This is a rather loose adaptation of a traditional Vietnamese recipe, often used as a filling in Bánh Mì. You can google for lots of variations. Đồ Chua is often made as a vinegar pickle, with added sugar – this recipe is a keto/paleo & sugar-free lacto-fermented version.

The basic idea is to spiralize (or grate) & mix everything, except the chilies. Then pack all the spiralized vegetables into jars, with the halved chilies slid down the side, topped up with brine.

Start by making the basic brine and leave to dissolve while you prepare the vegetables.

Here’s my lacto-fermented cucumbers recipe. This is adapted from the great Wild Fermentation book. I’ve honed this recipe to perfection over many trials – but you’ll need to try it a few times and adjust it to your particular cucumbers, climate & tastes, I expect.

Although mini-cucumbers are the archetypal “pickle”, this recipe is not limited to just cucumbers. Pretty much any crunchy vegetable can be fermented like this. Basically, any vegetable that’s crunchy will ferment well this way.

This is essentially two recipes: one for making the “basic brine” – which I use for lots of similar ferments – and one for making the fermented cucumbers, using the brine. Both recipes are very simple …