Pickled bean sprouts or sour been sprouts is a common Vietnamese side dish. It’s a great source for acidity to refresh your palate if other dishes of your meal are too oily or greasy. Vietnamese pickled bean sprouts are often served as a side dish when there are fry or grill dishes. Sometimes in Vietnamese restaurants, they are free.
In Vietnamese language, bean sprouts are known as giá, and its pickled version is called dưa giá. In Vietnam, the beans used for sprouting are mung beans. Beside bean sprouts, other subordinate ingredients are garlic chives and carrots.
This recipe will yield 3 cups of pickled bean sprouts.
Cut each garlic chive crosswise into 5 pieces. Peel the carrot, then slice it lengthwise with a carrot peeler. You may want to do some carvings to the carrot before slicing for aesthetic purposes.
Boil the water, together with the salt and sugar, and cool to room temperature. Put all the vegetables into a large jar and cover with the cooled water. Allow to stand unfrigerated for 3 days, then transfer to the refrigerator, where the mixture will keep for 4 weeks or longer.
When the weather is cool, it is sometimes difficult to start the pickling process. The addition of 1 tablespoon of white vinegar to the water-sugar-salt mixture will help quicken the process.
Vietnamese cuisine is the method of cooking, the principle of mixing spices and the general dining habits of all Vietnamese people in Vietnam. With a unique geography, climate, and cultural exchange, the cuisine of Vietnam is extremely diverse and rich. The characteristics of Vietnamese cuisine is the focus on the freshness, so Vietnamese dishes are generally perceived as delicious and healthy.
