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    Home » Course » Side Dishes

    Rainbow Five Spice Pickles

    April 13, 2023 by Marc Matsumoto 4 Comments

    This rainbow of colorful pickled vegetables is the perfect palate cleanser.

    Generally, I'm not particularly eager to make huge batches of food because I get bored pretty quickly, but these quick pickles have been a recent obsession that I make in two-pound batches. 

    Beyond the arresting color palette, these pickles are loaded with the aromatic warmth of Chinese five spice and ginger. Together with a balance of tangy and sweet tastes and an explosion of different textures, they bring almost any dish to life, whether you pair them with a bowl of ramen, a plate of curry, or stuff them into a sandwich. 

    A rainbow of vegetables for making pickles.

    I used cucumbers, carrots, daikon, red cabbage, and celery for this batch, but any colorful combination of your favorite vegetables will work. I do, however, recommend adding something with anthocyanins, like purple cauliflower, red onions, or watermelon radishes. The acidity of the brine will turn them into a stunning shade of magenta.  

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    Comments

      5 from 2 votes

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    1. Kathy Stroup says

      June 14, 2025 at 9:29 am

      5 stars
      I can't believe I've never told you how much I enjoy these pickles! They're definitely worth making, and it's so nice to have them in the fridge to snack on. They just get better as they sit. I think having your Chinese Five Spice to season them with really makes a difference, too. And they're so pretty! They liven up any plate with their colorful array of veggies, AND they taste amazing! I've made them a bunch of times; sorry I haven't commented until now.😅

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      • Marc Matsumoto says

        June 14, 2025 at 10:27 am

        😁 it's good to hear that you've been making and enjoying these. It's something we try and keep stocked in the fridge too!

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    2. Kathy Stroup says

      June 28, 2025 at 6:17 am

      5 stars
      I actually had some of these pickles left in the fridge a little too long, so I added them to a stir-fry. They really made a fantastic addition! Woke everything up with their spices and tartness, kinda like adding kimchi. I might have to try deliberately keeping them for this purpose.😋

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      • Marc Matsumoto says

        July 10, 2025 at 9:13 am

        Great idea! I love using tangly pickles in stir-fries. We recently got a huge batch of pickles from several people and they're in the fridge lacto-fermenting. Gonna have to cook with them more as there's no way we're eating them all before they get too ripe.

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    I started No Recipes back in 2007 as a place to share original dishes I'd created with friends. It's since evolved into something much bigger than I could have imagined, but as it grew, the focus shifted from inventing dishes to improving classics. In the spirit of how No Recipes began, I'm bringing back my weekly original recipes for all of my supporters and friends!

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