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Chinese Pickled Cucumber
Serves 6 Prep 15 min Total 15 min Type Side Origin Chinese

Chinese Pickled Cucumber

Sichuan's quick pickle: cucumber spears salted to weep, then bathed in a sweet-sour brine of rice vinegar, soy, Sichuan peppercorns and dried chillies.

Serves 6 Prep 15 minutes Units Rate

Overview

Cucumbers are cut into spears (or smashed-and-torn for a rougher texture), salted heavily in a colander 30 minutes to weep, then patted dry. A brine of rice vinegar, sugar, light soy, water, sliced ginger, Sichuan peppercorns and dried red chillies brings to a gentle simmer just to dissolve the sugar; cools to room temperature. The drained cucumber goes into a jar; the cooled brine pours over to submerge; refrigerated for 1 hour minimum (overnight ideal). Eats cold straight from the jar.

Ingredients

Cucumbers

  • 600 g cucumbers (Persian or English; 4-5 small or 2 large - peel partially if thick-skinned)
  • 1 tablespoon salt (for salting)

Brine

  • 200 ml rice vinegar (Japanese or Chinese - NOT distilled white)
  • 80 g caster sugar
  • 4 tablespoons light soy sauce
  • 100 ml water
  • 4 cm fresh ginger (sliced thin)
  • 6 garlic cloves (sliced)
  • 2 teaspoons Sichuan peppercorns (lightly bruised)
  • 3 dried red chillies (whole, or 1 teaspoon chilli flakes)
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil (added at the end)

Method

Stage 1 - Cut and salt

  1. Halve cucumbers lengthwise.
  2. Scoop out the wet seedy core with a teaspoon.
  3. Cut each half into spears 6 cm long, 1 cm thick - OR slice into 5 mm rounds - OR smash with a cleaver and tear into chunks (see smashed-cucumber.md).
  4. Place in a colander; sprinkle with 1 tablespoon salt; toss.
  5. Rest 30 minutes - the cucumber weeps a noticeable amount of water.
  6. Press gently with the back of a spoon to extract more.
  7. Don't rinse - the salt level is part of the pickle.

Stage 2 - Brine

  1. In a saucepan, combine vinegar, sugar, soy sauce, water, ginger, garlic, Sichuan peppercorns and dried chillies.
  2. Heat over medium just until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is steaming - about 3-4 minutes. Don't boil hard; gentle warmth is enough.
  3. Off heat; cool fully to room temperature.

Stage 3 - Combine

  1. Pack the salted cucumber spears (and any extracted juice) into a clean 500 ml glass jar.
  2. Pour the cooled brine over (including the ginger / garlic / chillies / peppercorns).
  3. The cucumber should be submerged. If not, top up with a little extra rice vinegar.

Stage 4 - Marinate

  1. Seal the jar.
  2. Refrigerate at least 1 hour, ideally overnight (24 hours is best).

Stage 5 - Serve

  1. Lift cucumber pieces out of the brine with chopsticks.
  2. Pile onto a small plate.
  3. Drizzle with sesame oil just before serving.
  4. Optional: scatter with extra sliced chilli or coriander.

Notes

  • Sichuan peppercorns are the signature: They give the pickle a faintly numbing, citrusy tingle that distinguishes Chinese cucumber pickle from Japanese / Korean / Western styles. Worth seeking out at any Asian shop.
  • Rice vinegar, not white vinegar: Distilled white vinegar is too sharp and one-dimensional. Rice vinegar is the mellow, slightly sweet base that lets the other flavours come through. Chinkiang black vinegar can substitute for a darker, more malty result.
  • Salt-then-pat-dry: The 30-minute salt rest is what produces a crunchy pickle. Without it, the cucumber gives up water into the brine and becomes limp.

Storage

  • Refrigerated in the sealed jar: 2 weeks.
  • The brine intensifies over time; the cucumber slowly softens but stays crunchy enough for the first week.
  • The leftover brine can be reused once for a second batch of cucumbers (add 2 tablespoons extra vinegar to compensate for dilution).

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Smashed Cucumber

Smashed Cucumber

Cucumbers are placed on a cutting board, the flat of a cleaver (or a heavy rolling pin, or a small frying pan) struck firmly on the surface until the cucumber cracks lengthwise. Hands tear the cracked cucumber into rough 3-4 cm chunks. The pieces salt-rest in a colander 20-30 minutes to release water (this makes the dressing cling instead of dilute). A dressing of light soy, black vinegar (Chinkiang), sugar, sesame oil, crushed garlic and a spoon of chilli oil whisks together. The drained cucumber tosses in the dressing; rests for 30 minutes; eats cold.

Sides 15 minutes Serves4