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Home » Soy Based Recipes » Vegan & Vegetarian Recipes » Vegan Recipes

Japanese Pickled Cucumbers With Ginger

Published: Aug 28, 2022 · Modified: Jan 6, 2023 by Harriet Britto · 1 Comment

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Japanese pickled cucumbers (tsukemono) are fast and easy to make and are a refreshing side dish to serve with your meal or just for snacking.

Japanese pickled cucumbers with sesame seeds and ginger.
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  • Why You Will Love This Recipe
  • Cost to Make
  • Ingredients
  • Instructions
  • Recipe Tips
  • Serving Size
  • Calories Per Serve
  • Serving Suggestions
  • Variations
  • Storage
  • More Easy Recipes
  • Recipe
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Japanese pickles and cucumbers are quick and easy to make. They are a delicious side to any meal or eat it as a healthy snack.

Why You Will Love This Recipe

  • There are so many variations of Japanese pickles and this quick pickled cucumber recipe uses soya sauce, rice wine, and mirin in the pickling liquid. 
  • There are a few steps to making this Asazuke (fast) pickle, but most of it is waiting for the cucumber to brine and release its moisture. It is worth the wait because you end up with crunchy pickled cucumbers.
  • This recipe uses 1 kilo (2.2 pounds) of cucumber, and it keeps well in the fridge.
  • These Japanese-style pickles are great for serving at summer picnics, barbeques, or casual gatherings.

Cost to Make

Estimated cost = $10.55 or $0.70 a serve

Ingredients

Please note that below is a guide for some of the ingredients we used in the recipe. The printable recipe further down the page has the complete list of ingredients, including quantities and step-by-step instructions.

Ingredient image for this recipe Japanese pickled cucumbers.

For this recipe, you will need Japanese cucumbers if you can get them because these have few seeds and are not as watery as others.

If not, choose a similar cucumber variety with few seeds like Persian cucumbers, Lebanese cucumbers, English cucumbers, or telegraph cucumbers. 

You will also need:

  • fresh ginger goes so well with cucumber
  • salt
  • soya sauce, use tamari for vegan and gluten free diets. 
  • sugar, we used 3 tablespoons, but you can adjust the sweetness to your liking by using less or more.
  • rice vinegar
  • mirin
  • chill flakes (optional)
  • toasted sesame seeds

Instructions

There are several steps for making this recipe for Japanese pickled cucumbers.

A cucumber cut into slices.

Step 1 - Trim the ends from the cucumbers and slice them into even 1 cm (0.4 inches) thick pieces, and place them into a large bowl.

Salt being sprinkled over cucumber slices.

Step 2 - Sprinkle the salt over the thinly sliced cucumbers, and mix well to distribute the salt over the pieces.

A small saucer and a can of vegetables are used to weigh down the cucumbers.

Step 3 - Place a small plate on the cucumbers and weigh it down with something heavy. The weight will help remove excess moisture from the cucumbers. Let it stand at room temperature for 2 hours.

Squeezing liquid from cucumber slices.

Step 4 - Grab a handful of cucumbers and squeeze them between your hands to remove as much moisture as possible.

After squeezing the moisture from the cucumber pieces, transfer them to another dry bowl. Repeat the process with the remaining slices. Discard the cucumber water.

Ginger pieces being added to a bowl with cucumber slices.

Step 5 - Peel the ginger, slice it thin and then slice again into thin matchstick-sized pieces and add to the cucumbers.

Pickling liquid being poured into a bowl with cucumber and ginger.

Step 6 - Into a small saucepan, add the soy sauce, mirin, vinegar, sugar, and chili, bring to a boil, turn off the heat, and pour the hot liquid over the cucumber and mix well. Cool to room temperature.

Cucumbers in a sieve over a large saucepan.

Step 7 - Place a sieve over a large saucepan and drain the pickling liquid from the cucumbers and into the saucepan.

Cucumber pickles in a glass bowl.

Step 8 - Return the cucumbers to the bowl. Over medium/high heat, bring the pickling liquid to a boil. Remove from the heat after it has come to a boil, and pour the hot liquid over the cucumbers, mix well, and cool to room temperature.

Sesame seeds in a bowl with cucumber pickle.

Step 9 - Stir in the sesame seeds. Transfer the pickle to a container, seal it, and store it in the fridge overnight for the flavors to develop. Store in the fridge for up to seven days.

Recipe Tips

Before picking the cucumbers, remove as much moisture from them as possible if you want crunchy cucumber pieces.

So don't skip the step of squeezing the cucumbers between your hands to remove more moisture. You don't have to be delicate doing this, because the drier you can get the cucumbers, the longer they will stay crunchy.

A close up of Japanese cucumber pickle.

Serving Size

This recipe serves 15, a serving size is about 66 grams (2.3 ounces).

Calories Per Serve

There are about 42 calories per serve.

Serving Suggestions

Japanese pickles are typically served as part of a meal with rice.

Variations

You can add carrot, daikon, or radish in with the cucumber - just make sure to cut these into matchstick-sized pieces.

Storage

Refrigerator - These refrigerator pickles will keep well in the fridge for up to seven days.

Freezing - Not suitable for freezing.

Cucumber pickle in a glass bottle.

More Easy Recipes

  • TVP vegan bacon bits
  • Japanese style gluten free chicken meatballs
  • Sesame ginger tofu
  • Stir fried kailan with miso butter
  • Spring onion okara pancakes

Recipe

Soya sauce pickled cucumbers.

Japanese Pickled Cucumbers

Harriet
Japanese pickles and cucumbers are quick and easy to make. They are a delicious side to any meal or eat it as a healthy snack.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes mins
Cook Time 5 minutes mins
Overnight marination 1 day d
Total Time 1 day d 15 minutes mins
ESTIMATED COST : $10.55 or $0.70 a serve
Course Salad, Side Dish
Cuisine Japanese
Servings 15
Calories 42 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1 kilo (2 pounds / 3 medium-large) cucumber see notes below
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 5 - 10 cm (2 - 4 inches) piece ginger
  • 6 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 3 tablespoons sugar
  • 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
  • 3 tablespoons mirin
  • 1 teaspoon dried chili pepper, or to taste
  • 2 tablespoons sesame seeds toasted
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Instructions
 

Remove moisture from the cucumbers

  • Trim the ends of the cucumbers and cut them into even slices 1 cm (0.4 inches) thick, and place them into a large bowl.
    2. Sprinkle the salt over the cucumbers, and mix well to distribute the salt over the cucumber slices.
    3. Place a small plate on the cucumbers and weigh it down with something heavy. The weight will help remove excess moisture from the cucumbers.
    4. Leave it to stand at room temperature for 2 hours. After two hours you should see liquid in the bowl.
    5. Grab a handful of cucumbers and squeeze them between your hands to remove as much moisture as possible. After squeezing transfer them to a clean dry bowl. Repeat the squeezing process with the remaining slices. Discard the cucumber water.
    6. Peel the ginger, slice thinly and then slice again into thin matchstick-sized pieces, and add to the cucumbers. Remove moisture from the cucumbers

Make the pickling liquid

  • In a small saucepan place the soy sauce, mirin, vinegar, sugar, and chili, bring to a boil, turn off the heat, and pour the hot liquid over the cucumber and mix well. Cool to room temperature.

Drain the pickling liquid

  • Place a sieve over a large saucepan and drain the pickling liquid into the saucepan. 
    2. Return the cucumbers to the bowl.
    3. Bring the pickling liquid to a boil, turn off the heat, pour the hot liquid over the cucumbers, mix well, and cool to room temperature.
    4. Stir in the sesame seeds.
    5. Transfer the pickle to a container, seal it, and store it in the fridge overnight for the flavors to develop.
    6. Will keep for a week in the fridge.

Notes

For this recipe, you will need Japanese cucumbers if you can get them because these have few seeds and are not as watery as others.
If not, choose a similar cucumber variety with few seeds like Persian cucumbers, Lebanese cucumbers, English cucumbers, or telegraph cucumbers. 
Nutrition Facts
Japanese Pickled Cucumbers
Serving Size
 
1 x 66 grams (2.30 ounces)
Amount per Serving
Calories
42
% Daily Value*
Fat
 
1
g
2
%
Saturated Fat
 
0
g
0
%
Monounsaturated Fat
 
0
g
Polyunsaturated Fat
 
0
g
Trans Fat
 
0
g
Cholesterol
 
0
mg
0
%
Sodium
 
355
mg
15
%
Potassium
 
152
mg
4
%
Carbohydrates
 
8
g
3
%
Fiber
 
1
g
4
%
Sugar
 
5
g
6
%
Protein
 
1
g
2
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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Comments

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    Recipe Rating




  1. Cora says

    August 28, 2022 at 11:33 pm

    I made these the other day and they were delicious!

    Reply
Author image

Hi, I'm Harriet! I am the face behind Soya Eats. I, with my small family team, test, photograph, and create the best possible soya recipes just for you.

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