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.
This is a simple and very useful recipe Nami and also one a friend of mine has been looking for . I am looking forward to some more wonderful Nami inspired things from you. Hope you are better now …
These sound good after all of the heavy eating last month.
Hi there. Food on Friday: Ginger is open for entries. This looks like a good one! I do hope you link it in. This is the link . Please do pop back to check out some of the other links. Happy New Year!
Happy New Year Nami! Sorry about your cold, I wish to you speedy recovery! The cucumbers are so good and look very appetizing!
Happy New Year to you too.
I love japanese pickles anyway I can get them. I remember my mother making pickled cucumber with ginger and lemon. I loved putting them on top of my raw egg & hot rice bowl. yummy
Thanks for sharing. Looking forward to another great recipes you share.
Hi Diana! Ohh lemon! I need to try that next time! 🙂 Thank you for your kind comment!
Oooh how refreshing! I actually had a dish a lot like this just a night ago! Happy 2013, Nami! 🙂
Oooh, I love cucumbers…and this pickled version with the ginger sounds wonderful! Glad you enjoyed your break, my friend!!!
Tris recipe cold rival my go to sugar and vinegar for cucumbers!
Pickles were always on the table at my Grandma’s house, but they were the vinegar kind or sweet & sour (“bread & butter pickles” by name.) This is an interesting preparation! Welcome back, Nami! Hope you get over your cold completely soon.
Kyuri is my favorite vegetable and I prepare kim chi and namasu quite often. Your asazuke looks so refreshing, especially with the slivers of ginger. Hope to try this soon!
Thank you Donna! Me too, kyuri and daikon’s crunch is the best. 🙂 Hope you enjoy this recipe!
Interesting tip about rubbing the 2 piece of cucumbers against each other. I’ve never heard of that before.
It’s very common method in Japan and I thought it’s interesting how we even started doing it long looooong time ago…. 🙂
This looks very simple to make. Would be so good and refreshing in hot weather. I think I will eat it as a snack even 😀 Hope you have recovered from your flu. Please take care.
A quick not to tangy pickle is up my alley. And a more bland veggie like a cucumber is perfect to use. Very refreshing. Hope the cold is all gone soon.
If it’s not telepathy… You will never believe me but I have had kyuri no kyuchan today as a side-dish for lunch! OK, it’s not the same, but still… These pickles will be next I will try because I love everything with cucumber, I am addicted to ginger and of course Japanese pickles are never disappointing and your recipes always end up as my staples. I hope you will feel better soon!
Oh yes, most of us in vacation mode. I am more on a long-vacation-don’t-wanna-do-anything kind of mode, LOL! But that is my New Year’s resolution, to post more than last year. This is my kind of treat – simple and not much ingredients. I hope you are having a good week, Nami! 🙂