Asian Quick Pickled Cucumbers (5-min)

A jar of homemade pickled cucumbers with chilies and an onion next to it.

5 from 12 votes

Asian Quick Pickled Cucumbers (5-min)

These easy and delicious Asian Quick Pickled Cucumbers are ready in 5 minutes, and make a great cooling side dish in summer! (I show you how to make 2 versions: 1 that can be immediately after tossing in the brine (the 5-min recipe) and a 2nd that has a milder flavor and needs to pickle for 15- 30 minutes.)

Course: Appetizer, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine: Chinese, Fusion, International, Japanese, korean, Vietnamese

Calories: 339kcal

Author: Zen

Equipment

Glass or ceramic container with airtight seal.

Ingredients

1-2 cucumbers (2 cucumbers if you're not adding other veggies and 1 if you're supplementing with others!) Use Japanese cucumbers (Kyuri), Persian (thin-skinned too) or English cucumbers. For English, It's best to scrape out the centres as they are quite high in water content. If you use cucumbers that have bigger seeds, they won't be as tasty unless you deseed them first. Choose ones that are firm to the touch and are unwaxed.
1 Cup white rice vinegar Substitute: apple cider vinegar, white wine vinegar or seasoned rice vinegar (remember to add less sugar for the last.)
water optional: If you want to eat the pickles immediately after making them, don't dilute with water. However, the flavor can be slightly too mouth-puckering! For a more palatable taste, dilute the vinegar brine with the water and let the cucumbers sit for a bit before feasting. (If you live in an area with hard water, that'll interfere with the taste so use distilled or filtered water, if necessary.)
⅓ Cup white sugar, minimum You can use less sugar but note that the acid notes will be quite harsh without the sugar to dilute them. (I've tested it.) Honestly, I'd say the sugar I specified is really the minimum necessary for that sweet and sour flavor! (I would have gone up to ½ or even ¾ Cup if I wasn't trying to be healthy. If you're still not convinced, add the sugar 1 tablespoon at a time and taste for yourself!) I find that adding chilies helps to decrease the amount of sugar you need to add! Remember to use bone-char free sugar for vegan pickles.
1 teaspoon salt substitute with soy sauce or tamari if on a gluten-free diet
onions, carrots, radish, chilies, scallions etc optional

Instructions

Wash the cucumbers, paying attention to the stem area. Remove the blossoms, as these contain enzymes that make your pickle soft then slice as thinly as possible. The thinner the slices, the quicker the pickle.
Slice the cucumbers and other ingredients you're using (e.g. shallots) as thinly as possible. (See Tips for how to make them extra crunchy.)
Mix the brine ingredients in a glass jar, with an airtight seal, such as a Mason Jar. Close tightly then shake till everything is mixed and the sugar is dissolved.
Add the cucumbers and veg to the brine. You can enjoy the Asian Quick Pickles straight away. Alternatively, if you diluted the brine with water, you can leave for 15-30 minutes at room temperature or overnight in the fridge for more flavor.

Notes

Storage: Store the cucumbers in the fridge for 3-5 days. Any longer and they'll lose their crisp and crunchy texture or become unsafe to eat! (Do not freeze.)

Variations: see recipe post on how to give the recipe a Thai/ Vietnamese/ Chinese/ Korean/ Japanese twist!

Note: the nutritional information is an estimate automatically calculated using the WPRM recipe maker and I am not responsible for its accuracy.

Nutrition