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Dưa giá
Dưa giá: crisp bean sprouts and garlic chives, soured overnight to cut through Tết's rich braises
In southern Vietnam, dưa giá appears beside thịt kho trứng, the pork and egg braised in coconut water that every Saigon family cooks for Tết, and beside clay-pot caramel fish the rest of the year. The sprouts and chives sit overnight in a lightly salted, sweetened brine and come out tangy, crisp and squeaky, with a hint of garlic-chive sharpness that cuts straight through the fatty, sweet braises. Some cooks add carrot strips for colour. Raw bean sprouts can carry bacteria, so buy them very fresh and chilled, rinse them well, and pour the brine on hot to scald them lightly; pregnant people, small children, older people and anyone with weak immunity should blanch the sprouts for 30 seconds first. Common mistake: leaving the jar out too long in a warm kitchen, so the sprouts go limp and too sour; once it tastes right, chill it. It is ready when the brine is cloudy and smells pleasantly sour, and the sprouts are translucent but still snap. Chef's tip: pinch the brown root tails off the sprouts; it is fiddly, but they stay crunchier and look neater.
- Total time
- 25 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
For the vegetables
- 1 ⅛ lb fresh mung bean sproutsvery fresh and chilled
- 3 ½ oz garlic chives (hẹ)or spring onion greens
- 1 carrot (optional)cut into thin matchsticks
For the brine
- 2 ½ cups water
- ⅔ oz saltabout 3% salt
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp rice vinegarat least 4% acidity; speeds up the souring
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Wash a 1.5-litre glass jar or lidded box in hot soapy water, rinse and dry in a 250°F oven for 10 minutes, or scald it with boiling water and air-dry.
Step 2: Pick over 1 ⅛ lb fresh mung bean sprouts, discarding any brown or slimy ones, and pinch off the root tails. Rinse well in cold water and drain thoroughly.
10 minStep 3: Cut 3 ½ oz garlic chives (hẹ) into 4 cm lengths. Toss with the sprouts and 1 carrot, if using, and pack loosely into the jar.
5 minStep 4: Bring 2 ½ cups water, ⅔ oz salt and 2 tbsp sugar to the boil, stirring to dissolve, then take off the heat for 2–3 minutes so it is very hot but no longer boiling (about 176°F). Stir in 1 tbsp rice vinegar.
5 minStep 5: Pour the hot brine over the vegetables, press them under with a small plate or a zip bag of water, and leave uncovered until cool, then cover loosely.
Step 6: Leave at room temperature for 12–24 hours, until the brine turns cloudy, smells pleasantly sour and the sprouts are translucent but crisp. Taste after 12 hours in hot weather.
Step 7: Chill as soon as it tastes right and eat within 3–4 days, lifting portions out with clean chopsticks. Throw it out if the sprouts turn slimy, the brine smells rotten or you see fuzzy mould.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 25 kcal
- Protein
- 2 g
- Carbs
- 5 g
- Fat
- 0 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
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Good to know
- How long does dưa giá take?
- About 25 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 5 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
- What can I use instead of rice vinegar?
- Cider vinegar with a pinch of sugar, same amount.
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