The Story Behind our Thai Chile Ginger Pickles

The Story

People often ask us how we come up with the recipes for our products. Most people are surprised to find out that they aren’t family recipes that have been handed down. Those family recipes that are handed down from one generation to the next are tried and true. We love them and can’t be trusted to be left alone with a jar of them without emptying the jar in short order. But, when it comes to the pickles that we make, we pride ourselves on not just repeating something that has already been done before. We get excited about using new and unique ingredients that are not typically found in pickle jars. We get inspired by flavor profiles we discover in cuisines from around the country and around the world. Thats where our recipes come from. They come from the ingredients, the meals, and the experiences that excite us and inspire us to try something new.

We’ve always been excited by Thai food. The depth of flavors. The sharpness of ginger and the aromatic qualities of the lemongrass. The intensity of spice. Its one of those foods that sends the endorphins rushing to our brains. From very early on we talked about coming up with a pickle recipe that would capture the flavors and experience of Thai food. The first recipe that we tested out for our Thai Chile Ginger pickles was on October 9, 2012 – only 5 months after we launched the company. Unfortunately for us, the results weren’t great. The flavors were flat and muted and nothing at all like the experience you get from a great bowl of Thom Kha Gai or Phad Thai.

The failed results from the first attempt were disappointing, but certainly not deflating. From time to time over the course of the next 4 years, we revisited the recipe trying new techniques to highlight certain ingredients and create the perfect balance. But it was a meal at Pok Pok in Portland in early 2015 that really sparked our interest in revisiting this recipe, and gave us the necessary inspiration to do it right. The bright, spicy-sour dishes and chance to meet the James Beard winning chef/owner Andy Ricker left us excited to make another attempt at this recipe.

Around the same time, Cart Driver, one of our favorite Denver restaurants, had asked us to make them some “one-off” batches of pickles. Something fun and different that would allow us an opportunity to try some new things and allow them an opportunity to offer their customers something special. This was the perfect opportunity to revisit our recipe and test it out on a real audience. The results were fantastic and the feedback we got from the Cart Driver crew and their customers was encouraging. We felt that we had finally nailed down this recipe and achieved a balance and flavor profile that adequately captured the beautifully complex flavors of Thai cuisine.

About the Thai Chile Ginger pickles

These pickles are proudly made with authentic Thai ingredients, including lemongrass, ginger, Thai chiles, galangal root, lime leaf, and palm sugar. The pickles pack bold flavors and quite a bit of heat. They are not for the faint of heart. If you love ginger, then these pickles may be your new favorite snack. Regardless, we hope that you enjoy what we have created and we are certain that you will not find anything else remotely like it on the shelf.

Inside the jar you will find sliced fresh lemongrass, a large slice of fresh ginger, and a dried Thai chile. We encourage you to use everything in the jar – including the brine – whether it is by incorporating it into a homemade Thai dish, making a Thai-inspired cocktail, or just snacking on it straight from the jar.

Our Thai Chile Ginger pickles will be available on store shelves starting the week of April 18. They are a new full-time addition to our lineup and will be available year-round.