Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Chili and Garlic Pickled Baby Cucumber—With Pictorial


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The first time I had these irresistible pickled cucumbers was at a Taiwanese dumpling restaurant in the San Gabriel Valley area of L.A.  This Taiwanese restaurant offers all kinds of dumplings and noodles, they also have many small plates for you to choose from, to go with your dumplings and noodles.  Some examples of the small plates items are soy sauce marinated fried Tofu, pickled cabbage, seaweed salad, jelly fish salad (another of my favorites too), and herbs marinated pig ears, etc.  The pig ears are for real, I’m not trying to mess with your minds here.  Chinese (or most Chinese) eat every single part of an animal so nothing goes to waste!  These pickled cucumbers were one of the choices from the long list of small plates items and I always get them every time when I dine there. 

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Since I moved away from that area long ago, I've been making my own pickled cucumbers.  They are the best appetizer/small plates item before a meal.  These Chili and Garlic Pickled Baby Cucumbers are so refreshing.  They really can increase your appetite. Isn't what an appetizer supposed to do?  To get your appetite up instead of filling you up before the main course?  Plus, they are super simple to make.  Instead of regular cucumber, I love to use the baby ones.  They are super tender and crunchy.  Best of all, you can eat the whole thing, skin, seeds and all (can’t you tell I’m a Chinese?)!  You don’t have to peel the skin nor scrape the seeds inside as in regular cucumbers.   In other words, perfect for time saving and lazy people, like me.

Before and After

Here’s what I did (see pictorial below).

1) Wash, drain and pat dry the cucumber with paper towel.  Cut them in half so they are in 2-inch length.

2) Split them in half again into “half circles”

3) Cut them into 1/2-by-1/2-by 2-inch chunks by cutting the “half circles” in half again.   (Gees, I’m so glad I took pictures of the process.) 

4) In a medium mixing bowl, all the rice vinegar in the water.

Pictorial A

5) Add the garlic, sugar, salt, toasted sesame oil

6) Last but not least, the Sambal chili sauce and stir until all sugar dissolved.

7) I like to line the cucumbers chunks into the non-reactive (glass) pickling jars neatly so I can fit as many as I could.

8) Fill the jars with the pickling liquid until the cucumbers are completely submerge in the liquid.  If there’s any garlic or chili sitting on the bottom of the pickling liquid, add those into the jars too (don’t waste anything!)  Close the lid and place the jars in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours before serving, preferably overnight.  Your patient will be rewarded!

Pictorial B

Simple enough, right?  They totally are.  They are super crunchy, tangy, slightly sweet with a hint of spiciness.  The hint of toasted sesame oil adds a little more savory flavor into this refreshing treat.  If you like it more spicy, feel free to add a little more chili sauce.  Just keep in mind the flavor will intensify the longer they are pickled, so, don’t add too much during the tasting.  Stay cool... just like the cucumbers and enjoy the recipe.  (sorry I can’t help the cheesy closing line!)

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Chili and Garlic Pickled Baby Cucumber:
(Printable Recipe)

2 cups of water
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
2 teaspoon Sambal Chili sauce
2 pounds baby cucumber

In a medium mixing bowl, stir together water, garlic, rice vinegar, sugar, salt, sesame and chili sauce until sugar completely dissolved.  Cut cucumber into 1/2 by 1/2 by 2-inch length chucks.

Line the cucumber chucks in non-reactive pickling jars and fill the jars with the pickling liquid until all cucumbers are covered.  Refrigerate at least 4 hours before serving, preferably over night.  Enjoy.

*since there's acid (vinegar) in the pickling liquid, please do not use plastic containers as pickling jars.

27 comments:

  1. I loves pickled cucumber... I can eat and eat, munch and munch non stop of this! Really! But not too much of that garlic in..please though it brings out some aroma in there.

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    1. Hehe...same here. You can imagine how fast that 2 pounds of cucumber disappeared in my house. If you don't like too much garlic. Don't mince it but just gently smash so it gives a little aroma but not too strong. ;)

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  2. Could be a great side or almost anything!

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    1. Yeah...I can't start my meal without a small plate of these cucumbers on the side.

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  3. Those pickles are making my mouth water! They sound SO delicious!
    What is the name and address of the chinese restaurant, Amy? I'd love to go try it:)

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    1. Hehe...I only know the Chinese name of that restaurant I mentioned on this post and I haven't been there for years. I wonder if they are still in business with all the competitions in that area. The Chinese name is "一條龍", directly translated to "One Dragon". Honestly, the dumplings are noddles are not the top quality there. If you like Chinese dumplings, I recommend you to give this place a try instead.

      http://www.dintaifungusa.com/

      1108 S Baldwin Ave
      Arcadia, CA 91007
      (626) 574-7068

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  4. Replies
    1. Oh yes they are. :) Gotta give these a try.

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  5. I'm so glad to see your Sambal chili jar... I've seen so many Sambal chili recipes and a lot of them are homemade sauce. I don't use it often to make it from scratch but now that I know the brand that you use I'm going to buy this one! We love pickles and especially my husband will enjoy this a little spicy pickles!

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    1. I would go all out and make a 3 layer cake from scratch, or loaf bread from scratch...but I believe some things are better leave at the hands of experts. hehe...I've never make homemade chili sauce but I bet it's super easy to do. But somehow, I think they would taste different than the store bought ones. Don't know, I love Sambal and Sriracha so much I'm not dare to mess with them myself!

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  6. Replies
    1. Thank you, Suzanne. It's always nice to see a message from you. Hope you're doing fantastic! :)

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  7. Pickles are always welcome in my family and your recipe is tasty. Very simple yet flavorful!

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    1. Thank you, Sandra. Glad you like this recipe.

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  8. y father-in-law in a huge pickle fan and I think he'd love these. These could be a good xmas gift idea - thanks!

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    1. Oh yeah. I think homemade gifts are the best. :) You're always welcome, my friend.

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  9. Those look absolutely delicious, and I love that type of cucumber! Thanks for stopping in at Cranberry Morning. I'll have to tell you, those homemade potato chips my husband made have totally turned me into a potato chip snob! lol Be sure to try them. They're amazing! :-)

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    1. Thank you. I sure will give those potato chips a try. They sound just wonderful....and I know I'll eat them non-stop too.

      Wish you a wonderful Sunday and a beautiful week ahead.

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  10. I love how simple this is! And I am crazy for pickles of any kind. Definitely going to give this method a try.

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    1. Glad you like this simple recipe. Yeah...I love all kinds of pickles too. You've gotta give this a try.

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  11. This looks great! Out of curiosity, which restaurant are you talking about? I'd love to try it when I'm in the SGV.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hehe...I only know the Chinese name of that restaurant I mentioned on this post and I haven't been there for years. I wonder if they are still in business with all the competitions in that area. The Chinese name is "一條龍", directly translated to "One Dragon". Honestly, the dumplings are noddles are not the top quality there. If you like Chinese dumplings, I recommend you to give this place a try instead.

      http://www.dintaifungusa.com/

      1108 S Baldwin Ave
      Arcadia, CA 91007
      (626) 574-7068

      Delete
  12. These look amazing! I am a wee bit of a pickle-aholic.

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    Replies
    1. hehe...good to know I'm not the only one so crazy about pickles! :)

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  13. Wow, I love this recipe! I don't like pickled cucumbers with vinegar, and this recipe seems vinegar free. And it only takes 4 hours!!!! Sounds too good to be true :-). I have to try it.

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