This post may contain affiliate links, which means I'll earn a small commission if you purchase something through these links. You won't pay any extra; instead, you'll be helping Aloha With Love to thrive. Thank you! Learn more.
--
Pickled mango is popular in Hawaii. I grew up with it as a childhood treat and even my Dad and Grandpa have memories eating them. While sayote is not commonly known, it does make its appearance every so often usually in a neighbor’s backyard. If you can find a source for fresh sayote, this is a great way to use it up in one go.
This recipe will be a cinch for those of you who are experts at pickling mango. Sayote are juicier, so the syrup will be a little more watery, but the taste will be the same. In the end, you’ll bite into a light and crispy version of a pickled mango. Sayote is less dense, so this was a great alternative to give to my grandparents who find that eating pickled mango is a little too much for their sensitive teeth.
Aloha with love,
Amy
Ingredients
- Several sayote
- 3 tbsp salt Draw water out of the sayote.
- 2 c white sugar
- 2 c brown sugar
- 2 c vinegar
- ¼ c Hawaiian sea salt
- Li hing mui Optional. Dried red plum seeds.
- Red food coloring
Instructions
- Peel the sayote and slice into long pieces. Don't slice it too thin or the sayote will become limp and will not be crunchy. These were cut about a ⅓-inch thick. Transfer to a large bowl. If you have li hing mui, you can add these to the bowl, too.
- Heat up white sugar, brown sugar, vinegar and Hawaiian sea salt on medium heat to form the syrup. Constantly stir the mixture and use clean and dry utensils. Make sure the pot and utensils aren't wet.
- Pour the syrup into the bowl of sayote. With gloved hands, mix everything together so that the syrup is covering all the surface area of the sayote. The gloves will stop any contamination from your skin.
- Optional: Add a few drops of red food coloring. This will give the pickled sayote that signature orange "pickled" look in a few days.
- Transfer the sayote along with the the syrup into containers. If the sayote are floating above the syrup, place a small bowl or dish under the lid before you close it so that the pickling sauce is touching every slice.
Notes
- Store in the fridge and they should be ready to eat in about 2 days.
- Don’t use wet/damp utensils, spatulas, bowls or containers. The water can affect and spoil the pickling process.
- Hawaiian sea salt is required. Don’t substitute this since it will affect the taste.
- You can use any sugar or sugar combination that you like. However, Mom believes the brown sugar gives it that rich dimensional flavor and nice coloring.
I was remembering the Nishime my mom used to make and found some packaged lotus root at a local Asian Market. I was trying to remember the other ingredients and lucky for me I found your website! Thank you so much for posting your Mother’s beautiful and delicious looking recipes! I can hardly wait to get in the kitchen thanks to your Mom! I love that she has options for using Stevia too, so very thoughtful! Much Aloha and Mahalo!
Kathie, I’m glad to hear Mom’s nishime recipe will come in handy for you! You can really put in whatever you want, but Mom likes to stick with traditional ingredients when it comes to these holiday dishes. I’ll let her know you like her Stevia recipes! Her cooking is “spur-of-the-moment” – sometimes she feels like Stevia, sometimes she doesn’t. But if I let her know, she’ll be excited to crank out more! Aloha with love, Amy.