Japanese pickled cucumber

Japanese pickled cucumber

About Japanese pickled cucumber

Japanese pickled cucumber - Snack cucumber
Snack cucumber

Japanese pickled cucumber this time is a pickled cucumber made by cooking cucumber in a soy sauce-based seasoning.  In Japan, there is a famous pickled cucumber product called “Kyuri no Kyu-chan”.  It’s been a popular product for quite some time since I was a kid. The texture is crispy, and it goes very well with rice, so I think it continues to be loved by Japanese people.

Since I can’t buy it in Europe, I searched online how to make it and made it myself.  The reason I decided to make it was because I could buy some small cucumbers called snack cucumber at a low price.   As you may know, European cucumbers are very large and Japanese cucumbers are thin and small.  When I saw the snack cucumber, I thought it was similar to a Japanese cucumber and remembered the “kyuri no Kyu-chan”.  As a result of making it, I am very happy with this pickled cucumber. So recently I often make this when snack cucumbers are cheap.

I put a link to the nutrition and health benefits of cucumber, so please read if you like.

Recipe tips

It’s very easy to make, but the important thing is not to cook the cucumbers for a long time. As soon as it boils, remove it from the heat. This will give you a crispy texture. In addition, the taste permeates during the cooling process.

It’s a little spicy because of finely shredded ginger and dried chili peppers.  Please adjust the amount to your liking.  I use dried chili peppers without cutting them. That’s because this way it doesn’t get too hot.

Regarding storage, after cooling down you can put it in a clean storage container or jar with a lid and store it in the refrigerator for about two weeks.

Japanese pickled cucumber

This is a pickled cucumber made by shortly cooking cucumber in a soy sauce-based seasoning. It goes very well with rice and you can keep it in the fridge for about 2 weeks.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Cooling time1 hour
Total Time1 hour 30 minutes
Course: Pickles, Side Dish
Cuisine: Japanese
Keyword: cucumber, Japanese pickled cucumber, Japanese pickles, Japanese vegetable side dish
Author: okawarishitene staff

Equipment

  • 1 pot
  • 1 Colander

Ingredients

  • 500 gram Snack cucumber / thin cucumber
  • 75 ml Japanese soy sauce
  • 75 ml Mirin
  • 30 gram Granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon Vinegar
  • 10~15 gram Shredded ginger
  • 1~2 Dried chili pepper

Instructions

  • Cut the cucumber into  8mm ~ 1 cm thick slices. (If you like the crispy texture, you can cut it to a thickness of 1.5 cm.)
  • Put ingredients other than cucumber in a pan and heat.
  • When it boils, add the cucumbers and mix well. When it boils again, turn off the heat.
  • When the cucumbers have cooled, remove the cucumbers.
  • Reheat only the seasonings. Boil down until the seasoning is about 2/3 of the amount. 
  • Put the cucumber back in and when it boils, turn off the heat. When it cools again, put it in a storage container with a lid and store it in the refrigerator.

Notes

It is also delicious to sprinkle with white sesame when you eat it, if you like.

This recipe is useful when you have a lot of cucumbers. Please make it.  Below I put links to recipes using cucumbers, so please make them also if you like.

Thank you for reading and Bon Appetit!