Spicy Pickled Cucumbers
Crunchy, spicy, sweet, and tangy cucumber pickles! Super easy to prepare, these are the perfect addition to burgers, sandwiches, congee, porridge, and more!
Ingredients
- 1 medium cucumber
- 1 tbsp salt
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup water
- 1 tbsp soy sauce (or vegan fish sauce)
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 2 cloves of garlic minced
- 1 small chili minced
Instructions
- Prepare the cucumber: Cut the cucumber in half lengthwise. Using a spoon, remove the seeds and discard them. Cut the cucumber into thin slices widthwise (about 1/3 inch thick).
- Transfer the cucumber slices to a mixing bowl and add the salt. Stir using a spoon or your hands to coat the cucumbers with the salt. Let it rest for about 1 hour.
- Prepare the brine: In the meantime, add one tablespoon of sugar to a medium saucepan. Heat over medium heat for about 5 minutes or until the sugar melts and starts to caramelize. As soon as you get a caramel with a golden brown color, add 1/3 cup of water. Be careful, it will sizzle.
- Add the rest of the sugar and the soy sauce. Bring to a boil and let simmer for about 5 minutes or until the hardened caramel has dissolved. Remove from heat and let it cool completely.
- Squeeze the cucumber slices to remove as much water as possible. You can use your hands or a nut milk bag. Transfer the drained cucumber slices to a clean jar. Add the lime juice, minced garlic, and chili. Cover with the caramel sauce and stir to combine.
- Cover the jar with a lid and let it rest in the refrigerator for at least 48 hours.
- Enjoy on top of white rice, in sandwiches, burgers, and more! These pickles will keep for up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator.
Notes
- For more tangy pickles: increase the amount of lime juice to 2 tablespoons. Alternatively, you can use white vinegar.
- Add fresh herbs. You can easily tweak this recipe by adding fresh herbs like basil, chives, mint, or rosemary.
- Store in the refrigerator: note that this pickled cucumber recipe is not shelf-stable and must be kept in the refrigerator.