Put-gochu-jangajji (Pickled Green Chilies)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •1 quart glass jar with lid
• •Toothpick, cake tester, or thin skewer
• •Small stainless saucepan
• •Fermentation weight or small brine-filled zip bag
• •Clean tongs

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the jar

   Wash a 1 quart glass jar and its lid well, rinse with boiling water, and let them air-dry completely. This pickle is stored in the refrigerator, not canned for the shelf, but clean equipment still matters. A wet jar waters down the brine before the chilies have even begun.

2. 2

   Trim and dry

   Wash the chilies and dry them very well with a towel. Trim the stems, leaving about 1/4 inch so the chilies have a handle and the caps stay intact. Throw away any chili with soft spots, splits, or wrinkled skin. One bad chili can trouble the whole jar.

   Wear gloves if you are using hot Cheongyang chilies. The heat stays on your hands longer than your patience does.
3. 3

   Pierce every chili

   Use a toothpick, cake tester, or skewer to prick each chili 3 times: once near the stem, once in the middle, and once near the tip. Push through one wall, not all the way through both sides. These small holes let the soy brine enter the hollow center, season the flesh evenly, and keep air from hiding inside.

4. 4

   Pack the jar

   Pack the chilies upright or gently curled into the jar without crushing them. Add the garlic if you are using it. The jar should be full but not jammed tight, because the brine needs narrow paths to move between the chilies.

5. 5

   Boil the brine

   Combine the soy sauce, water, vinegar, sugar, maesil-cheong if using, and dried kelp if using in a stainless saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. The kelp adds roundness, but pull it out as soon as the brine boils, or it can turn the brine slick and dull.

6. 6

   Pour and weight

   Pour the hot brine over the chilies until they are fully covered. Press a small clean weight, fermentation weight, or a small zip bag filled with extra brine on top to keep every chili submerged. Chilies that float above the brine wrinkle badly and do not cure evenly.

7. 7

   Cool and chill

   Let the jar cool at room temperature for 1 hour, then close it and refrigerate. Do not leave it out overnight. The vinegar and salt do their work in the cold, and the refrigerator keeps this a home pickle, not a food-safety argument.

8. 8

   Reboil the brine

   After 24 hours, pour the brine into a saucepan while keeping the chilies in the jar. Bring the brine to a full boil for 2 minutes, then let it cool for 10 minutes and pour it back over the chilies. This second boil tightens the cure and gives a cleaner, longer-keeping pickle.

   If you want the chilies especially crisp, cool the reboiled brine to room temperature before pouring it back. The first hot pour begins the cure; the second does not need to cook the skins again.
9. 9

   Cure before eating

   Refrigerate at least 3 days before eating. At 3 days the chilies are bright and sharp; at 7 days they are deeper and saltier. Serve whole beside rice, or slice into 1/2 inch pieces and spoon over a little brine. Use clean chopsticks every time, and keep the chilies submerged.

Chef Tips

• •Choose chilies with thin, taut skins and no bruises. Summer put-gochu are best because they still have snap. Out of season, make garlic jangajji or radish jangajji instead of forcing tired chilies into the jar.
• •The vinegar must be 5 percent acidity. Do not use mild drinking vinegar or diluted vinegar here, because this recipe is balanced for refrigerator preservation, not guessing.
• •Regular soy sauce makes a darker, saltier jar. Soup soy sauce gives a cleaner Korean jang flavor but can be very salty, so taste your brine before it goes over the chilies. It should be strong enough to make you reach for rice.
• •This is not a shelf-stable canning recipe. Keep it refrigerated and use it within 6 to 8 weeks, always with clean utensils and all chilies under the brine.
• •The safe shortcut is the vessel: a clean glass storage container works if you do not have a jar. The unsafe shortcut is skipping the holes. Pierce each chili. Master Seong-nyeo would not have asked twice.

Advance Preparation

• •Make this at least 3 days before you plan to serve it. Seven days gives a fuller cure and a more balanced bite.
• •The brine can be measured into the saucepan a few hours ahead, but boil it only when the chilies are packed and ready.
• •Once cured, the chilies keep refrigerated for 6 to 8 weeks if fully submerged and handled with clean utensils.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 145g)