You guys – I’m not even going to try to come up with some kind of story to put in front of this recipe, but there is nothing I could come up with that would do this recipe justice. It’s just a fact, so please forgive me.
Pikliz (pick-lees) is the Haitian style of pickled cabbage. There are tons of different varieties of a pickled cabbage and veggie slaw from cultures all over the world, and even lots of ways to make it within the same culture. People have been coming up with ways to pickle things for basically as long as we’ve been around. And let’s be honest – there’s no reason not to try it because it’s truly the easiest thing in the world, and reaps amazing results.
From what I could tell by my little bit of research… this seems to be a pretty authentic recipe for Pikliz. It couldn’t be more simple, and it really couldn’t be more tasty. The whole method is to shred a bunch of veggies (thank you, mandolin!) and then pack it into a jar and pour vinegar on it. Even people that have no idea what they’re doing in a kitchen would have absolutely no problem with this – except maybe don’t use the mandolin.
With just a handful of ingredients, this really comes together quickly, and you probably won’t even have to go to the store! If you don’t have habaneros or scotch bonnets, or if you don’t like that much heat, you could easily swap them out for another kind of pepper that either you prefer or have on hand. I’m pretty sure that all of us want to avoid going to the store more than we need to… so feel free to swap away! Either way, this really can’t be messed up too much.
This recipe is enough for two pretty decent size jars (sorry, don’t know what size they are) but don’t worry about halving the recipe. You will want to put this on e v e r y t h i n g just like I do. The other day I even threw a big pile of it on the side of my burrito bowl from chipotle, and it truly didn’t disappoint. The crunchy, sour, and spicy slaw was exactly what I didn’t know my barbacoa needed. It was just divine.
So make this and put it on everything! If you’re really worried about making too much (what nonsense) then you can easily gift one of the jars and make a new best friend for life.
Pikliz – Haitian Pickled Cabbage
- I head cabbage, shredded
- 2 carrots, grated
- 1 or 2 bell peppers, finely sliced; depending on how sweet you’d like it
- 1 onion, finely sliced or chopped; red or white is fine
- 3 scallions, sliced
- 1 shallot, sliced
- salt, to taste
- pepper, to taste
- 2 habaneros or scotch bonnets, finely chopped
- 3 c. white vinegar; could be more or less, it’s just enough to cover slaw in jars
- Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Wear gloves or use tongs to mix after adding peppers to avoid getting the oils on your hands. Mix thoroughly to make sure that you don’t get clusters or clumps of ingredients and that it’s evenly distributed.
- Pack into jars tightly until full, and pour vinegar into jars to cover slaw. Closed the airtight jar and give it a few good shakes to get any air bubbles out. You may need to add more vinegar after things have settled a little and the bubbles rise.
- Place in the fridge for at least 2 days to ensure flavor development as well as sufficient pickling. It will keep in the fridge for a few weeks, as long as veggies are still submerged in the vinegar.
- Eat with literally everything.
The Kitchen Kween 