Tired of your usual sour cucumber pickles? Try these Asian pickled cucumbers!
They are so crunchy and tasty. You can eat them right away as a salad or store them in the fridge for over a week.
Asian Pickled Cucumbers
📝Lei’s Note
I’m a pickle enthusiast, but often found traditional ones too salty or sour. I’ve tried this recipe countless times, and I can’t resist them—there’s usually very little left to store!
They’re so delicious and make adding more veggies to my diet effortless. Enjoy!
🥒What makes this pickled cucumber recipe special
- Immediate Enjoyment and Long Shelf Life: You can enjoy these pickles immediately and stash the rest in the fridge, where they’ll stay fresh for over a week.
- Balanced Flavor Profile: These pickles aren’t sour or overly salty, allowing you to indulge in more, which means a healthier increase in your veggie intake.
- Meal Prep Friendly: Perfect for batch meal prep, these pickles add a delightful crunch to your lunchbox, making your meals more exciting and satisfying.
- Customizable Ingredients: Feel free to customize the ingredients to suit your taste preferences. Want them spicier or less salty? You have the flexibility to adjust the ingredients and make these pickles just the way you like them.
🍳Ingredients
- Cucumbers: Any type will work. I use telegraph cucumbers. Keep the skin intact but remove the inner seeding part. This step will prevent excess water content and help maintain the desirable crunch.
- Soy Sauce: It’s worth noting that the soy sauce remains uncooked in this recipe. So, for the best results, choose the highest-quality soy sauce available. Personally, I often go for Lee Kum Kee soy sauce.
- Oyster Sauce: Oyster sauce adds a rich seafood-like flavor. Investing in a good-quality one, though slightly pricier, is worthwhile because you won’t need much, and it can be used in many dishes.
- Fresh Chilli and Garlic: Feel free to adjust the amounts to your preference. Keep in mind that the level of spiciness can vary between chili peppers, so choose according to your heat tolerance.
🔪Instructions
Step One: Preparing the Cucumbers
Cut the cucumbers into strips and remove the seed part.
Step Two: Marinating with Salt
Mix the salt with the cucumbers and let them marinate for one hour. Then wash the salt off the cucumbers and squeeze out any excess water.
Step Three: Flavorful Finish
Mix in the remaining ingredients, and your pickled cucumbers are ready to eat. Store some in a container in the fridge for later enjoyment.
📍Recipe Tips
- Hygiene: it’s important to separate the cucumbers you plan to eat right away from those you’re storing in the fridge. Use a clean fork or chopsticks when taking cucumbers from the container to avoid any potential bacterial contamination.
- Variation: You can experiment with various ingredients to enhance the flavors of your pickled cucumbers. Consider these options: Sichuan pepper, ginger, rice vinegar, lemon juice, or sesame seeds. These additions can add more flavors to your pickles, so feel free to get creative!
🔍FAQs
Q: Can I skip the marinating step with salt?
A: This is a crucial step as the salt draws out water from the cucumbers, enhancing flavor and ensuring crispness. It’s recommended not to skip this step.
Q: Is it necessary to remove the seeds from the cucumbers?
A: It’s highly recommended to remove the seeding part as it contains a lot of water, and leaving it in may result in a less crunchy texture after marinating.
Q: Can I make this dish vegan?
A: Absolutely! The oyster sauce typically contains seafood ingredients, but you can easily make this dish vegan by substituting it with the same amount of soy sauce.
Ready to enjoy a burst of flavor and crunch? Try making these Asian quick pickled cucumbers today.
But I bet it won’t last long because they are so tasty—you won’t be able to stop eating them!
Asian Pickled Cucumber
Ingredients
- 800 g cucumber
- 3 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 5 clove garlic (adjust it to your liking)
- 3-5 fresh chilli (adjust it to your liking)
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 2 tablespoon salt
Instructions
- Preparing the Cucumbers: Cut the cucumbers into strips and remove the seed part.
- Marinating with Salt: Mix the salt with the cucumbers and let them marinate for one hour. Then wash the salt off the cucumbers and squeeze out any excess water.
- Flavorful Finish: Mix in sugar, soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, chilli, garlic and your pickled cucumbers are ready to eat. Store some in a container in the fridge for later enjoyment.
Recipe Notes:
- Hygiene: it’s important to separate the cucumbers you plan to eat right away from those you’re storing in the fridge. Use a clean fork or chopsticks when taking cucumbers from the container to avoid any potential bacterial contamination.
- Variation: You can experiment with various ingredients to enhance the flavors of your pickled cucumbers. Consider these options: Sichuan pepper, ginger, rice vinegar, lemon juice, or sesame seeds. These additions can add more flavors to your pickles, so feel free to get creative!
Nutrition Information:
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