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Vegetables from Thailand

Tang-chai (fermented cabbage seasoning)ตั้งฉ่าย

Tang-chai is sun-wilted cabbage cut in 1 cm squares and mixed in an earthen jar with brown sugar, salt, garlic, galangal and a little rice mould. It is sealed for 2 days, then moved to another airtight jar and left in the shade for about 30 days, until it turns brownish yellow. It is used as a seasoning in clear soups and pork noodles.

A short entry: the sources we found record only what is said here about Tang-chai itself.

DocumentedVegetables32 days

Recipe

Amounts from a sourceProportions from the JIRCAS Thai fermented-food card; no batch size is given.
Cabbage leaves, sun-wilted and cut into 1 cm squares2 parts[jircas]
Brown sugar, salt, garlic, galangal and a small amount of rice mould1/4 part, mixedThe card gives the mix as one part and no split between the items[jircas]

Total time across the recorded steps: 32 days

Start
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What changes: Cabbage leaves wilt in the sun and are cut into small squares

Step 1 of 3
Wash, sun-wilt and cut the cabbage
Time
Not documented
Temperature
Not documented
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented
Flavour
Not documented
Texture
Not documented
Colour
Not documented

Microbes at work in this step

Not documented for this step.

Method

Measured measured in a studySet fixed by a specification or tested recipeReported one source reports itTypical a general value, not sourced for this fermentUnconfirmed not yet checked against a source

At a glance

Tang-chai is sun-wilted cabbage cut in 1 cm squares and mixed in an earthen jar with brown sugar, salt, garlic, galangal and a little rice mould. It is sealed for 2 days, then moved to another airtight jar and left in the shade for about 30 days, until it turns brownish yellow. It is used as a seasoning in clear soups and pork noodles. Made in 3 steps over 32 days. The longest step, move to an airtight jar and ferment in the shade, takes 30 days (JIRCAS 2026).

Key numbers
Main step30 daysReported[jircas]Move to an airtight jar and ferment in the shade

What makes this one different

Unlike Thai sour pickles, tang-chai is a seasoning. It uses sugar and a little rice mould, is sealed airtight and keeps for a year.

Related ferments

History and sources

Every number is labelled with how it is known. How this atlas is made

  1. [jircas] JIRCAS, Database of Fermented Foods of Thailand: Tang-chai (fermented cabbage), read 2026-10-23gov