Pickled perfection from Adelaide’s best restaurants
Pickling and fermenting dates as far as 2030BC in India and is still prevalent in a wide range of cultures and cuisines. Aside from saving veggies nearing the end of their best lives, it also adds an extra dimension to even the most humble of meals.
Some of the city’s finest have provided their very own recipes for you to try at home. Need a flavour hit now? Pop in for a dose of warm and fuzzy hospitality or get delivery straight to your door.
Madre
Madre belongs to an exclusive club of global eateries who make Neapolitan pizza with seawater. Theirs is imported straight from the Mediterranean, obviously. Combined with a sourdough starter and Tipo 00 flour, the result is unsurprisingly one of the best in Adelaide.
The Gilbert Street restaurant has amassed a cult following amongst pizza aficionados with six simple topping options. Settle in with a Concetta which is the perfect marriage of spicy pork sausage and fried eggplant, or an Assunta for a Portobello mushroom and truffle salt soiree.
The condiment chilli oil is the key to eating a Southern Italian dish. Oilio al Peperoncino is a standard condiment used at Madre, with Madre’s very own pizzaiolo Ettore Bertonati providing his easy home version. Perfect for those who like it hot.
INGREDIENTS
For a litre or more :
1 Litre of extra virgin olive oil - we reccomend Diana Olive Oil chefs blend
200g Bell peppers
100g Cayenne peppers
100g Serrano peppers
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon of seasalt
METHOD
Step 1 : Set out a sterilised , dry glass jar
Step 2 : Cut the chillies into small pieces either by hand or with a food processor
Step 3 : In a small saucepan, heat the oil over medium for a few minutes , add the cilli and mix through for 5 minutes
Step 4 : Remove the pan from the heat, add salt and vinegar to your chilli oil
Step 5 : Set the mixture aside until cool
Step 6 : Once cooled store the oil in jar
If you would like more heat and flavour ensure the oil is covered and put in a dark room to infuse for at least 72 hours .
The oil will store well at room temperature for several months . In that time you will see a the colour intensify and as your mixture matures the heat factor will rise.
Sit Lo
Sit Lo in the West End have crafted their menu on the traditional principles and flavours of Vietnamese cuisine - with a delightful surprise or two.
There’s little that satisfies an appetite like the crunch of a perfectly baked banh mi and the plethora of textures and tastes nestled inside. Pickled carrot plays a crunchy supporting role in dishes like banh mi and bun bowls, offering a refreshing zesty balance to fillings such as panko crumbed fried chicken and crispy roast pork.
Sit Lo is an eatery of the people and have responded to the cries for more banh mi with an epic foot-long version.
Satisfy your appetite below.
Ingredients
1.5 cups Rice Vinegar
1 cup Sugar
2 teaspoons Salt
3 Large Carrots
Method
Add the rice vinegar, sugar and salt to a saucepan over high heat, stir to dissolve sugar and bring to the boil.
Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
Grate Carrots and add to a pickling jar, pour over the pickling liquid. Leave overnight to mature.
This makes enough for approx 12 Rolls. This is used as an important component to Vietnamese Banh Mi.
Alternatively carrots can be sliced thickly and can be used as an accompaniment to any rice dish. You can also do the same with white radish/daikon.
Pickles can be stored for up to a week in a sealed jar in the fridge.
Plus 82 POCHA
Plus 82 POCHA brings all the vibrancy of bustling Korea to Grenfell Street, paying homage to late night Korean street stalls which are known as pojangmacha.
Kim Chi, a dish of fermented vegetables such as radish and cabbage, has long played an integral role in Korean cuisine and culture. Plus 82 POCHA hail Kim Chi the hero of their budae jiggae, a soul soothing stew laden with dumplings, beans and plenty of other goodies. Opt for their infamous KFC (Korean fried chicken) and pop a serve of Kim Chi on the side.
Try your hand at making it at home or order direct below.
Ingredients
Chinese cabbage x 2.5kg
Garlic Chive x 1bunch
Sugar x 5 tablespoons
Salt x 6 tablespoons
Crushed Garlic x 5 tablespoons
Crushed Ginger x 2 teaspoons
Fish sauce x 8 tablespoons (soy sauce for vegan)
Korean Coarse Chilli powder (Gochugaru) x 12 tablespoons
Glutinous Rice Flour x 1.5 tablespoons
Method
- Cut Chinese cabbage into 4cm cubes.
- Add 5 cups of cold water and 5 tbs of salt into a large wide bowl to soak the cabbages for 1 to 2 hours.
- Prepare a frying pan on the stove and add 1 cup of cold water and 1.5 tbs of glutinous rice flour.
- Turn on the heat from the stove, stir water and glutinous rice flour until it dissolved and boiled.
Tip: Be aware of rice flour sticking on the pan. - Remove soaking water from the bowl and rinse cabbage with clean cold water.
Tip: The reasons of soaking cabbages are to season cabbage and to give chewy texture - Add 12tbs of Korean coarse chilli powder (Gochugaru), 8tbs of fish sauce, 5tbs of crushed garlic, 2 tps of crushed ginger, 5tbs of sugar, 1tbs of salt, dissolved glutinous rice flour from the pan and 1bunch of garlic chive (cut into 3cm long).
Tip: Adjust chilli powder if it is too spicy - Wear gloves with both hand and mix the entire ingredients gently
- Store Kimchi in room temperature for 1 to 2days, this makes the fermentation process quicker.
Tip: mix the Kimchi every 12 hours which helps to distribute seasoning of Kimchi and fermentation will progress evenly - After 1 to 2 days of keeping the Kimchi into fridge, it can last up to 6 months under 1 to 3 degree Celsius.
The best ways to enjoy Kimchi
Fresh Kimchi is crisp, refreshing and it is good by itself as a side dish. That’s why, it goes well with oily dishes such as stir fried noodle, fried rice and deep fried food.
Fermented Kimchi (Over1 month stored in the fridge) has sourness and softer texture.
There are the best ways to cook dish using fermented Kimchi such as Kimchi fried rice with sunny sided fried egg and Kimchi pancake, Kimchi Jjigae (Stew).