Pickled Vegetable Delicacies

Vegetables pickled in vinegar are a wonderful accompaniment to many foods and are handy to have when I want to make a quick and simple bento meal.

Ideally, I like them soaked for only about 2 to 6 hours, depending on the vegetable, and I like to use them up within a day or two of making them - before the veggies lose their crunchiness from all the pickling. Like, radish is ready within an hour of soaking, whereas, onions mellow and get less pungent and more tasty after about 4 hours or so of soaking, while carrots can take upto 6 hours before developing the way I like it.

The favorites that I make often are: little red radish, ginger, pearl onions and carrots. And, they keep well in the fridge for even up to a month.

Ingredients: sliced veggies of choice, plain white vinegar, whole black pepper or dry red chilies (or both), some salt.

Simply throw them all together, no need to cook them at all.

Of course, the Indian-style pickled vegetables in oil and spices remain one of my favorites to make and can for long-term use