The Best Asian Condiments… Pickled Chillies!

Pickled green chilli is a popular condiment for many Southeast Asian street food or noodle dishes such as Ipoh hor fun mee, Penang char kuey teow, chinese fried rice, wantan noodles or my favourite Hailam meehun (vermicelli. I’m a big fan of pickled chillies but unfortunately, not all places have pickled chillies as they prefer to serve it with cut bird’s eye chillies and soy sauce (easier to prepare maaahhh!).

What makes pickled green chillies so yummy to me is the tartiness from the vinegar. It’s probably not healthy but I love pouring some of the vinegar on my noodle dish. In Malaysia, most restaurants uses white vinegar which is sour but in rice vinegar is also a popular choice as it is more sweet and delicate tasting.

Anyway, I came across this easy recipe from Rasa Malaysia on how to make your own pickled green chilli which we can try at home. You can keep it in the refrigerator for quite sometime and take them out whenever you’re having your fried rice or noodle for that extra ummmphhh!

INGREDIENTS

• 4 oz. green chilies, discard the seeds and sliced into pieces
• 1 cup Chinese rice vinegar (or white vinegar if you like the tangy taste)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1 cup water, boiled

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Prepare the green chilies and transfer into a small bowl. Bring the water to boil and transfer it to the small bowl. Let the chilies sit in the boiled water for about 10 seconds. Drain and discard the hot water.
2. In the same bowl, add in the rice vinegar, salt and sugar. Stir to blend well. Transfer everything into a small glass container or canister jar and leave it overnight in the fridge. The pickled green chilies will be ready overnight.

Easy right? Having said that, we are blessed to live in Malaysia where everything is abundant and you can pick up a jar or pickled green chillies at the supermarket if you have no time to make them yourself.

I sometimes, opt of ready made pickled jalapeno instead because it’s big and crunchy and a tad spicier. Noodles or nachos, pickled jalapenos works just as well!

Credit: Rasa Malaysia