Chow Chow Relish substitute

Substitutes for Chow Chow Relish with ratios

1. 2Piccalilli or Pennsylvania Dutch mustard pickle

   Different texture

   Use the same amount

   The nearest ready-made match, because these are cousins rather than lookalikes - British piccalilli, Pennsylvania Dutch mustard pickle and Southern chow chow all share the same turmeric-and-mustard-seed sweet-sour brine.

   What changes

   What changes is the balance and the body: piccalilli is far more mustard-forward and often thickened with flour or cornstarch, so it is a thick yellow sauce clinging to vegetable pieces rather than a loose crunchy relish, and it usually contains cauliflower and gherkin rather than cabbage. Over beans and greens it does the identical job.

   Best for

   pinto beans and greens, cold cuts, ham and pork pie, cheese and crackers, hot dogs

   If it is very thick, stir in a teaspoon of cider vinegar per quarter cup to loosen it, which also brightens the flavour. Chop any large cauliflower florets down to relish size. Piccalilli is usually less sweet than Southern sweet chow chow, so a pinch of sugar closes the gap if you are used to the sweet style.

2. 3Sweet pickle relish, upgraded

   Taste and texture differ

   Use the same amount by volume, plus ¼ tsp turmeric, ¼ tsp mustard powder and 1 tsp cider vinegar per ½ cup

   The realistic emergency swap, since almost every fridge has a jar.

   What changes

   Unadjusted it is noticeably different - all cucumber, considerably sweeter, and soft rather than crunchy, so you lose both the cabbage texture and the whole mustard-turmeric spice character that makes chow chow taste like chow chow. The three additions above genuinely fix most of that, and over a bowl of beans the result is close enough that a Southern cook would recognise what you were going for. It will still be softer.

   Best for

   beans, peas and greens, hot dogs and sausages, potato salad and deviled eggs, when the shops are shut

   Drain off some of the syrupy liquid before you start, or the result is cloyingly sweet. Use sweet relish rather than dill relish - dill relish is sharper and has no sugar, so it reads as tartar sauce rather than chow chow. If you have whole sweet pickles instead, chop them fine and add a spoonful of their brine.

3. 4Curtido or any vinegar cabbage slaw

   Different taste

   Use the same amount drained

   Salvadoran curtido, or any quick-pickled cabbage slaw with carrot, onion and oregano, gets the two most important things right: shredded cabbage crunch and clean vinegar acidity.

   What changes

   What is absent is the sugar and the mustard-seed and turmeric spicing, so it tastes fresher, sharper and much more like a slaw than a preserve. Over rich pinto beans that freshness works well. On cornbread, where you want the sweet-sour jamminess, it is the wrong note.

   Best for

   pinto beans, black beans and greens, pork and pulled pork, tacos and sandwiches, anything fried

   Squeeze it out well, or the brine floods the plate. A teaspoon of sugar and a pinch each of turmeric and mustard powder stirred through takes it a long way toward chow chow in about ten seconds. Curtido made with Mexican oregano tastes distinctly herbal, so use less of it if you want to stay in a Southern register.

4. 5Sauerkraut or kimchi, drained and chopped fine

   Different taste

   Use the same amount drained and chopped

   A departure that works better than it sounds, because it does the actual job.

   What changes

   The sourness comes from fermentation rather than a vinegar brine, and there is no sugar at all, so it tastes sharply sour and salty rather than sweet-sour, and it has a faint funk that chow chow does not. Over pinto beans or a plate of greens that is a legitimate and satisfying combination. On cornbread it is odd. Kimchi goes further still, adding chilli heat and a fermented seafood depth, but it is cutting the same richness in the same way.

   Best for

   pinto beans and black-eyed peas, greens and pork, hot dogs and sausages, when there is no relish but there is a jar of kraut

   Squeeze it dry and chop it small, since long strands of kraut eat quite differently from a fine relish. A half teaspoon of sugar per half cup pushes it toward the sweet-sour register chow chow occupies and makes the swap much less noticeable. Rinse it briefly if it is very salty.

5. 6Giardiniera, drained and chopped

   Different taste

   Use the same amount drained and chopped fine

   Italian pickled cauliflower, carrot, celery and pepper, and structurally the right idea - crisp vegetables in an acidic brine.

   What changes

   The differences are oil and herbs: many brands are oil-packed, which makes the relish richer and slicker on the tongue rather than clean and sharp, and the oregano and garlic push it clearly Italian. Hot giardiniera is also considerably spicier than most chow chow. Drained well and chopped small it is a good relish for beans; it just does not taste Southern.

   Best for

   beans and greens, sandwiches and Italian beef, cheese boards, hot dogs

   Drain it thoroughly and, if it is oil-packed, rinse it briefly in cold water or the oil will pool on the plate. Buy or use the mild version unless you want real heat. A pinch of sugar and a pinch of turmeric shift it toward chow chow, though the oregano will still be audible.

6. 7Cider vinegar or pepper vinegar, straight on the plate

   Taste and texture differ

   Use 1 to 2 tsp for every bowl, with an optional pinch of sugar

   The honest last resort, and it deserves a place here because it does most of the real work.

   What changes

   What chow chow contributes to a bowl of beans or greens is, above everything else, acidity to cut through soft, fatty, salty food. A splash of cider vinegar, or the vinegar from a bottle of pickled peppers, delivers that immediately. What it cannot deliver is crunch, sweetness or the mustard-and-turmeric spice, so the plate is refreshed but not garnished. Southern cooks use pepper vinegar this way all the time and consider it a legitimate choice, not a compromise.

   Best for

   collards, turnip greens and mustard greens, pinto beans and field peas, when there is nothing pickled in the house

   Add it at the table, not in the pot, so each person can adjust. A pinch of sugar alongside gets you closer to chow chow's sweet-sour balance. Cider vinegar is the traditional choice and has a softer apple tartness than distilled white vinegar, which tastes harsher in this role.