Simple recipe for making pickled cucumbers
Ingredients for pickled cucumbers
Cucumbers: 3
Carrots: 1
Fresh chili peppers: 2
Lemons: 2
Garlic: 1
Roasted peanuts: a little
Seasoning: soup powder, sugar, fish sauce, monosodium glutamate…
Hung herbs, dill
Simple method of pickling cucumbers
Step 1: Prepare the ingredients
Wash the cucumbers, soak them in diluted saltwater for 5-10 minutes, then drain. Slice them crosswise into slices about 0.3cm thick.
If you want the cucumber slices to look better, you can peel them, make a straight line every 1 line and leave 1 line.
Peel and rinse the garlic, then finely chop. Wash and chop the chili peppers. Squeeze the juice from the lemons.
Peel and slice the carrots into thin, round pieces. Wash and pick the herbs, then cut into pieces about 1cm long. Remove the shells from the peanuts and crush them.
Step 2: Mix the seasoning
Put the sliced cucumbers and carrots in a bowl. Add 1 teaspoon of salt, 2 tablespoons of fish sauce, 2 tablespoons of sugar, and mix well. Let it sit for 5 minutes to absorb the seasonings.
Then, add the lemon juice, chopped garlic, and chopped chili peppers to the bowl and mix well.
Step 3: Finish
After the cucumbers and carrots have absorbed enough seasonings and become soft, sweet, you can sprinkle the herbs, dill, and some crushed peanuts on top, mix well, transfer to a plate, and enjoy. You will immediately feel the irresistible crunchiness of the dish.
Note when making pickled cucumbers
To make pickled cucumbers, you should choose fresh and delicious ingredients.
Choose cucumbers that are bright green, uniform in color, and free from any signs of discoloration or yellowing as these indicate that the cucumbers have been stored for a long time and have started to spoil.
Good cucumbers are ones that are long and thin, have even sizes, and feel firm when held, with smooth skin and no blemishes.
Avoid buying cucumbers that are swollen, with large heads or small tails, as these are signs of old cucumbers with lots of seeds, hard and not tasty.
Be sure to thoroughly remove the lemon seeds to prevent the pickles from turning bitter.
During the mixing process, avoid stirring too much as it can make the pickles become limp.
If you want the pickles to stay crunchy, it’s best to make them close to when you’re going to eat them because if they sit for too long, they will release a lot of liquid and no longer be crunchy.
Do not mix the herbs with the fish sauce at the same time as it will make the herbs lose their aroma and the fish sauce, sugar will make the herbs wilt and change color.
If you can’t finish eating, you can store the pickles in a sealed container and refrigerate them. But it’s best to eat them right away so that they don’t become over-fermented.
In addition to cucumbers, pickles can also be made from many other ingredients, such as: pickles made from jicama, papaya, carrots, mixed vegetables… These types of pickles are all delicious and easy to make.
Pickles go well with any dish. However, pickles are often eaten with fried dishes such as fried spring rolls, fried meat, grilled meat; and with dishes like banh xeo, rice paper rolls… It helps balance the flavors, avoid feeling overwhelmed, and is very delicious.
Ingredients for making Pickled Jicama
Jicama 1
Carrot 1
Garlic 2 cloves
Chili sauce 1/2 tablespoon
Vinegar 2 tablespoons
Soup powder 1.5 teaspoons
Sugar 2 tablespoons
Tools for implementation
How to choose fresh and delicious ingredients
How to choose crunchy and delicious carrots
Choose carrots that are of the right size, with a straight and tapering shape, smooth and firm skin.
Choose carrots with a bright, vibrant orange color, with fresh green leaves tightly attached to the stem.
Do not choose carrots with flattened stems, crushed bodies, oozing sap, appearing black spots, and using your hand to press feels soft.
How to choose sweet and delicious jicama
Good jicama is of medium size, has a weight and firmness when held. The fresh jicama has a greenish, bright color.
Choose jicama that is whole, normal shape, light greenish.
Do not choose jicama that is soft when held, hollowed out, dented, or lacks stems, leaves, or has yellowing or irregularly shaped leaves.
Do not buy pre-peeled jicama as most of them are soaked in water with chemicals to keep them fresh and visually appealing.
How to process Pickled Jicama
Prepare the ingredients
After buying jicama and carrots, wash them thoroughly to remove dirt from the outside, then peel and slice them thinly, finely, or trim them as desired. Peel and rinse the garlic, then chop finely.
Mix jicama and carrot after preliminary preprocessing in a bowl with 1/2 teaspoon of soup powder and soak for about 15 minutes. If the jicama releases water, discard it and do not rinse it with water again.
Mix the seasoning water
Mix the seasoning mixture including: 1 tablespoon of sugar, 2 tablespoons of vinegar, 1 teaspoon of soup powder, and 1/2 tablespoon of chili sauce in a small bowl, then stir well.
Make pickled jicama
Pour the mixed seasoning water into the bowl of jicama and carrot and continue soaking for another 30 minutes before eating.
Finished product
Jicama and carrot are crunchy, sweet, and very delicious. The colorful pickled jicama looks fresh and eye-catching, stimulating the taste buds of the family. This pickled dish preserved in the refrigerator and served with grilled dishes is incomparable.
