Ogórki kiszone
Ogórki kiszone: Polish cucumbers lacto-fermented in brine with dill, garlic and horseradish
Every Polish cellar and balcony in late summer holds jars of these, and they are nothing like vinegar pickles: the cucumbers sour naturally in salty water over several days, turning olive green, crunchy and garlicky with a clean lactic tang. Eat them with potatoes and dill, chop them into salads, or drink the brine, which Poles swear by the morning after. Use small, firm pickling cucumbers picked within a day or two. The usual slip is using iodised table salt, which can stop the ferment and soften the pickles; use plain rock or pickling salt. Fermentation takes 3 to 7 days at room temperature, so plan ahead. If anything other than a thin white film forms, or the jar smells rotten, throw it out. Chef's tip: horseradish or oak leaves, rich in tannin, are what keep the cucumbers crisp.
- Total time
- 20 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 10
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ lb small pickling cucumbersvery fresh, washed
- 4 ¼ cups waterboiled and cooled
- 6 garlic cloveshalved
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Soak 2 ¼ lb small pickling cucumbers in very cold water for 1 hour so they firm up. Trim a thin slice off the blossom end of each.
5 minStep 2: Dissolve 1 ¼ oz non-iodised rock or pickling salt in 4 ¼ cups water to make the brine.
3 minStep 3: Wash a 2-litre jar in hot soapy water and rinse well. Put half the 2 dill heads with stalks, 6 garlic cloves and 2 horseradish leaves or a 5 cm piece of horseradish root in the bottom.
3 minStep 4: Pack the cucumbers in upright and tightly. Add 1 tsp mustard seeds, 4 allspice berries, 2 bay leaves and the rest of the 2 dill heads with stalks on top.
6 minStep 5: Pour over the brine until the cucumbers are fully covered by 2 cm; weigh them down with a small saucer or water-filled bag so none float. Cover loosely with the lid or a cloth.
3 minStep 6: Leave at room temperature (18–72°F) away from sun for 3–7 days. After 2 days the brine turns cloudy and bubbles; taste a cucumber daily and move the jar to the fridge once it is sour enough. Keeps in the fridge for up to 2 months.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 15 kcal
- Protein
- 1 g
- Carbs
- 3 g
- Fat
- 0 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does ogórki kiszone take?
- About 20 minutes in total.
- How many people does it serve?
- 10 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.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- 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 small pickling cucumbers?
- Courgette, same weight (in salads, use young ones).
- What can I use instead of garlic cloves?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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