Ingredients
75 grams each of napa cabbage, radish, cabbage, carrot, celtuce (or Chinese lettuce stem), and onion.
Seasonings
50 g young ginger, 5 g dried chili peppers, a small amount each of star anise, bay leaves, Sichuan peppercorns, cinnamon, and black cardamom, 100 g (about 1/2 cup) salt, 1 tablespoon rock sugar, 5 teaspoons fermented rice paste.
Preparation
1. Add 2500 g (about 10 cups) of water to a pot, then add star anise, bay leaves, and cinnamon stick, and bring to a boil.
2. Add dried chili peppers, Sichuan peppercorns, and tsao-ko cardamom, then boil for 5 minutes; pour into a container and let cool completely.
3. Wash the Chinese cabbage, radish, young ginger, cabbage, carrot, celtuce (or asparagus lettuce), and onion separately.
4. Cut the radish, carrot, and asparagus lettuce into 5 cm (about 2 inch) long strips that are 1 cm (about 1/2 inch) thick.
5. Cut the cabbage and onion into thin slices; slice the young ginger into small pieces; cut the napa cabbage into small chunks.
Steps
1. Take 1 pickling jar, wash and clean it thoroughly, pour in the cooled pickling brine, then add salt, fermented rice paste, and rock sugar, stirring until dissolved.
2. Add the sliced napa cabbage, radish, young ginger, cabbage, carrot, Chinese lettuce, and onion, then seal the jar tightly with its lid. Let it pickle until fully flavored, then remove and arrange on a serving plate.