Chinese Pickled Cucumber (醃製小黃瓜)

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Chinese pickled cucumber (醃製小黃瓜) is a classic side dish and appetizer for rice, congee and noodle soup. It is a little different from pickled mustard greens. In this Chinese pickled cucumber recipe, it shows you how to make pickled cucumbers crunchy and tasty in soy sauce base mixture.

Love authentic foods? Check out these salted duck eggs, cured pork belly, steamed pork patty, braised bamboo shoot, pickled mustard green stir fry and ginger milk curd recipes.

Chinese pickled cucumber on the fork with jars

What is Chinese pickled cucumber (醃製小黃瓜)?

Chinese preserved vegetables consist of various vegetables fermented by pickling with salt and brine like pickled mustard greens or marinated in soy sauce based mixture.

Chinese pickles aim for the balanced tastes of vinegar, salt, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, hot chili, sugar, and the vegetable itself. Some pickles need to wait for a few weeks or months for the vegetables to ferment. However, there are some"quick pickles" which can be eaten a few hours or a few days after preparation. For example, this Chinese pickled cucumber recipe may be eaten after they have been pickled in a jar for a few hours or a day.

Chinese pickled cucumbers can be eaten directly from the jar as an appetizer and a side for congee. Also, it is usually marinated in a soy sauce mixture with sugar, vinegar, salt, and additional spices. The cucumbers are lightly boiled in the soy mixture before being left to cool and absorb the marinade.

What are the ingredients for Chinese pickled cucumbers?

In this Chinese pickled cucumber recipe, the ingredients are soy sauce, water, vinegar, sugar, chili pepper and mini cucumbers.

Chinese soy sauce pickled cucumber ingredients

Cooking tips for how to make Chinese pickled cucumbers:

Cut mini seedless cucumbers into ¼ inch thick.
Put soy sauce, water, vinegar, sugar and chili pepper into a pot and turn on medium small fire. Until the sauce is boiling, add the sliced mini cucumbers. Let it cook for 2 minutes. Keep stirring it once a while.
Sterile 3 small half pint sized glass (8oz) in the microwave for 2 minutes. Or, boil them for a few minutes.
Then, turn off the fire and take out the cooked mini cucumber immediately. Spread them on a tray. Let it cool off and dry for 30 minutes to an hour before putting it into a jar.
Meanwhile, turn on the fire and wait until the sauce mixture boils again and turn off fire. Remember to let the sauce mixture completely cool off before pouring into a jar.
You can eat them the same day. But, refrigerating them for a day or two before consuming it tastes even better.
When you take the pickled cucumber from a jar, please use a dry and clean fork every time.

FAQs:

What kind of cucumber can I use?

In this Chinese pickled cucumber recipe, I like to use mini seedless cucumbers.

How long can you keep the pickled cucumbers?

The best is to refrigerate it for a day or two before consuming it . It can be stored in the refrigerator for a week or two. The best is to eat them within a week. The pickled cucumbers must be stored in the fridge.

Do I need to sterile the glass jars?

Yes, wash and sterile the glass jars in a microwave for 2 minutes. Or, use the traditional way to boil it for a few minutes. Let it dry completely before using it.

How to make the pickled cucumber crispy and crunchy?

To boil the cucumber with the sauce mixture for 2 minutes. Turn off the fire and take the cucumbers out immediately. Then, spread them on a tray. Let it cool off and dry for 30 minutes to an hour before putting it into a sterile glass jar. Also, make sure the sauce is completely cool off before pouring into the jar.

Instructions for how to make Chinese pickled cucumbers:

Preparation:

Wash one pound of mini seedless cucumbers. (I had 6 mini cucumbers in one pound bag.)

sliced seedless mini cucumbers on the white plate

2. Slice the seedless mini cucumbers into ¼ inch thick.

Cooking:

3. After that, pour ½ cup of soy sauce, ½ cup of water, 2 tablespoons of white vinegar, ¼ cup of sugar and ½ teaspoon of crushed chili peppers. (You can add less or more chili peppers. Or, don't add at all.) Then, mix it well and turn the fire to small until it's boiling.

sliced mini cucumbers in the sauce mixture pot over the stove

4. When the sauce mixture boils, add the sliced mini cucumbers from step 2 into the pot.

cooking sliced mini cucumbers in the pot over the stove

5. Mix and stir it and let it cook for 2 minutes. Then, turn off the fire and take the cucumber out immediately.

6. After taking out the cucumbers, turn on a small fire and wait until the sauce mixture boils again. Then, turn off the fire and let the sauce cool off.

7. Meanwhile, spread the cooked cucumbers on parchment paper over the tray. To let it cool off and dry for 30 minutes to an hour. This process can help the pickled cucumber to be crispy and crunchy.

8. Sterile 3 half pint sized glass jars (8oz) in the microwave for 2 minutes. Or, use a traditional method to boil them for a few minutes.

Storing:

9. Make sure the jars are cool off and dry. Then, put the cooked cucumbers from step 7.

soy sauce mixture pour into the jar with cucumbers

10. Later, pour the cooled off sauce mixture from step 6 into the jars. (Make sure the sauce mixture is completely cool off before pouring into the jars because it helps pickled cucumbers to be crunchy.)

Chinese pickled cucumber in jars with lids closed

11. Close the lids and refrigerate them for a day or two before consuming it because the cucumbers absorb the sauce and taste even better. (Or, you can eat them the same day after soaking into the sauce for a few hours.)

Chinese pickled cucumbers in the glass container

12. When you take the pickled cucumber from a jar, please use a dry and clean fork every time.

Enjoy this simple, crunchy and savory Chinese pickled cucumber recipe in soy sauce base mixture for your side dish! Also, check out these braised mushrooms, ma yi shang shu, pad thai noodles and taro ice cream recipes.