Chinese Pickled Cucumbers 酱黄瓜 Recipes

CHINESE PICKLED CUCUMBER (A QUICK PICKLE RECIPE)

Steps:

• Add cucumber into a big bowl. Sprinkle salt over the sliced cucumbers and gently toss them with your hands so the cucumbers are evenly coated. Rest for 30 minutes to an hour, tossing them occasionally.
• Once the cucumbers are done resting, drain off the liquid that has collected in the bottom of the container and gently rinse the cucumbers with cold water to remove the excess salt. Place the rinsed cucumbers and garlic cloves into a heat-proof, sealable container or mason jars. Make sure to arrange the cucumbers to be packed together, without too much excess space between them.
• Heat the sichuan peppercorns and dried chilis over medium-low heat in a small pot. Toss the spices until fragrant, around 1 minute.
• Once the spices are fragrant add the vinegar, water, soy sauce, and sugar. Bring to a boil.
• Pour the hot brine over the cucumbers until they are completely covered.
• Allow the pickles to cool to room temperature and seal the container.
• Let the cucumbers pickle overnight in the fridge and enjoy!

CHINESE STYLE SPICY PICKLED CUCUMBERS

Steps:

• Toss the cucumber wedges with the salt and let them stand in a bowl for 20 minutes.
• Drain the cucumbers in a colander, rinse them under cold water, and pat them dry on paper towels.In a bowl dissolve the sugar in the vinegar, stirring, add the cucumbers, and toss them to coat them with the mixture.
• In a small skillet heat the sesame oil and the vegetable oil over moderately high heat until the oil is just smoking, add the gingerroot and the redpepper flakes, and stir fry the mixture for 5 - 10 seconds, or until the red pepper flakes are several shades darker.
• Remove the skillet from the heat and let the oil cool to room termperature.
• Pour the spiced oil over the cucumbers, toss the mixture well and let it marinate at room temperature for 1 hour.
• Refrigerate and cover, stirring occasionally. Use within 5 days.