Ingredients
Vegetables
- 1.5 kgsmall pickling cucumbers, firm and unwaxed
- 3carrots, in thick batons
- 2green peppers, in wide strips
- 1small cauliflower, in florets
Brine
- 2 litreswater
- 100 gcoarse non-iodised salt — 5% of the water’s weight
Aromatics
- 1 headgarlic, cloves peeled
- 1large bunch dill with crowns
- 2 tbspcoriander seed
- 1 tbspblack peppercorns
- 4bay leaves
- 2hot green chillies
- 1 piecehorseradish root, sliced
Directions
- Soak the cucumbers in ice-cold water for three hours, then trim a sliver off the blossom end of each — that end carries the enzyme that turns a jar soft.
- Dissolve the salt completely in the water and weigh it. Five percent is what protects the jar in the days before the acidity builds, and it is the only number here that must be right.
- Pack everything into a clean jar with the garlic, dill, coriander, peppercorns, bay, chilli and horseradish tucked among the vegetables.
- Pour over the brine so everything sits 3 cm below the surface, and weight it down. Anything above the brine will mould.
- Cover loosely and leave at room temperature. In a warm kitchen these are ready as half-sours in about a week and as full sours in two to three.
- Taste as you go, which is the point of a barrel pickle — half-sour is still bright green and crunchy inside, full-sour is olive through and properly acidic. Neither is more correct than the other.
- Move to the fridge once they taste right. They keep for months and go on souring slowly.
- Serve with everything — falafel, schnitzel, sandwiches — straight from the jar.
Technique
- Skim any white film off the surface as it appears. A thin white bloom is harmless kahm yeast; coloured fuzzy mould means something rose above the brine.
- Half-sour or full-sour is a choice, not a stage you have to pass through. Take some out early if you like them green.
- Non-iodised salt only. Iodine holds back the bacteria you are relying on.
Substitutions
- Green tomatoes, turnip or small aubergines, all of which are brined the same way in Israeli markets.
- Grape or oak leaves for extra firmness.
Variations
- Turnips brined with a slice of beetroot come out shocking pink and are sold alongside.
- A vinegar version is quicker and sharper but lacks the sour depth.
History
Sour brine pickling arrived with eastern European immigrants and merged with Middle Eastern pickle stalls in the markets.
Frequently asked questions
What is Chamutzim?
Chamutzim is a fermented & pickled from Israel: barrel-brined cucumbers and vegetables, sold by weight and eaten with everything. Sour brine pickling arrived with eastern European immigrants and merged with Middle Eastern pickle stalls in the markets.
How long does Chamutzim take to make?
Chamutzim takes 30 min plus 1 to 3 weeks fermenting of preparation and no cooking at all. The recipe makes fills a 3-litre jar. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Chamutzim?
Yes, within limits. Green tomatoes, turnip or small aubergines, all of which are brined the same way in Israeli markets. Grape or oak leaves for extra firmness.
What is the most important thing to get right in Chamutzim?
Dissolve the salt completely in the water and weigh it. Five percent is what protects the jar in the days before the acidity builds, and it is the only number here that must be right.
