Pickled cucumbers are a delicious side dish that attracts many diners with their sweet and sour, refreshing taste. Let’s get cooking with TasteVN and try out 3 ways to make crunchy pickled cucumbers!
1. Quick pickled cucumbers
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Preparation
40 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients for Quick Pickled Cucumbers Serves 3
Cucumbers 3 pieces Carrots 1/2 root Lemon – bird’s eye chili – garlic 200 g Various herbs 200 g Fish sauce a little Common spices a little (salt/sugar/msg)
Tips for successful preparation
- The carrot slices need to be cut evenly, not too thick or too thin.
- When preparing cucumbers, cut off both ends of the cucumber and rub the freshly cut parts for about 1-2 minutes. This step will help clean the cucumber of sap and chemicals.
- This method of making pickled cucumbers does not require excessive shaking or too long. Doing so will make the pickles watery and lose their crunchiness.
How to make Quick Pickled Cucumbers
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Prepare the ingredients
Wash the carrots thoroughly, peel them, then carve into flower shapes, and slice them thinly. Wash the cucumbers, then soak them in a diluted saltwater solution before slicing them thinly similar to the carrots.
Minced garlic, sliced chili. Cut the lime in half and squeeze the juice into a separate bowl. Tear off the stem of the herbs and wash them clean with vegetable wash or saltwater.
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Marinate cucumbers with seasoning powder
Prepare a large bowl and add the cucumbers, then add a little fish sauce along with seasoning powder or salt and marinate for about 5 – 6 minutes to absorb the flavor. After that, add the carrots and continue to mix well.
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Mix the ingredients
Add the supplementary ingredients including lime juice, minced garlic, and chopped chili into the bowl. Use chopsticks to gently toss the mixture to ensure the spices are evenly distributed.
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Final product
Wait 2 – 3 minutes after mixing the pickled vegetables, then sprinkle more herbs on top. The dish is considered successful when it has a crunch from the cucumber and carrot, with the seasonings evenly absorbed, neither too salty nor too bland. Additionally, the dish should have a hint of the aromatic flavor of basil as well as a blend of salty, sweet, sour, and spicy flavors.
2. Pickled cucumber in fish sauce
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Preparation
40 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients for Pickled cucumber in fish sauce Serves 3 people
Cucumber 3 pieces Garlic – Chili 200 g Vinegar a little Common spices a little (salt/sugar/msg)
Ingredient image
How to prepare pickled cucumber (pickled gherkin) in fish sauce
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Prepare the ingredients
Wash the cucumbers thoroughly, cut them in half, remove the seeds, and then slice them diagonally. Marinate the cucumbers with 50 grams of salt, mix well, and let them marinate for about 1 – 2 hours.
After marinating, take the cucumbers out and rinse them with clean water to reduce saltiness, then continue to soak them in cold water for about 30 minutes. After that, place them in a colander to drain.
Slice garlic and cut the chili at an angle.
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Cook the fish sauce
Boil a mixture of: 200 ml fish sauce, 200 grams sugar, and 2 tablespoons of vinegar until dissolved, then let it cool.
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Soak the cucumber
After draining, toss the cucumbers with garlic and chili, then put them into a jar.
Pour the cooled fish sauce mixture into the jar of cucumbers, pressing them down to be submerged in the fish sauce. Then store in a cool place and use after 3 – 4 days of soaking.
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Final Product
Pickled cucumber (asparagus) in delicious fish sauce is when it has all 4 flavors: sour, spicy, salty, sweet and crunchy, without being oily or slimy.
3. Whole Pickled Cucumber (Asparagus)
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Preparation
40 minutes
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Difficulty Level
Easy
Ingredients for Whole Pickled Cucumber (Asparagus) Serves 4
Carrot 1 piece Chili 3 pieces Salt 15 g Sugar 5 g Garlic 1 bulb Lemon 1 piece Cucumber 500 g
How to Choose Fresh and Delicious Cucumbers
- You should choose cucumbers that are uniform in size for easier storage. The pickled cucumber dish will also look more appealing.
- When fermenting, cucumbers will release water, so do not fill the jar too full; there must be some space for the pickling liquid not to overflow.
How to make whole salted cucumber
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Prepare the cucumber
Wash the cucumber thoroughly and soak it in diluted salt water for about 30 minutes. After that, take the cucumber out, wash it again, and let it dry completely. Peel the carrot, shape it nicely, and then cut it into thin slices to pickle with the cucumber. Peel and wash the garlic and chili.
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Boil water
Boil 1 liter of water with 15 grams of salt and 5 grams of sugar, along with a little lemon juice, then turn off the heat. When the water is still warm, add the peeled chili and garlic to the pot, and wait for the water in the pot to cool down completely.
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Pickle the cucumber
Prepare a glass jar with a lid, rinse it with boiling water, and let it dry. Arrange the cucumbers vertically in the jar, then insert the carrot slices interspersed with the cucumbers.
Pour the brine into the jar so that the water covers the cucumbers but keep about 2 cm of space from the top of the jar.
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Final Product
After about 4 days, the cucumbers turn a uniform yellow color and have a sweet and sour taste; you can use pickled cucumbers to create various delicious dishes as you like.
Tips for Making Delicious Crunchy Pickled Cucumbers
- It is advisable to choose cucumbers that are uniform in size for easier preservation. Your pickled cucumbers will also look more appealing.
- As the cucumbers ferment, they will release water, so do not fill the jar too full; there should be some space to prevent the brine from overflowing.
How to Choose Good Cucumbers
- Shape: Choose cucumbers that are elongated, uniform, and straight. They should feel firm when held. Avoid those that are bulging at the center or have small heads and tails. Additionally, do not select cucumbers that are too large or too small as they can be bitter.
- Cucumber Skin: Choose cucumbers with intact skin, without dark spots or yellowing. The skin should still have a layer of white powder, and it’s best if they have small bumps on the surface.
- Color: Select cucumbers that are evenly green. Avoid those that are light yellow or overly dark green as they are often spoiled or treated with chemicals.
- Cucumber Stem: Cucumbers with fresh stems at the top and the flower end still attached are younger, fresher, and taste sweeter than others.
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Above is information about 2 ways to make crispy pickled cucumbers that TasteVN shares with you. If you have any questions, please leave your information below the article.
