Dưa Món (Pickled Vegetables in Fish Sauce)

 

"Tết Tết Tết ... Tết đến rồi

Tết đến trong ... tim mọi người..."

 

With the arrival of Spring every year, every family in Vietnam shares the same food that have come to symbolize Tết.  Dưa Món is one of these symbols that can't be missed.    It has the aroma, flavor and sweetness of fish sauce and sugar; the crunchiness of papaya and daikon compliments the beautiful vivid color of carrots.    Dưa món pairs best with  bánh chưng, bánh tét (traditional Vietnamese steamed cakes) and other cold dishes such as chả lụa (Vietnamese ham), and giò thủ (Vietnamese head cheese).

This is my first experiment on Dưa Món  and thankfully it did not disappoint.  So I am very excited about sharing this post with everyone.  

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RECIPE: Dưa Món

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Ingredients

4 Carrots, peeled with a slicer

1 Green Papaya, peeled, seeded

1 Daikon, peeled

4 cloves of Garlic, peeled, thinly sliced

2 1/2 cups Sugar

2 1/2 cups  good Fish Sauce such as Three Crabs Viet Huong brand

A Glass Jar with Lid
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Method 

Cut daikon, carrots and green papaya into sticks or flower shape.  Wash the vegetables with the salt then rinse under cold running water.  Drain and pat dry.

Preheat the oven to 250 F.

Spread the vegetables on baking sheets. Place in the oven on the 2nd lowest rack and leave the door ajar. Let dry out for about 2-3 hours, toss the vegetables every 30 minutes. The vegetables are ready when they have shrunk by two thirds. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. 

Bring a pot of water to boil. Place dried vegetables in the pot and turn of the heat. Let it sit for a few minutes then drain, rinse with cold water and pat dry.  This step is optional.  I didn't want to wait for a week to taste it as it takes time to absort the liquid and unshrink.  Soaking it in hot water would help to unshrink it and it will absord faster. 

During the drying process, bring fish sauce and sugar to near boil. Make sure to stir it in the process and keep your eyes on it since it can boil quickly. Remove from heat. Let it cool completely.

 Place dried vegetable and garlic in a jar. Pour the fish sauce mixture into the vegetable jar and close the jar tightly.  Dưa Món should be ready to eat in a couple days. 

  

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