Pickled Chinese Long Beans

These appetizing pickled long beans, or snake beans, are based on a family recipe for ―sour pods‖ submitted by Ecksyoo, whose bright smile and blithe spirit lit up English corner on Tuesdays and Wednesdays during my first semester at Yali. These beans make piquant and crunchy additions to relish trays, stir-fries, rice, noodles, soups, and congees. Green beans can replace the long beans, if necessary.

MAKES 8 SERVINGS

1⁄2 pound Chinese long beans, trimmed, cut into 1⁄2-inch pieces

1 cup cider vinegar

3⁄4 cup water

1⁄2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon salt

2 to 4 fresh red chili peppers, seeded and thinly sliced (optional)

In a large pot of boiling salted water, blanch the long beans 30 seconds; drain and rinse under cold running water until cool. Drain and set aside.

Bring the vinegar, water, sugar, and salt to a brisk simmer over medium heat, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

Place drained long beans and peppers, if using, in a 26- to 32-ounce clean glass jar. Add the vinegar mixture, seal tightly, and refrigerate a minimum of 5 days, or up to several weeks. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

{PER SERVING} (per 1/8 of recipe) Calories 68 • Protein 1g • Total Fat 0g • Sat Fat 0g • Cholesterol 0mg • Carbohydrate 18g • Dietary Fiber 1g • Sodium 270mg

hancheng

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