Ca Phao Muoi (Pressed Brined White Eggplant), Made with Monk Fruit Sweetener
Vietnamese dishesPickles and PreservesNorthern Vietnam35 minutes of prep, ready to eat after 2 days
A jar of crisp white eggplant starts with the pressing method. The pleasure is in the audible crunch and a brine that stays clear. The difficulty is keeping every piece under the liquid, because anything that floats darkens and grows a film within a day.
The eggplants soak for 5 minutes in light brine after the stems come off, which keeps them from browning and takes off the bitter edge. The glass jar must be rinsed with hot water and wiped completely dry before the fruit goes in.
This batch weighs about 3.1kg, at roughly 12 calories per 100g.
Method
Wash the soil off the eggplants and drain them. Peel the garlic and press each clove without mincing. Peel, wash and thinly slice the galangal. Remove the chili stems and halve the chilies or leave them whole.
Mix 1 liter cooled boiled water with 40g dried salt and stir to dissolve. Cut off the eggplant stems and soak the fruit for 5 minutes so it stays pale and loses its bitterness.
Mix the main brine from 1 liter cooled boiled water, 40g dried salt and 9g kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, stirring until everything dissolves.
Rinse a glass or earthenware jar with hot water and wipe it completely dry. Lift the eggplants out and pack them in, alternating a layer of eggplant with a layer of galangal, garlic and chili.
Pour in the brine and use a bamboo lattice to press the eggplants below the surface, or fill a food bag with water, seal it and lay it on top.
Close the lid tightly and keep the jar somewhere cool and airy. In summer the eggplants are ready after 2 days, with clear brine and pale, crisp fruit.
Tips
A touch of sweetness in the brine helps the eggplant ferment faster and sour to the right point.
With coarse salt that still carries impurities, the brine is better boiled and cooled completely before use.
The jar has to be bone dry, as any raw water in it invites a film on the brine.
Constant pressure keeps the fruit submerged, and anything that floats darkens and turns soft.
Drop each eggplant into lightly salted water as soon as the stem is trimmed, since a few minutes in the air darkens the cut.
Need kOBE Monk Fruit Blend?
The recipe above is sweetened with kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, measured 1:1 like sugar. See the product page or send us a message.