Salads & Cold Dishes
Soy-Sauce Pickled Chinese Olives (Yan Nin)
Traditionally enjoyed as an appetizing pre-meal relish
Why people make this pickle
Chinese olives (yan nin) only come into season for a short window — about ten-odd days — so when fans of their flavor see them, it’s worth grabbing some to cook with or to pickle as a pre-meal nibble. This batch uses good light soy sauce. The leftover sweet-sour soy syrup is itself a treasure: spoon it over steamed fish or ribs, and yan nin with sweet-sour young ginger steamed with ribs or a big fish head is simply delicious.
Who it suits / who should be cautious
- Anyone who enjoys a tangy, appetite-whetting pickle as a side dish or a steaming sauce.
- A high-salt, high-sugar relish — use sparingly if you are watching salt or sugar intake.
Why these ingredients (the food-therapy logic)
- Chinese olives / yan nin (ren nin): A short-season fruit traditionally enjoyed as a tangy appetizer.
- Rice vinegar (mi cu): Tenderizes and brightens the olives before they take on the soy.
- Light soy sauce + sugar: Form the sweet-savory cure; the leftover syrup doubles as a steaming sauce.
- Bird’s-eye chili (zhi tian jiao): Adds a little heat.
Ingredients (1 jar)
| Ingredient | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Chinese olives / yan nin (ren nin) | ~300 g (half a jin) | Score a cross on each, then bruise lightly |
| Rice vinegar (mi cu) | 1 bowl | Enough to cover the olives |
| Premium light soy sauce (sheng chou) | ~600 g (1 jin) | |
| Granulated sugar (sha tang) | ~600 g (1 jin) | |
| Bird’s-eye chili (zhi tian jiao) | 3–4 |
Method
- Wash the olives. Score a cross on the surface of each and lightly bruise them with the back of the knife.
- Put them in a large bowl, cover with rice vinegar, and soak for 4 hours.
- Lift out, rinse briefly with cooled boiled water, and drain.
- Heat the soy sauce with the sugar until dissolved; let it cool completely.
- Add the olives and chilies, then steep for 3–4 days before eating.
Bro Niu’s tips
The sweet soy syrup the olives have steeped in is a wonderful table condiment — use it to steam fish or ribs. When washing young ginger or yan nin, use cooled boiled (not raw tap) water; this helps the pickle keep longer without molding.
Community questions answered (selected)
- Q (Elaine): Could you teach me how to pickle young ginger? Bro Niu: Sweet-sour young ginger: 1.5 jin young ginger, 1 tbsp coarse salt, 1 jin rice vinegar, 1 lb sugar. Dissolve the vinegar and sugar over heat and let cool. Scrape the ginger, wash with cooled boiled water, slice, and toss with the coarse salt; drain and air-dry in a sieve (about 2 hours). Put the dried ginger into a glass jar, pour in the cooled sweet-sour liquid, and it’s ready to eat in about 4–5 days. (Keep refrigerated; always use clean, dry chopsticks to serve.)
Published June 14, 2010 · Adapted and translated for Nourilo from a traditional home-kitchen recipe. Approx. 2 min read.
