Pour 9 cups of water into a large container with a tight-fitting lid. Stir the salt into the water until it dissolves. Add the peppers, cabbage, tomato, fennel and cauliflower to the liquid and let brine in the refrigerator overnight.
The next day, strain the vegetables and set aside.
Add the vinegar to a large pot. Stir in the brown sugar until it dissolves. Add 1 cup of water along with the allspice, star anise, garlic, cinnamon stick, lemongrass, chile flakes, ginger, peppercorns and mustard seeds. Bring to a simmer.
Add the pickled vegetables and bring back to a simmer. After 15 minutes, remove from heat.
Let cool completely, then add to sanitized jars. The relish will keep in a tight-fitting lid, refrigerated, for 1 month.
2 cups green bell pepper, medium dice
5 cups red bell pepper, medium dice
5 cups green cabbage (can mix in red cabbage for added color), sliced
2 cups green tomato, medium dice
2 cups fennel, medium dice
2 cups cauliflower, medium dice
4 cups cider vinegar (or rice vinegar for a more neutral flavor)
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. allspice
2 star anise pods
1 Tbsp. freshly minced garlic
1 cinnamon stick
1 stalk lemongrass, crushed
1 generous tsp. Korean chile flakes
1 small knob fresh ginger, peeled and sliced into rounds
1 tsp. toasted black peppercorns
¼ cup yellow mustard seeds
This article appears in July 2013.