Korean Cauliflower Jangajji (Pickled Cauliflower)

Name: Korean Cauliflower Jangajji (Pickled Cauliflower)
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Korean
Ingredients: cauliflower florets 500 g; onion 100 g; soy sauce 130 ml; water 130 ml; apple vinegar 110 ml; sugar 75 g; bay leaves 2 ea; dried red chili 1 ea

Keep the florets slightly larger than one bite with a little firm stem attached, because pieces cut too small soften faster in the brine. Boil 130 ml soy sauce, 130 ml water, 110 ml apple vinegar, and 75 g sugar for just 1 minute, let the harsh steam fade, and pour it over the cauliflower packed on top of 1 cm onion strips. Refrigerate once completely cool, flip the jar once on the first day, and mature for 2 days.

Quick answer

Total time: At least 2 days 6 min
Level: Easy
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients: 8

About this dish

Dense cauliflower takes up brine slowly and stays firm long after softer vegetables like cucumber would give way.

Florets a little bigger than one bite, each with some stem left on, hold up best, while small pieces soften fast. Apple vinegar and sugar give a clean sweet-sour top note, with soy sauce underneath. Bay leaves and a dried chili spread through the jar add aroma, and flipping the jar once on the first day seasons the upper florets as evenly as the lower ones. It cuts nicely through fried or grilled food.

Ingredients

servings

IngredientAmount

bay leaves2 ea

dried red chili1 ea

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Instructions

6 steps

1

Separate 500 g cauliflower along the main stems into florets slightly larger than one bite.

Soak them in lightly salted water for 5 minutes, then rinse under running water to remove grit without breaking the florets.
2

Drain the cauliflower well in a sieve so extra water does not dilute the brine.

Keep a little firm stem on each floret, because pieces cut too small soften faster during pickling.
3

Slice 100 g onion into thick 1 cm strips and spread them across the bottom of a sterilized jar.

Pack the drained cauliflower above them snugly, but do not press so hard that the florets crush.
4

Tuck 2 bay leaves and 1 dried red chili between the cauliflower layers.

Distribute them between the lower and upper parts of the jar so the aroma does not stay concentrated in one spot.
5

Combine 130 ml soy sauce, 130 ml water, 110 ml apple vinegar, and 75 g sugar in a pot.

Heat over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves, then boil for just 1 minute.
6

Let the brine cool until the harsh steam fades, then pour it into the jar until the vegetables are covered.

Once completely cool, refrigerate it, flip the jar once on the first day, and mature for 2 days.