Curry Cauliflower Pickles & Love of salty crunch
These curry cauliflower pickles are perfect for snacking, as a topping for salad or served with grilled meats.
Curry Cauliflower Pickles
I love me plenty of good pickles. Anyone else here in the pickle-loving camp? Please chime in because I’d love to know that there are other obsessive picklers out there. When I eat something off the grill, bbq or a sandwich, I crave a fresh and salty crunch. If the pickles have some extra spice, unique flair or flavor, then I’m double happy! Yes, admittedly I’m addicted to pickles and if you crack open a new jar of fresh homemade pickles, I’ll devour the whole jar in one sitting. These curry cauliflower pickles are definitely too easy for me to eat.
A few months ago, Todd and I hosted a fun luncheon at our studio for local food bloggers hosted by KitchenAid. The attendee list was filled with some familiar faces, but mostly brand new people that we’ve never met and have always wanted to meet outside of our social media circles.
At the lunch, we served up our homemade trio of pickles: spicy korean kim chi, crisp celery and curry cauliflower. All three pickles were a hit and each jar had their dedicated fans. But the pickled curry cauliflower was a major hit and so many people, including Lori, asked for the recipe. Lori was the one who was always on top of reminding me to share the recipe. That’s why this recipe is for Lori.
I often wonder why this curry cauliflower pickle resonated with so many palates at the luncheon. Many of the attendees noted that they’ve had pickled cauliflower before, but never like my pickles.
Maybe it was the spice? The intense bright yellow color of the cauliflower? or maybe it was from the depth of flavor of the soy sauce based brine that made everyone coming back to a practically empty jar.
Either way, I re-made this recipe again several times and actually remembered to write the recipe down. Each time, I ate the pickles and realized that my pickle recipe is very flavorful and balanced with spice. I do love spice and flavor and when it comes to pickling, I always want to have each jar chock full of crisp fresh veggies and bright with fun flavors.
The spice level of these pickles is all up to you. Though I used red jalapeños, each batch was different based on how spicy the chiles were. So before you pickle, please taste your chiles to test their heat level. Or if you don’t want to add spice, this recipe is great even without the spice!
So here it is, finally. My flavorful curry cauliflower pickles. Enjoy!
hugs,
diane
Curry Cauliflower Pickles
Ingredients
- 1 medium head of Cauliflower (about 2 lbs), cut into bite small sized pieces
- 1 large Red Jalapeño (or bell pepper), sliced
- 3 cups (1500 ml) Water
- 1 cup (235 ml) White Vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons Sugar , (omit for low carb/keto version)
- 1 Tablespoon Salt
- 1 Tablespoon Soy Sauce
- 2-3 cloves Garlic , finely minced
- 2 teaspoons Curry Powder
Instructions
- Cut the fresh cauliflower into small 1" bites and slice the chili pepper. Frozen cauliflower doens't work for this recipe.
- Make pickling brine. In a large bowl, combine water, vinegar, sugar, salt, soy sauce, garlic, curry powder. Whisk until fully combined and to mix curry powder well into brine.
- In jars, layer cauliflower and jalapenos to the top of the jars. Using a large measuring cup (or other easy pouring vessel) fill jars with pickling brine to cover the cauliflower and jalapenos.
- Close lids on jars and refrigerate. Allow pickles to brine refrigerated for about 7 days for best flavor and texture. I shake the bottle once a day to make sure the brine stayed evenly mixed. Yes, if you want you can use the traditional canning methods to preserve the cauliflower to seal the containers.
I made these and we loved them. I didn’t have any jalapeño peppers so I just used a sweet orange bell pepper and it still turned out so beautiful and tasty. I can’t wait to make more with the spicy bite of jalapeño next time.
(PS saw you guys present at BlogHer Food in Seattle and you guys were my fav of the entire weekend. Your stories were inspiring and your videos and photos are beautiful. Wish I had that skill.)
Pickling for the first time today! Trying this Curry Cauliflower Pickles recipe from @WhiteonRice – looks amazing!
You are not alone in your love of pickles. I’m heading to the kitchen now to begin making these and know I will have trouble waiting for them… Your first photo is so inviting and I’d happily sit down and begin nibbling.
i think i’ve died and gone to heaven.
I am currently discovering the hardest part of this recipe: the waiting!!! 😉
xo
Allisunny
Italian use cauliflower in their “giardiniera” pickle, but I like the intriguing color that the curry gives to your variation and the mono-vegetable focus which cauliflower deserves.
Love it. Pickled cauliflower is a treat I make for me since Brian doesn’t much care for pickles. This is fine as I don’t have to share then.
Pickles are one of my all time favorite foods. And now the idea of big jar of sweet and spicy, pickledc cauliflower sitting in my fridge would make me very happy. Cannot wait to whip up a batch of these.
I haven’t stopped thinking about those incredible cauliflower pickles since I had them at your studio. They are the perfect combination of salty, spicy and sweet…just like you 😉
I can’t wait to whip up a batch and indulge. Thank you for the dedication and for all the love. I’m feeling it!
XX,
Lori
These look incredibly yummy! And your photos are beautiful too. My husband and I have been talking about pickling stuff, maybe we’ll finally try it with your recipe!
I’m a pickle addict, in fact my dad’s nickname for me as a kid was pickle monster. Last fall I pickled about 40 jars of different vegetables and am so glad I did as it’s been one of my nausea cures during this first trimester. I go through a jar a week!
Your cauliflower pickles look beautiful – I look forward to making them after my next trip to Farmers Market! I am a major pickle lover from way, way back.
One question: do you have a brand preference for the curry powder or do you make you own blend?
Karen- You can use any curry powder. Making your own blend would be terrific as well and make your pickles even more unique! The curry blend I use is on the spicy side, so my version has extra kick.
:::waving hand! I’m a pickled anything lover. I do appreciate this recipe. Thanks so much for posting it. I’ll be pickling cauliflower soon. Absolutely beautiful photos.
I love pickles and I especially love cauliflower, so I foresee a trip to the farm stand in my near future 😉
I was lucky enough to taste these awesome pickles and am so happy to have your recipe to try. Happiest 4th, you guys! Much love-
Outstanding..I love almost all things Cauliflower (Cauliflower Gratin, Blasted Cauliflower, Cauliflower and White Bean Soup), but have admittedly never tried it pickled…you’ve inspired me yet again!