to my pickled veggies, would it be too much if I used habanero peppers???
Sweetphi says
You could definitely use habanero peppers if you like the heat
Elise says
I wish I’d realized how small the jars in this recipe were! I cut up 2 qt mason jars filled with 2 md-lg carrots, 1 sm daikon, 1 jalapeño & 1/2 a small red onion. The quantity of liquid in the pot seemed too little, so I did 1.5x those ingredients. It still only filled one of my jars! I guess I’ll use the veggies from the other one for something else? Waiting 24 hours to taste is hard…
Sweetphi says
Yes, this recipe is for smaller jars, sorry that wasn’t clearer! Waiting is so hard because they’re so delicious. I usually make a double batch to always have on hand because we eat these so frequently. Hope you love them.
Lisa Mirabal says
Hi! How long are the picked vegetables good for and do they need to be kept in the refrigerator?
Thx!
Sweetphi says
These keep in the refrigerator for two months (probably longer, they’ve just never lasted that long in my house). I have never tried canning, but if you know how, I’m sure these would be fine!
Stacey says
My mom usually dry the radishes for several days before making pickled radish. That way, they taste more crunchy!
Sweetphi says
Oh I love that, I bet they’re super delicious!
Meg Rayner says
Thank you!!!! I’ve just popped a big jar in the fridge.
Sweetphi says
I bet you’re going to love it!! I’d love to hear if you love them as much as I do after having them (I just put another batch in the fridge this past weekend!)
Donna says
Do you seed the jalapenos?
Sweetphi says
I do not because I like the extra spice they provide, but if you like things less spicy they can be removed 🙂
Little Cooking Tips says
Loved them! They must be awesome in sauces with yogurt and/or mayo! We love pickle sauces with burgers as well ourselves, so this is definitely a must-try! The process is super easy after all:)
Thanx so much Phi!
xoxoxo
Sweetphi says
I love pickled veggies with burgers, it’s such a great contrast of flavors, isn’t it? I think you’d love these -I personally have 3 jars all ready to go in my fridge for this weekend! They also go really well as an addition to cheese plates.
Florence says
Can I omit the salt or lower it since I am overly sensitive to salt except a little from seaweed since I have high blood pressure?
Sweetphi says
Yes of course, lower it to a level you’re comfortable with 🙂
Jess says
I love these for a quick and delicious snack!
Sweetphi says
These definitely make for one delicious snack – I’ve been making them nonstop lately, they’re just so good!!
Sues says
I love this!! These little jars are so beautiful and I can imagine the veggies come in super handy. Yum!
Sweetphi says
The veggies go so well on so many things – sandwiches, rice bowls, by themselves…I’m totally obsessed with them lol
jess larson | plays well with butter says
these are so pretty! i’ve always been intimidated by pickles, but these just look so dang quick & easy. can’t wait to give em a try! xx
Sweetphi says
Thank you so much, I’m the same way, pickling is intimidating, but quick pickling…sign me up!!!