Som Phak

Ingredients

Vegetables

• 500 gmustard greens, cut in 5 cm lengths
• 300 gwhite cabbage, in wide strips
• 3spring onions, in lengths

Brine

• 1 litrewater
• 30 gcoarse non-iodised salt — 3%
• 2 tbspcooked sticky rice
• 1 tbspsugar

Aromatics

• 4 clovesgarlic, sliced
• 2bird’s eye chillies, whole
• 1 tspblack peppercorns

Directions

1. Spread the cut greens and cabbage on a tray and leave them in the sun or somewhere warm for two to three hours until they have wilted. Wilting drives off surface water so the brine is not diluted, and it lets you pack far more into the jar.
2. Dissolve the salt and sugar in the water and mash in the cooked sticky rice. The rice starch is what gets the ferment moving fast — in Lao heat a jar can be sour in three days, where a plain brine would take two weeks.
3. Pack the wilted vegetables into a clean jar with the garlic, chilli and peppercorns, pressing down hard.
4. Pour over the brine so everything sits at least 2 cm below the surface, and weight it down. Anything above the brine will spoil.
5. Cover loosely and leave at room temperature for three to seven days, tasting from day three.
6. It is ready when it smells sharply sour and the stems still snap. Move it to the fridge, where it keeps a month and goes on softening.
7. Serve alongside sticky rice, larb and grilled meat, or chop the sourest of it into soups when fresh vegetables run short.

Technique

• Three percent salt is deliberately low because this is a fast pickle eaten within weeks. Do not stretch it into a months-long preserve at this salt level.
• Wilt the greens first. Skipped, the jar is watery and limp within days.
• Everything under the brine. It is the only real failure mode.

Substitutions

• Gai choy, kale or any firm brassica in place of mustard greens.
• A spoonful of whey or brine from a working jar in place of the rice.

Variations

• The Cambodian chrouk spey and Vietnamese dưa chua are the same preserve.
• Some households add sliced ginger and turmeric, which colours the jar yellow.

History

Every Lao kitchen keeps a jar going; the sour greens also thicken soups when fresh vegetables run short.

Frequently asked questions

What is Som Phak?

Som Phak is a fermented & pickled from Laos: mustard greens and cabbage soured in brine, eaten with sticky rice and larb. Every Lao kitchen keeps a jar going; the sour greens also thicken soups when fresh vegetables run short.

How long does Som Phak take to make?

Som Phak takes 30 min plus 3 to 7 days souring of preparation and no cooking at all. The recipe makes fills a 1-litre jar. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Som Phak?

Yes, within limits. Gai choy, kale or any firm brassica in place of mustard greens. A spoonful of whey or brine from a working jar in place of the rice.

What is the most important thing to get right in Som Phak?

Three percent salt is deliberately low because this is a fast pickle eaten within weeks. Do not stretch it into a months-long preserve at this salt level.