- 1kg Persian cucumbers
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 litre water
- 200ml white vinegar
- 20g fresh dill, roughly chopped
- 2 clove garlic, thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp whole black peppercorn
My Mom wasn’t a great cook; indeed she was the chef from hell for so many years (Ooooops, if you’re reading this -Sorry Mom, I love you! ). That’s why I had to learn to cook from a very young age to save my own and my brothers’ stomachs…
Having said that, there were a few dishes she cooked very well. Her pickled cucumber was one of these. She loved making it so much we would have it almost once a week during the summer.
Back then I was so young, I didn’t really like anything sour and I hated all kinds of pickled vegetables such as gherkins, sour cabbage, kimchi and olives. I would absolutely refuse to eat burgers or hot dogs with pickled cucumber. However things change… as I grew up, so did my taste buds and slowly I started to really like pickles of all varieties. Over time sour tasting things began to taste more yum than yuk!.
A couple of days ago, I walked past my favourite veggie shop in the neighbourhood and spotted Persian cucumber – a shorter, juicier and crunchier cucumber compared to regular English cucumber. Perfect for making a pickled cucumber. Summer is coming so I thought, why not take a trip down memory lane and all in time for BBQ season!
The recipe I am sharing today isn’t the recipe my mum used to make. Her recipes would be more Asian style, she pickles her cucumber with sugar, chilli, vinegar and lemongrass.
This recipe is inspired by my Russian and Latvian friends. It is sour with garlic, black peppercorns, vinegar and lot of dill.
First, wash and drain the cucumbers.
Cut off the ends of the cucumbers and slice them in half long-ways.
Strip the dill from its hard stems and chop roughly.
Personally, I love dill!!!!!!! So I add quite a lot, but please feel free to reduce the amount of dill if you are not big fans.
Pour 200ml water and 200ml white vinegar into a small saucepan over medium heat, add maple syrup and salt. Heat the mixture, stirring frequently, until all the salt has dissolved. It should only take a couple of minutes. Set aside.
Place the cucumber, garlic, dill and peppercorns into a large glass jar.
Mix 800ml cold water with the pickling liquid we made earlier and then pour into the jar.
Cover and place in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. You can store the pickled cucumber in the refrigerator for up to a month or two so long as you only use clean utensils.
So, forget about shop bought, ready-made pickled cucumber – making your own is much fresher, tastier and its super easy to do as well.
These pickled cucumbers take only 2-3 days to be ready. They are delicious with any salad or sandwich and equally add an irresistible crunch and flavour to your summer BBQ with vegan burgers and sausages.
If you have followed and made this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment and take a picture, tagging it with #k33_kitchen and share it on Instagram! I’d be very excited to see what you come up with. Cheers, hope you enjoy my recipes!
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Difficulty: Easy
Serves: 1 kg
Prep.: 10 mins | Cook: 5 mins
Ingredients:
Instructions:
- Wash and drain the cucumbers.
- Cut off the ends of the cucumbers and slice them in half long-ways.
- Strip the dill from its hard stems and chop roughly.
- Pour 200ml water and 200ml white vinegar into a small saucepan over medium heat, add maple syrup and salt. Heat and stir until all the salt is dissolved. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- Place the cucumber, garlic, dill and peppercorns into a large glass jar.
- Mix 800ml cold water with the pickling liquid and pour into the jar.
- Cover and place in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
• You can store the pickled cucumber in the refrigerator for up to a month or two so long as you only use clean utensils.
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