Cooling Japanese Cucumbers

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This is a ridiculously simple recipe for some basic, Japanese-influenced cucumber pickles. Absolutely perfect on top of a small bowl of hot rice.

"Stripe" your cucumbers with a peeler (as in peel only a few sides off). Slice chunkily.
In a tupperware, add 1 part light soy sauce to 1.5 parts apple vinegar - enough to cover the cucumbers when you put them in. Slice some ginger thinly and add a couple of smashed garlic cloves (break the cloves with the side of your knife and throw them in whole). Add a glug of sesame oil and scatter some sesame seeds on top. Put your cucumber chunks in the mixture and give it a stir. Store in the fridge.
You can eat them within a couple of hours, but of course leaving them in the fridge for a day will help intensify the taste of the cucumber.

Serve on top of something plain, like freshly-steamed white rice.

tommy says
I'd really like to try this recipe out. But we only get soggy fat cucumbers in London!
iconsam says
Awesome. Nothing beats the simple stuff. The apple cider vinegar is a great touch.
hankosan says
That's koshihikari rice?
yongfook says
yup, well, Japanese rice.
caccy46 says
These cukes are referred to as Kirby cucumbers in the US. They are seasonal, short, thick and very crisp (often used for pickling).Another good choice would be hot house cucumbers (seedless, long, slim and crunchy). Unfortunately, most year-round cucumbers in the NE US are very large with huge seeds and thick skins that are waxed for preservation - quite disgusting.
KamanKaman says
ooo trying this soon, I have all the ingreds!
Tekki says
For some reason, I'm craving for this. The idea of pickled cucumbers is interesting.