Dongbei Suan Dou Jiao (东北酸豆角)

Fermented long beans are a pantry staple across Dongbei households, where the harsh winters made pickle-making an essential preservation art. This lacto-fermented condiment is eaten cold as a side dish or chopped and stir-fried with minced pork, but here it is presented in its purest low-cholesterol form alongside steamed rice.

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 500g (1 lb) yard-long beans (snake beans), trimmed
• 1 litre (4 cups) cold water
• 30g (2 tbsp) non-iodised salt
• 4 dried red chillies
• 4 cloves garlic, lightly crushed
• 1 tsp (5ml) Sichuan peppercorns
• 2 tsp (10ml) rice vinegar (to kickstart fermentation)

Instructions

1. Wash the long beans thoroughly, then cut into 8cm (3 in) lengths. Allow to air-dry on a clean cloth for 1 hour — surface moisture inhibits fermentation.
2. Dissolve the salt fully in the cold water to make a brine. Stir in the rice vinegar.
3. Pack the beans tightly into a sterilised 1.5-litre (1.5-quart) glass jar, tucking in the chillies, garlic, and Sichuan peppercorns between the layers.
4. Pour the brine over the beans until fully submerged. Weigh down with a small zip-lock bag filled with extra brine to keep beans below the liquid line.
5. Seal the jar loosely (to allow gas to escape) and leave at room temperature, 18–22°C (64–72°F), for 3–5 days. Taste daily from day 3 — beans should be sour, crunchy, and pleasantly tangy.
6. Once fermented to your liking, seal tightly and refrigerate. Serve cold, sliced thinly, dressed with a few drops of sesame oil and a pinch of sugar if desired.

Cook's Notes: Iodised salt will kill the beneficial bacteria — always use pickling or sea salt. The beans keep refrigerated for up to 3 weeks. The brine itself can be used to start the next batch.