Chinese-style pickled vegetables

Tam West

These pickled vegetables make a lovely accompaniment to meals. Kathy Paterson adds them to her Asian burgers, stuffing them into her homemade steamed bao buns along with crispy chicken thighs, citron mayonnaise and a little chilli-spiked green cabbage. To prepare the cabbage, simply toss ¼ of a finely chopped green cabbage with ½ a finely chopped green chilli. Mix through a little of the red onion from the pickled vegetables and moisten with a little citron mayonnaise.

Read Kathy's story about her Melbourne bao masterclass, get all the burger recipes and cooking tips here.

Ingredients

250 ml	White wine vinegar (Main)
3 Tbsp	White sugar
1	Dried chilli
1 piece	Fresh ginger, 1cm, peeled
1	Star anise
1 pinch	Flaky sea salt
1	Lebanese cucumber, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
1	Fennel bulb, very finely sliced
½ small	Red onions, very finely sliced

Directions

1. Place the vinegar, sugar, chilli, ginger, star anise and salt in a saucepan. Bring up to the boil. Stir to dissolve the sugar, lower the heat and simmer for two minutes. Set aside to cool.
2. Place the cucumber and fennel bulb in a small ceramic or glass bowl and the red onion in another and pour over the cooled pickling mixture. Cover and refrigerate for at least four hours.