Pickled Carrots, of a Thai Persuasion

Lots of cultures pickle carrots. Mexicans do a phenomenal job with their carrot-laden escaveche, and Japanese carrots pickled in nuka (rice bran) and sake-kasu (the dregs leftover from sake making) are to die for; the carrot kazu-zuke from Berkeley-based Cultured Pickle Shop are dreamy-good. The Thais do it too, but typical pickled carrots in Thailand are made simply with rice vinegar and white sugar. So I thought it would be fun to make a carrot pickle with a serious Thai flavor blast.

I like to salt these pickles first. Salting them (with kosher salt) draws out tons of moisture from the carrot, leaving it in a distinctly crispy, snappy, and pickly state right from the get-go. Just spread the sliced carrots out in a sieve, and toss a few liberal pinches of kosher salt on them, set aside for a while (30 minutes is usually enough), in the same manner that one would salt eggplant to draw out some of its water.  Then just rinse them in cold running water (to remove the salt), and wrap them in a clean tea towel. Wring out as much water as you can from them, and transfer to a Mason jar. You could also blanch them very briefly if you prefer a softer pickle, but I really like the snap of these guys and the salt method.

Next make a simple brine. Here’s what I use — no heating necessary, just combine in a bowl and whisk:

• complex sweet (ginger syrup is superior, though you could use agave)
• tangy (lime juice and rice vinegar)
• hot (a few fiery Thai chiles, sliced in half)
• herby (kaffir lime leaf, torn)
• umami (Bragg’s amino acids)

to suit your own palate and pour it over the carrots.

They’re pretty intense, so you only need a few. Spiceheads will really enjoy these, but chile-sensitive people should probably use just one chile.

They’re ready to eat a few hours after making them, and only get better with time. They’re good for at least a month, refrigerated, but mine never last that long. They’re especially good alongside meat or fish, since they act as a mini palate cleanser between bites.

Give them a shot. And if you’ve got another good way of pickling carrots, I’d love to hear about it.