Title: Sweet and Sour Pickled Vegetables Chinese Style
Categories: None
Yield: 1 Servings

1/4 c Sugar or its equivalent in
-artificial sweetener (up to
-1/2)
1 c White rice vinegar or white
-vinegar
1/2 c Water
1/2 ts Salt
1 Or more small dried hot
-chiles -or-
1 ts Crushed red pepper
1 1/2 lb Green cabbage, about
2 md Carrots
2 Broccoli stalks

First, make the syrup. Place sugar, vinegar, water, salt, and chiles in a 1
1/2-qt. saucepan, and stir over high heat until the sugar has dissolved and
the mixture boils. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. If
you use an artificial sweetener, add it to the syrup after it has reached
room temperature.

While the syrup cools, core the cabbage, separate into leaves, and tear
them into bite-size pieces. Peel the carrots and broccoli stems (save
florets for other uses) and slice them thin on the diagonal. Bring 2 quarts
of water to a boil in a 4-quart saucepan. Add the prepared vegetables all
at once, stir, turn off the heat, and let them blanch for 2 minutes; drain,
and spread the vegetables in a shallow layer on a platter to cool.

Sterilize a 1-quart or 1-literjar, pack the vegetables into the jar, fill
to overflowing with the syrup, cover and refrigerate at least a week before
using. They keep for months in the refrigerator.

variation: Add 1 teaspoon of crushed Szechuan peppercorns to the syrup, and
use any firm vegetables you fancy- sliced bell peppers, greenbeans, snow
peas, turnips, and/or radishes. Posted to EAT-L Digest by Ree Whitman
on Jul 8, 1997