Piquant Canned Chow Chow Is A Southern Dish For You [Recipe]

What is this piquant canned chow chow? This condiment comes from the South, and I find it to be extremely tasty and complex. If you have never had chow chow, you will fall in love once you try it.

Piquant Canned Chow Chow Is The Complex Meal You Need In Your Life

Ready for something new in your life?

I came up with the idea of chow chow because I had a ton of vegetables around that work well in a tart and spicy dish like this one. For one, I had pickling cucumbers, Vidalia onions, green tomatoes, cabbage, green beans, cauliflower, and bell peppers. You can switch some of these out if you need to. Some good alternatives include zucchini, sweet onions, cherry tomatoes, broccoli, and slaw.

For the seasoning, I also add apple cider vinegar, horseradish, mustard seeds, celery seeds, garlic, jalapenos, brown sugar, Dijon mustard, turmeric, and curry powder. As you can see, the flavors here are very complex, but the mix is truly worth it.

While you don’t need to use all of these spices, I do recommend that you find ingredients that closely resemble the flavor. Other substitutes to consider are rice vinegar, wasabi, habaneros, honey, and mustard.

When cooking this chow chow, make sure you have enough time and attention, as the process requires lots of steps and can be confusing. It is not hard, though; so don’t be discouraged by it.

This piquant canned chow chow is a great addition to your list of new dishes to try. I love serving it with mashed potatoes, fish cakes, or as a relish on hot dogs. Sometimes, I use it as an addition to charcuterie boards and my guests love it.

Keep this canned chow chow in your fridge for better flavors, or store in a cool dry place. I recommend you take a break from life or work and cook this up one afternoon!

Piquant Canned Chow Chow

Recipe by Gillian Lightman

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lb (675 g) pickling cucumbers

• 1 small cabbage, slice into 1 inch (2.5 cm) dice

• 1 1/2 lb () green tomato, cored, finely chopped

• 2 lb (900 g) vidalia onion, finely chopped

• 3/4 cup (96 g) pickling salt

• 2 quart (approx. 2L) water

• 4 tsp kosher salt

• 1/2 lb (225 g) green beans, slice into 1 inch (2.5 cm) pieces

• 2 quart (approx. 2L) apple cider vinegar

• 1 small head cauliflower, break into florets

• 1/2 cup (64 g) grated horseradish

• 2 tbsp mustard seeds

• 1/2 tsp celery seeds

• 4 cloves garlic, minced

• 3 jalapeno, seeded, finely chopped

• 2 red bell pepper (medium-sized), finely chopped

• 3 green bell pepper (medium-sized), finely chopped

• 2 cups (256 g) light brown sugar

• 1/2 cup (64 g) dijon mustard

• 1 tbsp ground turmeric

• 1 tsp curry powder

Directions

• Quarter cucumbers lengthwise then slice crosswise into 1/4 inch (6 mm) cuts.
• Place cucumber, cabbage, onions, and tomatoes in layer inside a 1-gal (approx. 4 kg) food-grade plastic container with tight-fit lid.
• Dissolve pickling salt in 2 quarts (approx. 2L) water then pour over vegetables.
• Ensure vegetables are submerged in saltwater, pour in additional cups of water if necessary.
• Close lid then chill overnight.
• Drain container then rinse vegetables 3 times under cold running water.
• Place vegetables in a large bowl.
• Dissolve 1 tbsp of kosher salt in a pot with 6 quarts (5.6 L) water then bring to boil.
• Pour ice water in a large bowl.
• Blanch green beans for 2 minutes in boiling salted water then transfer to ice water.
• Drain green beans then add to vegetable mixture
• Blanch cauliflower using same procedure then add it to mixture.
• Boil vinegar in a large stockpot then mix horseradish, mustard seeds, celery seeds, and garlic.
• Lower heat and simmer for 3 minutes.
• After 3 minutes, add jalapeno and bell peppers, then bring it back to boil.
• Add brown sugar, dijon mustard, turmeric, curry powder and 1 tsp of kosher salt then bring back to boil.
• Slowly add drained vegetables. Stir constantly while boiling.
• Lower heat then simmer uncovered for 10 minutes.
• Gently ladle chow-chow into hot jars. Leave 1/2 inch (1 cm) headspace.
• Remove trapped air bubbles by running a spatula around the inside of the jar.
• Wipe jar rim with a clean damp cloth then apply lid and ring. Adjust to fingertip-tightness.
• Process for 20 minutes (Adjust for altitude).
• Turn heat off, let jars sit for 5 minutes to settle.
• Remove jars and cool.