JAPANESE-STYLE SALT-CURED CUCUMBERS

MAKES ABOUT 4 CUPS

WE CALL PREPARATIONS like these pickles, but they’re not truly preserved, just salted and seasoned, and meant to be eaten within a week. I learned this humble home technique while living in Japan. First salting, then pressing the cucumbers draws out their vegetal water, which is replaced with a light soy-vinegar seasoning that enhances the cucumbers’ natural crunch. I use this technique on daikon, carrots, radishes, turnips, and cabbage. Sometimes I enhance the flavor by adding a 2-inch piece of dried kombu to the marinade.

1½ pounds Persian cucumbers, sliced

3 tablespoons salt

1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar

1 teaspoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon sugar

6 thin slices unpeeled fresh ginger

Toss the cucumbers with the salt in a large bowl and let sit for about 10 minutes. Rinse the cucumbers, pat dry, and return to the bowl. Add the vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, and ginger, and toss.

Transfer the cucumber mixture to a flat container and arrange in an even layer. Cover with plastic wrap, then weight down the cucumbers and let cure at room temperature for about 3 hours or refrigerate for a day. Drain the liquid and discard the ginger. Transfer the pickles to a container; they’ll keep, covered and refrigerated, for about a week.