Small Bowl of Dua Chua Pickle
(click to enlarge)

Sour Mustard / Dua Chua


Vietnam   -   Dua Chua
Makes:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  		 3-1/2 cups
**
4 to 7 days
Must		 This mild and tasty pickle is much used as a flavoring and table condiment in Vietnam. Some prefer the leaves, others the stems, but both are good.
Note:   my photo example is much less leafy than usual, because I used the stems cut out from leaves I use to make Chinese Snow Vegetable.




2
6
-------
6
1-1/2
1
-------
#
oz
---
c
T
T
---
Mustard Greens (1)  
Onion
-- Pickle
Water
Sea Salt (2)
Sugar (3)
-------------
Make   -   (30 min + 7 to 10 days)
  1. Separate the leaves of the MUSTARD GREENS and float wash. Dry well, preferably in a salad spinner.
  2. Wilt the Greens by one of the methods suggested in Note-4 to achieve the right balance between salt and liquid.
  3. Slice ONIONS lengthwise into wedges, about 1/2 inch on the thick side. Wilt similarly to the Mustard Greens.
  4. Cut the Leaves into about 1 inch pieces, including the thick stem part. Mix with the Onions.
  5. Combine all Pickle items in a pot of sufficient size to hold the full recipe and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat and let cool until you can stick a finger in without pain.
  6. Stir Greens into the pot and let sit covered an hour or so, then pack into a sterile jar and pour in enough of the Pickle to cover. Screw down the lid and set in a fairly warm location.
  7. Once a day, open the jar to relieve pressure and sample the greens. push down any that are floating to the top to keep them well washed with brine, or they may mold. When the flavor is good, drain and refrigerate. 4 or 5 days seems good. It will keep a month or so in the fridge.
NOTES:
  1. Mustard Greens:   I make this from Small Gai Choy, which is easily available here in Los Angeles. Large Gai Choy is much stemmier - resulting in something more like my photo example, which is all stems cut out from leaves used to make Chinese Snow Vegetable. For details see our Cabbage, Mustard, Turnip & Radish Greens page, particularly the Asian Greens section.
  2. Sea Salt:   Natural sea salt should be used for salt pickling. I emphasize "natural", because many major brands of "sea salt" are highly refined. Most table salts, and some kosher salts, include "flow agents" which may cloud pickles. If it sea salt doesn't seem a little moist, it's not natural. Various pundits tell you that "salt is salt, it's nearly all sodium chloride", but the Koreans, who do far more salt pickling than anyone else, maintain that some of the minor salts in sea salt are important to proper fermentation. Of course you can buy sea salt from gourmet outlets for astounding prices, but if you find a Korean market you can buy big sacks of it economically. For details see our Salt page.
  3. Sugar:   I adhered to the lowest amount of sugar given in any of the recipes I studied. Western tastes are more comfortable with less sugar, which is an addictive toxin anyway. Use sugar to your own taste, some recipes asked for more than 1/4 cup. Eeeek!
  4. Wilting: Threading a string through the strongest points and hanging overnight indoors is recommended by Fuchsia Dunlop. She mentions that many people in China dry half a day in the sun, hung up on string or spread out on bamboo trays, but she's based in London where they don't have sun. The object here is not to get any actual dryness, but to wilt for the right balance of water and salt. I tend to be pressed for time, so I dry them in my electric dehydrator, fan on and low temperature, for about 1 hour, until lightly wilted. It would be much faster at medium temperature, but would take more attention to prevent over drying.
  5. Comments:   Note that the amount of salt is fairly important, though less critical than in salt pickles that depend on the juices exuded by the vegetables. Use some method to keep the leaves completely submerged. A small, tightly sealed plastic bag partially filled with water can work, or just push the top ones down to wash in the brine every day to prevent mold. The color of Mustard Greens will fade, and their fierce sharpness will be toned down.
  6. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch, ar=as required tt=to taste
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