Spicy Korean-Style Pickles
Makes: 4 to 8 servings
Time: At least 1 hour
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A dry-ish pickle, based on those traditionally served throughout Southeast Asia in small portions with an assortment of other pickled or fermented items. I love this super-easy recipe for its hot, salty, slightly sweet flavors — and its versatility.
Other vegetables you can use: radish, jícama, celery, cabbage, kohlrabi, cauliflower, turnips, or summer squash.
- 1 pound Kirby or other thin-skinned cucumbers
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 3–4 tablespoons chile-garlic paste (to make your own, see page 665)
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- Wash the cucumbers well, scrub them if they’re spiny, and cut into ¼-inch-thick slices. Put them in a colander and sprinkle with the salt; toss well. Gently rub the salt into the cucumbers with your hands for a minute.
- Lay a plate over the cucumbers in the colander and weight the plate with whatever is handy — a few cans from the pantry or your teakettle filled with water, for example. Let sit for about 30 minutes; 1 hour is fine. Rinse the cucumbers, then pat dry with towels; transfer them to a bowl.
- Add the chile-garlic paste, sugar, sesame oil, and soy sauce, toss to combine, and let sit for at least 30 minutes. You can eat the pickle right away. Or put it in an airtight container, packing the cucumbers down into the container so the liquid comes to the surface, cover, and refrigerate for up to 3 weeks.
Salted Cabbage with Sichuan Peppercorns Essentially another spin on Kimchi (right) — a sweet and hot quick pickle: Substitute 6 cups shredded green or Napa cabbage for the cucumbers. Use 1 tablespoon each salt, mirin, soy sauce, and Sichuan peppercorns, and reduce the sesame oil to 1 teaspoon. Skip Step 1. Instead, mix together all the ingredients in a large bowl, toss very well, then press in the bowl with a weighted plate as in Step 2. Do not rinse. Remove the weight, toss again, and serve or cover and refrigerate; it will keep for 5 days or so.