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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.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Overnight marination 1 day
Total Time 1 day 15 minutes
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

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.