Dua Hanh (Northern Pickled Shallots), Made with Monk Fruit Sweetener
Vietnamese dishesPicklesNorthern Vietnam144 hours 30 minutes in total, ready to eat after 5 to 7 days
Dua hanh from the North takes only a few ingredients but plenty of patience. Once fermented, the shallots turn translucent white, crisp, lightly sour and no longer sharp. The main risk is shallots floating above the liquid, since any exposed part quickly goes slimy and takes the jar with it.
The shallots need a day in the air to dry their skins, and that step decides how crisp they turn out. The pickling liquid has to be completely cool, because warm liquid leaves the shallots limp and the brine cloudy.
This batch weighs about 1.4kg, at roughly 29 calories per 100g.
Method
Trim the roots and any yellow leaves from 500g shallots, keeping only the bulbs.
Soak the shallots in lightly salted water for 15 minutes, rinse off any grit and lift them out to drain.
Spread the shallots on a tray and leave them in an airy spot for about 1 day, until the skins dry.
Boil 700ml water and let it cool completely. Dissolve 20g coarse salt, 27g kOBE Monk Fruit Blend and 100ml rice vinegar in it, until it tastes salty and sour with a light sweetness.
Pack the shallots into a clean glass jar or stoneware crock, add 10g fresh chili and pour in the liquid to cover them.
Weigh the shallots down so they sit fully submerged, seal the jar and keep it somewhere cool and airy.
After 5 to 7 days the shallots turn translucent white, smell mild, taste crisp and have lost their sharpness.
Tips
Choose small, evenly round local shallots with dry, unbruised skins, which give the crispest pickles.
Use non iodized coarse salt so the brine stays clear and the shallots stay firm.
The jar and the weight have to be bone dry, since a trace of tap water brings on a film.
kOBE Monk Fruit Blend dissolves slowly, so stir the liquid again after 5 minutes before pouring it into the jar.
Push down any shallot that rises above the liquid straight away, since the exposed part spoils first.
Once the sourness is where you want it, move the jar to the fridge to hold it there.
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.