Description
Thai pickled mustard greens (Pak Gad Dong) is a delicious pickle vegetable used in many Thai dishes as a tasty side dish to boost flavors. If you love the strong taste of pickles, olives, capers, or any tasty pickled vegetables, you’ll love this recipe!
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 pounds mustard greens, chopped into 3-4 inch pieces
- 1 cup sticky rice. Jasmine rice is fine too
- 6 cups water
- 1/4 cup salt
- 1/2 cup distilled white vinegar
- 1-3 pieces of herbs. Garlic, ginger, fresh or dried chilis, chives, bay leaf, or green onions. All optional!
Helpful Tools:
- Large glass jar with lid
- Fermentation glass weight.
- Cotton nut milk bags bags or cheesecloth
- Ziplock bags to use with cooking twine or rubber bands.
Instructions
- Soak the sticky rice in water in a large bowl for a minimum of 15-20 minutes. Drain the milky-looking rice water, save the water for use to pickle the mustard greens. Separate the rice from the water and save rice grains and water for later steps.
- Add salt and vinegar to a medium-sized pan. Stir vigorously until the salt is mostly dissolved. Then Lightly smash the garlic and ginger to release the oil, and add the rest of the herbs to a large mixing bowl with rice water.
- Wash the mustard greens in cold water and let dry, then cut into large pieces, 3-4 inches long. Cut the stems into thin pieces about 1/4 inch thick and 3-4 inches long. Add just enough salt (1/2 tablespoon) to mustard greens and massage the mustard greens with your fingers for 2-3 minutes. Rub salt into the greens until the leafy greens look bruised and wilted. Skip this step if you don’t have time.
- Wash your glass container, towel dry, and add the chopped-up mustard greens into the jar. Layers the leaves with herbs of choice, tuck in between. Pack it in tight. Pour the cool salty brine into the jar until completely covered with the mustard greens. Make sure there's enough brine, or mold will form.
- Pour the soaked rice into a cotton cloth sack, synch the string tight, tie a knot, and then submerge the sack over the mustard greens in the glass jar. This is the weight to help keep the mustard greens under brine water. It’s ok if the top of the sack is not completely submerged, but be sure all the mustard greens are.
- Close the lid and keep the glass jar at room temperature. The sun is fine, too, for the quick fermentation to take place. This recipe is quick and easy and doesn't require a long time for the mustard greens to be pickled.
- The color of the mustard greens will change from bright green to yellow as time passes. Check the mustard greens on day 2 and taste a small piece to see if you like the flavors. Taste the chilis if it’s too spicy and either pickle it for 2-4 more days or be done and place the glass jar in the fridge. It stays good for up to 4 weeks! Enjoy it daily! With your omelet, fried rice, salads, soups, or by itself!
Notes
- When cutting the mustard greens, cut the stems into small ones rather than leave them in large chunks. Leave the top of the greens large or uncut as they wilt into smaller pieces in the pickling process.
- Don’t throw away the rice in the rice sack once you are done pickling the mustard greens. I steam or cook the rice and TASTE the BOLD and DELICIOUS pickled rice!
- Jasmine or Japanese rice is ok as a substitute for sticky rice.
- Use a large empty pickle jar if you don't have a tall glass jar. Wash it well with soap and hot water before use.
- For the weight to place over the glass jar, there are 4 options.
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- Use cotton nut milk bags (as seen in the pictures above.)
- Use fermentation glass weight.
- Use cheesecloth to wrap the sticky rice as weight, then place that on top of the glass jar.
- Make 1-2 water balloons with zip lock bags. Tie the ziplock ballons tightly with rubber bands or twine.
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- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 2-5 days
- Category: Side dish
- Method: pickling
- Cuisine: Thai
Keywords: thai pickled mustard greens, pickled mustard greens, pak gad dong