With just a few simple ingredients, you can make this easy recipe for crunchy and refreshing Japanese Pickled Cucumbers. They make a tasty palate cleanser to serve alongside your dinner or lunch meal.
½tspJapanese karashi hot mustard(0.1 oz, 4 g; optional; you can substitute Chinese mustard powder or Colman’s English mustard that are made from a hot, yellow mustard seed similar to Japanese mustard)
Combine 2 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt, 3 Tbsp sugar, and ½ tsp Japanese karashi hot mustard (optional) in the resealable plastic storage bag and mix well together.
Cut off ½ inch from the ends of 3 Japanese or Persian cucumbers. Rub them together on the ends to get rid of the bitter taste.
Put the cucumbers in the bag, squeeze out the air, and seal the bag tightly. Rub the cucumbers well with the mixture. Pickle for a few hours (my preferred taste) or up to 1–2 days in the refrigerator.
To Serve and Store
When the cucumbers are ready, discard the liquid and slice the cucumber before serving. Store the cucumbers in the refrigerator and consume within 2–3 days after removing from the pickling solution.