Salted figs are an essential dish during the Tet holiday for the Vietnamese people with a distinctive sour, sweet, crunchy, and delicious flavor. Let’s join TasteVN in the kitchen and explore 2 ways to make this super attractive dish!
1. Salted figs
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Preparation
1 hour 30 minutes
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Cooking
10 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients for Salted Figs Serves 10 people
Fig 1 kg Galangal 1 bulb Horn chili 2 pieces Garlic 2 bulbs Fermented vinegar 600 ml Lemon 1 piece Fish sauce 190 ml Sugar 210 gr Salt 3 tablespoons
Tools for preparation
Image of ingredients
How to prepare pickled figs
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Prepare the figs
Wash and soak the figs in diluted salt water for about 20 minutes, then use a knife to slice them into thin pieces. After that, soak them in a mixture of salt and diluted lemon juice for about 20 minutes, then take them out and rinse until all the seeds are removed.
Continue to soak the figs in 500ml of vinegar and 1 tablespoon of salt for 30 minutes to reduce the astringency of the figs.
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Prepare the other ingredients
Peel the galangal and cut it into strips, mince 1 clove of garlic and slice another clove, and remove the seeds from the chili and slice it.
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Salted figs
First, place a pot on the stove and add 190ml of fish sauce, 210gr of sugar, and 100ml of vinegar. Cover and cook until the sugar dissolves, then let it cool.
Next, use a round strainer to scoop the figs into the cooled vinegar and sugar mixture, then add ginger, chili, and garlic. Mix well to absorb the seasoning. Finally, transfer to a glass jar.
Note
- To prevent the figs from becoming contaminated with toxins from the sap during fermentation, you should use a glass jar instead of a plastic one.
- Before pickling, remember to sterilize the glass jar by rinsing it with boiling water and drying it thoroughly.
- Additionally, if you can consume them right away, there’s no need to store the salted figs in a glass jar for preservation.
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Finished Product
The pickled figs when completed will have the characteristic aroma of garlic, galangal, and fish sauce.
When eating the pickled figs, you will fully experience the flavors of crunchiness, sourness, bitterness, saltiness, sweetness, and spiciness. Served with boiled snails, fried spring rolls, Bánh Chưng, what could be better, right?
2. Pickled Figs (recipe shared by a user)
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Preparation
30 minutes
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Cooking
30 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients for Pickled Figs (recipe shared by a user) For 4 people
Sticky figs 1 kg Lemon 2 pieces Kumquat 3 pieces Garlic 3 cloves Lemongrass 2 stalks Fresh chili 2 pieces Kaffir lime leaves 5 leaves Vinegar 5 tablespoons Good fish sauce 2 tablespoons Seasoning powder 1 teaspoon (soup) Ice a little Common spices a little (salt/ sugar/ monosodium glutamate)
Tools Required
Ingredients Image
How to prepare pickled figs (recipe shared by users)
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Preparing the figs
1kg of sticky figs that you buy, cut each fruit separately and wash with clean water to reduce the latex. Then place the washed figs into a bowl of clean water mixed with 1 spoon of fine salt and 3 tablespoons of vinegar.
Next, prepare a bowl of clean water, add ice cubes and 2 tablespoons of lemon juice.
Use a knife to slice the figs into thin pieces and soak them in the bowl of water for about 15 minutes to remove all the latex, making them less bitter and crunchier when making pickled figs.
After that, take the soaked figs out and place them in a bowl, then add 1 teaspoon of seasoning powder, 1 teaspoon of monosodium glutamate, 3 tablespoons of sugar, 2 teaspoons of vinegar and mix well.
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Quick Pickled Fig
You chop 2 chili peppers, finely mince garlic, lemongrass, and slice kaffir lime leaves.
Then you prepare a small bowl and add 1 tablespoon of sugar, 1/2 tablespoon of lime juice, 2 tablespoons of good fish sauce, and 2 tablespoons of water, then mix well and add the minced garlic and chili from above.
You pour out the water from the bowl soaking the figs and then pour in the prepared fish sauce mixture, adding lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves. Mix the ingredients well, let it sit for about 30 minutes for the figs to absorb the flavors, and then it can be served on a plate and enjoyed.
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Final Product
The quick pickled figs when completed have a bright green color and an attractive aroma from lemongrass, chili, kaffir lime leaves,…
When eaten, the figs are crunchy and delicious, evenly infused with flavors, with a balanced sweet, sour, and spicy taste, pairing well with savory dishes to enhance the meal.
How to choose fresh and delicious figs
- You should choose to buy sticky figs that are still intact on the bunch, with fresh stems and uniform size.
- If the figs are separated from the bunch, choose those that are bright green, round in shape with a dimple at the top, and have a pink rim inside, as these will be fresh and delicious.
- Avoid choosing figs that are wilted, have many black spots, or are bruised, as these are figs that have been harvested for a long time and are no longer fresh.
- To make pickled figs taste better, you should use sticky figs because they are sweeter, crisper, and less astringent than regular figs.
How to preserve pickled figs
- You can preserve figs in the refrigerator refrigerator which not only helps the figs last longer but also keeps them crisp and tastier.
- Note that you should only preserve pickled figs for a maximum of 1 week. After this period, the figs will spoil and become inedible.
- To prevent figs from turning black when pickling, put filtered water into a tightly tied plastic bag and place it over the mouth of the jar to keep the figs submerged, preventing scum from forming on the surface.
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With these 2 extremely simple ways to make pickled green figs, you can easily prepare a super delicious and attractive side dish for the New Year. Wish you success with these recipes!
