This is the season when green beans can be harvested in abundance. What I really want you to try making is Suan Dou Jiao (酸豆角).
It's a type of pickle made by fermenting long pole beans in a brine with a hint of spice. It's very popular in the sweltering summer regions of Southwest China, and you'll find dishes made with it not only in home cooking but also in restaurants.
The main ingredient is a type of green bean called "sixteen cowpea" or "three-foot cowpea." These are vining cowpeas, and their pods are about 30-40 cm long. They are softer and cook more easily than common green beans, and in China, they are known by names such as Jiāng Dòu (豇豆) and Cháng Dòu Jiǎo (長豆角).
We tried making this with the Moroccan beans and short regular green beans that we also grow at Atokura Farm.
Ingredients
- Organic green beans and Moroccan beans: about 2kg (not measured precisely)
- Water: 3 liters + additional amount for adjustment
- Salt: 150g
- Garlic: 3 cloves
- Chili peppers: 3
- Sichuan pepper: a pinch
- Pickling jar: (used a 4-liter jar previously used for plum wine)
How to pickle
- Add salt, garlic, chili peppers, and Sichuan pepper to water, bring it to a boil, then let it cool.
- Bend and coil the green beans into the jar, packing them as tightly as possible towards the bottom, then pour in the cooled brine. (However, 3 liters was a bit short, so I made an additional 5% brine and added it later.)
- Place a small plate or similar item on top of the green beans to ensure they remain submerged below the surface of the liquid.
Tips
The trick is to keep the amount of aromatic vegetables moderate and not to seal the lid too tightly. When I made it a few times, the lid of the jar might have been too tight, and there was a small "pshhh" explosion of fermentation gas. Also, I once added too much garlic to the brine, resulting in terribly garlicky suan dou jiao. Moderation seems to be key.
When pickling, there are two schools of thought: those who boil the green beans first, and those who pickle them raw. I pickled them raw to retain their texture.
After two weeks, when the green beans gradually turn a pickle-like color and a pleasant sour smell wafts out when you open the lid, that's your cue.
If the brine becomes cloudy or a white film of pellicle yeast (edible film that forms on the surface of the liquid) appears, transfer them into smaller jars and store them in the refrigerator. Since fermentation almost stops when refrigerated, it's recommended to push the limits as much as possible during this room-temperature fermentation stage.