Add zesty flavor and a warm aroma to your Japanese pickles with this easy recipe for Pickled Cucumbers with Ginger. These quick-pickled tsukemono (漬物) make a refreshing palate cleanser and crunchy side dish in your Japanese meal. They‘re delicious with steamed rice!
Happy 2013! I hope everyone had a nice holiday with your loved ones and I’m back from my little break. Despite catching a cold that I am trying to get rid of, I got to spend time with friends that I don’t get to see often and also had a couple of out-of-town guests stay over at my house, which was really nice.
While I need some time to catch up on my work (please give me a few days to respond to your emails), I hope you enjoy these super quick and easy Japanese Pickled Cucumbers.
Japanese pickles, or we call it Tsukemono (漬物) in Japanese, is a really important part of the Japanese meal. One or a few kinds of pickles are always served with rice and enjoyed as a garnish or palate cleanser.
Unlike western style pickles, Japanese pickles are considered as “preserved vegetables” as they are not primarily preserved in vinegar. They are usually preserved in salt (Shiozuke 塩漬け), rice bran (Nukazue 糠漬け), sake lees (Kasuzuke 粕漬け), soy sauce (Shoyuzuke 醤油漬け), vinegar, (Suzuke 酢漬け), and miso (Misozuke 味噌漬け).
Typically cucumber, Daikon (Japanese radish), eggplant, cabbage, Ume (Japanese plum) are used for Japanese pickles.
Today’s pickles are called Asazuke (浅漬け), literally meaning “shallow pickling”. The vegetables are pickled only for a short time between 30 minutes to a couple of hours and usually not as salty as other kinds of Tsukemono. If you don’t like cucumbers, you can also use napa cabbage (hakusai), daikon, and eggplant for Asazuke as well. I put ginger as seasoning today, but you can also use kombu or chili pepper which are also popular seasoning ingredients.
If you are interested in Japanese pickles, I also have another Pickled Cucumbers recipe and Pickled Turnip with Yuzu recipe. Have a nice week!
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Pickled Cucumbers with Ginger
Ingredients
- 3 Japanese or Persian cucumbers (8.8 oz, 250 g)
- 1 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt (5 g; 2% of the cucumber weight)
- ½ knob ginger (½ inch, 1.3 cm)
Instructions
- Before You Start: Please note that this recipe requires a quick pickling time of 2 hours. Gather all the ingredients.
- Rinse 3 Japanese or Persian cucumbers and cut off both ends.
- Rub the end piece and cut end together until you see the small bubbles. This removes the bitterness from the cucumber. Discard the end pieces.
- Slice the cucumbers.
- Peel ½ knob ginger and cut it into julienne strips.
- Put the sliced cucumbers, 1 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt, and ginger strips into a resealable plastic bag.
- Remove the air completely and seal the bag.
- Place a heavy object on top of the bag and refrigerate it for 1–2 hours. Here, I sandwiched the resealable bag with two plates and then put a mortar on top. I recommend 3 hours at most, because otherwise it gets too salty. Check the level of saltiness according to your preference. Enjoy!
To Store
- You can keep the pickles in the refrigerator for 2–3 days. When the flavor is getting strong, remove the solution and store the pickles in an airtight container.
Hi! I made these, but I used some black roasted sesame seeds instead. I hope that’s “in character” enough for Japanese azasuke?
Hi Fish! Thank you for trying Nami’s recipe!
If you prefer black roasted sesame seeds, that is good too.🙂
What does it mean to cut both sides of the edge?
Hi Tom! Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe!
As you see in the step 2 picture, please cut each end of the cucumber.
We hope this helps!
I love the flavor of these pickles and I make them often since they need almost no planning — thanks for the recipe! I’ve found this asazuke technique is also delicious with celery, since it also has a high water content and a refreshing flavor 🙂
Hi Daniel! We are so happy to hear you enjoyed this Pickled recipe!
Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe and for your kind feedback!🙂
I made these today and family loved it! I served it with your gyudon, also from you recipe book. My younger just loved it and she is the most picky eater in our house. I also love the idea of making boring cucumber interesting. The steps are so simple with such simple ingredients…Love it!
Hi Maggie! Yay! So glad to hear your family liked this recipe. Thank you for trying it out! 🙂
I wish you’d come out with spiral hard copy recipe book. Bet lots of people would purchase
Hi Ogawa-san! Thanks for your kind words and interest. I have received many requests, but I just don’t have the capacity to create a cookbook while I maintain this website. 🙂
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If you are not going to eat all the cucumber at once, should you rinse the salt off or leave it as is?
Hi Clara! No rinsing necessary. 🙂 Hope you enjoy!