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Kyuchan cucumber pickle
Kyūchan-zuke (きゅうちゃん漬け): crunchy soy-and-ginger cucumber pickle for the bento box
Kyuchan is the sweet-salty soy pickle that Japanese mothers tuck into the corner of a bento: thin coins of cucumber that stay crunchy for days thanks to an old trick of pouring hot pickling liquid over them several times. It brightens plain rice and cuts the richness of fried karaage-style dishes. The common mistake is simmering the cucumbers in the sauce, which makes them soft and grey; they should only ever sit in hot liquid off the heat. Chef's tip: squeeze the salted cucumbers really hard in a cloth, because every drop of water you remove is crunch you keep.
- Total time
- 45 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
- 14 oz Japanese or mini cucumbersabout 4
- 1 tsp salt
- 4 tbsp soy sauce
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- ½ oz fresh gingerpeeled, cut into fine matchsticks
- 1 dried red chilli (optional)seeds removed, sliced into rings
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What you'll need
Spices & pantry
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Slice 14 oz Japanese or mini cucumbers into 4 mm coins. Toss with 1 tsp salt in a bowl and leave for 20 minutes, until beads of water appear and the slices bend without snapping.
20 minStep 2: Tip the cucumber into a clean tea towel or muslin and squeeze firmly until no more water drips out.
Step 3: Put 4 tbsp soy sauce, 3 tbsp sugar, 2 tbsp rice vinegar, ½ oz fresh ginger and 1 dried red chilli in a small pan and bring to the boil over a medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves.
2 minStep 4: Add the cucumber, stir once and take the pan off the heat at once. Leave for 5 minutes.
5 minStep 5: Pour the liquid back into the pan through a sieve, leaving the cucumber in the bowl. Boil the liquid again, then pour it back over the cucumber. Repeat once more; each round darkens the slices and keeps them crisp.
6 minStep 6: Cool completely, pack into a clean jar with the liquid and chill for at least 2 hours. It keeps for 1 week in the fridge; drain before packing into a bento.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 40 kcal
- Protein
- 1 g
- Carbs
- 8 g
- Fat
- 0 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
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Good to know
- How long does kyuchan cucumber pickle take?
- About 45 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of japanese or mini cucumbers?
- Courgette, same weight (in salads, use young ones).
- What can I use instead of soy sauce?
- Tamari, same amount (gluten free).
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