INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

Mix the brine ingredients in a gallon (or larger) container (glass,
ceramic, stainless steel or even plastic). Add the cleaned and  drained
dry vegetables to the brine (the vegetables should be  completely
covered by the brine). Cover the container loosely and let  it sit at
room temperature for 3 to 5 days.  Notes  The entire procedure must be
grease-free at all times. This includes  hands, knives, cutting board,
container, vegetables and measuring  utensils.  Contamination with even
small amounts of grease may result in the  formation of scum on the
surface of the brine. If some scum does  form, the addition of a TBS or
two of vodka will help.  The quantity of peppers may be varied
according to the desired degree  of hotness.  The brine can be used
over and over again as long as additional salt  and vodka are added
after each use. For authenticity, instead of  vodka one can use Chinese
Gao-Liang wine if it is available.  A vegetable dryer that will spin
vegetables is very useful for the  preparation of this dish. Only the
outside of the vegetables is  dried; the moisture content of the
interior should not be changed.  Vodka is used instead of vinegar for
pickling the vegetables. The  appearance of the pickled vegetables is
very close to that of fresh  ones when vodka is used.  The final
product can be stored in the refrigerator for a couple of  weeks as
long as it is retained in the original brine.  This dish is a favorite
side dish among the Chinese. It can be found  in many of the
restaurants in China, but one would not expect to find  it at most
banquets. Posted to EAT-L Digest by "Pamela F. Wagner"
<FanofPern@AOL.COM> on Jul 7, 1997

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Nutrition (calculated from recipe ingredients)
----------------------------------------------
Calories: 175
Calories From Fat: 10
Total Fat: 1.1g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 22225.1mg
Potassium: 2052.3mg
Carbohydrates: 20.3g
Fiber: 8.2g
Sugar: 9g
Protein: 9.1g