Half sour pickles derive their name from the level of fermentation. What differentiates them from other pickles is their early removal from saltwater. Half sour pickles add flavor to our food and make the simplest food delectable. Tastessence has a few easy-to-make recipes of half sour pickles especially for you.
Half Fermented…!
The blossom end of vegetables consists of enzymes which usually dampen the vegetables over a period of time. Hence, it has to be cut off before pickling.
Every pickle differs in its taste and seasoning. The recipes, spices, and fermentation methods vary for different pickles. It takes about one week for any pickle to reach the half-sour consistency. After which it needs to be taken out of the brine.
Half-sour pickles are crispy and moderately sourish, unlike the full-sour pickles which are soft on the inside and very tangy. The taste of a half sour pickle depends on the vegetables and the pickling spices used. If you like it spicy, make sure you use fresh spices for a pungent pickle. The quantity of spices used can always be changed as per your taste, while retaining the same procedure of fermentation for making the pickle.
You can create your own spice mix by fiddling around with the different spice elements such as mustard, coriander, cloves, bay leaves, chilly flakes etc. Nevertheless, if you are planning to buy the pickling spices instead of putting them together, do make sure that you buy the ones that are meant for half sour pickles. Choosing wrong spices will affect the taste of your pickle.
Recipe for Making Pickling Spices
Ingredients
Coriander seeds, 3 tsp. (dried in sunlight and roasted)
Mustard seeds, 3 tsp. (dried and roasted)
Chilly flakes, 1 tsp.
Newspice, 3 tsp. (also called allspice berries)
Whole cloves, 7-8
Cinnamon sticks, 2 ½ inches
Bay leaves, 3
Ginger, 1 ½ inches (finely chopped)
Place all the above Ingredients in an airtight container. Place the lid and blend the mixture by shaking well the container.
With the pickling spices ready, most of your work will be already done. Now it’s time to pickle-up the veggies. So let’s delve into two popular and easy recipes – cucumber half sour pickle and mix half sour pickle with dill.
Cucumber Half Sour Pickle
Ingredients :
Pickling cucumbers, 1 ½ pounds
Pickling spices, 1 ½ tsp
Garlic cloves, 3-4 (minced)
Water, 3 ½ cups
Kosher salt, 2-3 tbsp.
Procedure:
Rinse the cucumbers to clean them thoroughly.
Add minced garlic, pickling spices, and cucumber into the jar.
Dissolve salt into 3 ½ cups of water.
Pour the salty water into the jar such that the cucumbers are submersed.
Cover the jar with a paper towel and leave it for a couple of days to ferment.
Mix Half Sour Pickle With Dill
Ingredients :
Pickling cucumbers, 1 ½ pounds
Carrot, 1 medium-sized (peeled and cut vertically)
Cauliflower, ½ (cut into big chunks)
Black tea bag, 1
Dill seeds, 1 tsp.
Dill weed, 2 medium-sized twigs
Water, 3 cups
Sea salt, 2-3 tbsp.
Procedure:
Wash the cucumbers clean. Put the tea bag in the pickling jar.
Add the minced garlic cloves, pickling spices, veggies, dill weed, and dill seeds to the jar.
Mix 3 cups of water with 2 tbsp of sea salt.
Pour this brine into the jar such that all the veggies are dipped.
Cover the jar with a lid and let it ferment for 4-7 days.
Things to Remember
✦ Pickle needs to be refrigerated once bubbles are formed in the jar.
✦ Make use of a mason jar for preserving the pickle.
✦ Use pickling cucumbers instead of salad cucumbers.
✦ Use a knife or spoon to remove any residues on the pickling veggies used.
✦ Make sure the jar is kept in sunlight to prevent formation of any bacteria.
✦ Once the half sour pickle is ready, store it in a refrigerator for a longer life.
✦ Ensure that the veggies are submerged in salt water. If not, place some weight over them.
If you are a pickle-lover and at the same time bored with the ready-made vinegar-containing pickles, it’s time to begin experimenting with these Ingredients. Step into your kitchen and put the spices together. And pickles, undoubtedly, go well with any kind of food. Moreso if they are homemade and tailor-made to suit your taste. These super-simple pickle recipes will definitely bring a unique twist to your food flavors.
