Chinese Quick Pickled Cucumbers
Spicy, acidic and full of flavour, these quick pickled cucumbers are perfect for a tasty nibble with drinks or a refreshing salad or as part of a full Chinese menu. They also keep for 3-4 days in the fridge so they are great for snacking on throughout the week!
Servings: 4 people
Ingredients
- 4 small persian cucumbers, (or English cucumbers cut into smaller lengths)
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
Marinade
- 1 tablespoon Chinese black vinegar, (make sure to find the gluten-free kind)
- 1 teaspoon gluten-free soy sauce or tamari
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- ½ teaspoon Sichuan peppercorns, ground
- ½ teaspoon maple syrup
- ¼-½ teaspoon dried chilli flakes
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
Instructions
- Preparation: First cut off the ends of the cucumbers and cut them into quarters lengthways (or thin slices). Then place the cucumber quarters into a colander set over a bowl. Sprinkle about 1 teaspoon of salt over the cucumbers and mix into the cucumbers with your hands to ensure all are covered. Leave for 10-15 minutes for the salt to draw out some of the cucumber juice.4 small persian cucumbers
- Once the cucumbers have let out a bit of juice into the bowl below, rinse off the cucumbers by washing them in the colander under a running tap. Shake the colander then empty out the cucumbers onto a clean tea towel or piece of kitchen towel. Pat dry.
- Whisk together the marinade ingredients in a medium sized bowl. Then add the cucumber quarters to the bowl and gently mix together with your hands. Once all of the cucumbers have been mixed into the marinade, cover the bowl and place in the fridge for at least an hour or up to 24 hours. Serve cold or room temperature, garnished with some chopped fresh mint or coriander leaves (cilantro) if you like.1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds, 1 tablespoon Chinese black vinegar, 1 teaspoon gluten-free soy sauce or tamari, 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil, ½ teaspoon maple syrup, ¼-½ teaspoon dried chilli flakes, ½ teaspoon Sichuan peppercorns, 1 garlic clove
Notes
- Always check whether your Chinese black vinegar is gluten-free or not. Some are made from wheat and are, therefore, not gluten-free. Others, such as Chinkiang vinegar, are rice-bsaed and gluten-free.
- If you cannot find GF black vinegar, it can be substituted with rice vinegar mixed with a little balsamic vinegar.
- Keeps for 3-4 days in an airtight container in the fridge.
- Serve refreshingly cold straight from the fridge.
Nutrition
Calories: 28kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 0.2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 91mg | Potassium: 105mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 137IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 20mg | Iron: 0.4mg