These Star Anise Ginger Pickled Beets with an Asian twist make a fun topping for salads.
I’ve been obsessed with quick pickles this summer. Pickling is a great way to turn almost any fruit or vegetable into something special. Chinese Pickled Watermelon Rinds and Miso Gochujang Cucumber Pickles tossed with cold soba noodles becomes lunch. Almost anything can be pickled.
During the summer, I also make quick versions of Kimchi, another form of pickling – napa cabbage kimchi, kohlrabi kimchi, red radish kimchi, and cucumber kimchi.
Today’s Star Anise Ginger Pickled Beets are my latest quick pickle obsession. If you’re looking to try something different with your beets, I think you’ll enjoy these pickled beets.
All you need are some roasted or cooked beets, and you’ll have these pickles made in no time. The beets don’t need to marinate very long in the pickling juice before you can enjoy them.
Recently, I came across a post on Google+ that caught my eye on better ways to use beets. One idea was to pickle beets in kimchi juice. Interesting.
So, I decided to make pickled beets two ways, first pickling them in an Asian inspired pickle brine; second, pickling them in kimchi juice.
I had made some kimchi with napa cabbage from my CSA Box several weeks ago. I’ve been saving the juice from the kimchi ~ it’s like gold. Koreans never throw out kimchi. As it ages, kimchi continues to ferment and gets more sour, but it’s great in Kimchi Soup, Kimchi Fried Rice, scrambled with eggs, and made into kimchi honey sauce.
It’s fun to have two different beet pickles in my refrigerator to pop out at lunch or dinnertime. So interesting that you can get two completely different results, just by changing the brine, one sweet, and one savory.
Here are some more beet recipes you might enjoy:
Warm Braised Beet Salad with Beet Greens and Yogurt Sauce
Fresh Beet and Apple Soup
Pasta with Roasted Beets, Beet Greens and Pine Nuts
Roasted Beet and Sweet Potato Hash
Detox Beet and Carrot Smoothie
Roasted Beet, Apple and Walnut Salad with Honey Lemon Yogurt Dressing
Roasted Beet Arugula Goat Cheese Salad with Lemon Olive Oil Dressing
Roasted Beet, Grilled Corn, Tomato Salad with Montamore Cheese and Walnuts
Today, I’m participating in Food Network’s Summer Fest event where Beets are being featured. Please be sure to check out what my fellow foodie friends made this week:
The Heritage Cook: Rosemary Roasted Beets, Potatoes and Peppers
Dishing: Beetroot Brownies / Beet Brownies
Devour: 4 Beet Salad Best Bets
Napa Farmhouse 1885: Beet Greens with Balsamic Glazed Beets
Red or Green: Sweet and Spicy Roasted Beet and Bacon Salad
Virtually Homemade: Beet Risotto with Goat Cheese
Domesticate Me: Ginger-Soy Glazed Salmon with Asian Beet Slaw
Dishin & Dishes: Roasted Beet Salad with Garlic Vinaigrette
Taste With The Eyes: Shrimp, Beet, Raspberry, Radicchio and Rose Salad
Weelicious: Red Beet and White Bean Hummus
FN Dish: 5 Ways to Brighten Beets
Star Anise Ginger Pickled Beets
Ingredients
- 1 cup roasted beets or cooked beets thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons organic sugar
- 1 slice ginger peeled, the size of a quarter
- 1 star anise
- 1 piece lemon zest
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
Instructions
-
Place beets in a glass jar. Combine vinegar, sugar, ginger, star anise, lemon zest and salt in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat and pour over beets in jar. Let cool, then refrigerate 24 hours.
We all need more recipes to use up all the healthy beets here Jeannette. Great idea to pickle them with star anis, yum!
Helene, I’m always trying to come up with different ways to enjoy summer beets. Star anise is one of my favorite Asian spices.
Sorry, friend, I am just not a fan of beets…but I am pinning this for you anyway, because I know a lot of people love them!
Carolyn – I hear you. Most people either love beets or hate them. Although I have to say I wasn’t a fan until a few years ago when I had the most incredible roasted beet salad at a local restaurant. Thanks for pinning this!
I love beets in curries, rice and sweets….and this pickled recipe is my next project…
Sanjeeta – I’ve never tried beets in curries, rice or sweets – so interesting. Thanks so much for sharing how you use them.
Wow! These pickled beets sound so good! Very clever to use ginger and star anise. Star Anise makes such a difference, doesn’t it? I love using it in my brines and I adore pickled beets in my salads. Thanks for sharing, Jeanette!
Thanks Stacy – I love the combination of ginger and star anise, adds a little spice and licorice-y flavor. Great idea using star anise in brines – I’ll have to try that!
Hi Jeanette – love the idea of kimchi pickled beets! I will definitely make that!
Kamsahamnida, LL
Thanks Lori – it was really interesting because I think of beets as been sweet. The kimchi added a savory note.
Love beets and look and I am always looking for options. Thanks for sharing some great ideas.
Ash – glad you like this. I’m also always trying to come up with new ways to try beets since they’re so readily available in the summertime.
I love beets but never tried pickled beets (or I should say I only had beets in salad which I LOVE!). I already know that I will enjoy this. Love almost everything pickled. These are beautiful color too!
Nami – I learned to love beets after I had it roasted and served in a salad. I’ve been having fun making quick pickles this summer.
I ADORE pickled beets… like, totally obsessed. But I have yet to try this twist on them, which sounds absolutely wonderful.
Brian – I’ve only ever had pickled beets at the salad bar. Now that I know how easy they are to make, I’ll be doing this again next summer.