Turmeric & Star Anise Pickles
- Details
These sweet pickles are fun-tastic! Gather a basket of your favorite crunchy vegetables and slice them into strips, discs and triangles. For this batch we used half carrots and cucumbers, and half assorted white vegetables to really let the color of the turmeric shine. They were ready to munch on after just one night and the flavors from the spices and fresh ginger just keep getting better with each passing day. Serve them alongside savory or spicy dishes for a nice contrast of flavor and don’t waste the brine! Add it to sauces and vinaigrettes or splash in a dirty martini for incredible flavor.
Turmeric & Star Anise Pickles
Ingredients
For the Brine
- 3 cups rice wine vinegar
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup honey
- 2 oz Pacific sea salt
- 2 tablespoons turmeric
- 10-12 star anise, about a half ounce
- 1 tablespoon Szechuan peppercorns
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Rooster Spice, divided
For the Vegetables
- 1/2 lb carrots
- 1/2 lb English cucumbers
- 1 lb assorted crunchy white vegetables- fennel bulb, lotus root, jicama, turnips
- 4 oz. red onion
- 2 oz. shaved ginger
Instructions
- In a mortar & pestle, crush the Szechuan pepper and then crack the star anise.
- In a medium saucepan, bring the water to a boil, then add the star anise and Szechuan pepper. Reduce the heat and simmer the spices for 5-10 minutes.
- Add the remaining brine ingredients, reserving 1/2 teaspoon of the Rooster Spice. Simmer 5-10 minutes. Allow the brine to cool to room temperature and strain through 2 layers of cheesecloth.
- While the brine is cooling, thinly slice the vegetables on a Mandoline into fun and festive shapes. Pack the sliced vegetables into two wide mouthed quart jars.
- Add the reserved Rooster Spice to the cooled brine and pour over the vegetables to cover. Allow them to sit at room temperature for about an hour, then refrigerate. After just one night your pickles will be ready to eat, crunchy and full of flavor.
Noon Chai
Tackling new culinary challenges is one of my great joys, and I’m always on the lookout for new techniques to try. As it happens, I also love all things floral and pink so when I …
Meatballs with Pumpkin & Spice Butter
Our June Cookbook Club selection is Istanbul and Beyond: Exploring the Diverse Cuisines of Turkey, and we’ve been looking forward to it ever since this cookbook came out! With its location between the Mediterranean, the …
Bread & Butter Pickles
Growing up in the South, Heather Earnhardt used to help her Granny in the kitchen whenever she would can, pickle or preserve fruit and vegetables in the summer. Big Food Big Love: Down Home Southern Cooking …
Massaman Curry
At our February Cookbook Club Meet & Eat, we’re trying recipes from all across Asia, courtesy of Lucky Peach Presents 101 Easy Asian Recipes. The book features a mouthwatering lineup of dishes, like this recipe for …
Voodoo Shrimp and Grits
Have you ever eaten something so good that it induces a trance? Well, check out our Voodoo Shrimp and Grits. This classic dish features our all-star spice blend Voodoo, a robust seasoning which includes onion, …
Leave a Comment