Marinated in simple pickling agent, this quick and easy Japanese Pickled Cucumbers are a refreshing side or appetizer to serve with your meal!
The Japanese usually serve several kinds of the pickled dish along with white rice. Although Japanese restaurants or supermarkets here in the US don’t offer many varieties, there is a ton of selection in Japan. In fact, we have specialty stores that just sell various types of pickles!
Today I am sharing a very simple Japanese pickle recipe that you can also enjoy at home. It’s a refreshing side dish, or we call it Hashi Yasume which literally means “chopsticks break.” This dish usually contrasts in flavor, texture, and temperature to the main dish and we eat Hashi Yasume between rice and main dish, and between rice and other side dishes, alternatively. Hope you enjoy this homemade side dish.
Japanese Ingredient Substitution: If you want to look for substitutes for Japanese condiments and ingredients, click here.
Sign up for the free Just One Cookbook newsletter delivered to your inbox! And stay in touch with me on Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, and Instagram for all the latest updates.
Marinated in simple pickling agent, this quick and easy Japanese Pickled Cucumbers are a refreshing side or appetizer to serve with your meal!
- 1 English cucumber
- pinch salt (kosher or sea salt; use half if using table salt)
- ½ tsp white sesame seeds (roasted/toasted) (to garnish)
- 2 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp sesame oil (roasted)
- ½ tsp la-yu (Japanese chili oil) (more for spicier)
- ½ tsp sugar
-
Combine all the ingredients for Seasonings in a small bowl.
- Alternately peel a ½-inch-side strip lengthwise, leaving a strip of the skin intact. With this method, the cucumber slices have some decorative dark green accents and a little bit of extra crunchiness. Cut the cucumber in Japanese cutting technique called Rangiri. Sprinkle very tiny bit of salt over the cucumbers and rub them. Squeeze water out after a few minutes.
- In a Ziploc bag, add the seasonings and cucumbers and rub from outside the bag. Keep in the fridge for 1-2 hours but do not marinate too long as it gets too salty. Serve and sprinkle some sesame seeds.
Recipe by Namiko Chen of Just One Cookbook. All images and content on this site are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without my permission. If you’d like to share this recipe on your site, please re-write the recipe in your own words and link to this post as the original source. Thank you.
