Kyuri no Asazuke is Japanese Pickled Cucumber and it is a classic side dish In Japan! I bet you can’t stop eating after you know how to make these tasty Japanese style pickles.
Japanese Pickled Cucumber is so simple to make! In Japan, we call it “Kyuri-no-asa-zuke” and this is one of ‘Tsukemono’. They have a very fresh and light flavor which makes them a great snack or side dish for any meal. My grandmother used to make these and they were always the first thing finished at our family dinner table.
Tsukemono – A type of food made by marinating in salt, vinegar, or sake.
What are Japanese Cucumber Pickles (Kyuri no Asazuke)
Asazuke is pickles made by pickling vegetables such as cucumbers, radishes, and eggplants in a seasoning for a short period of time.
The Ingredients for Cucumber Pickles (Kyuri no Asazuke)
Japanese Pickled Cucumbers are so simple to make. You just need 5 ingredients including cucumbers!
Ingredients for Pickled Cucumber
- cucumber
- salt
- dashi powder
- sesame oil
- soy sauce
These ingredients are often used for Japanese cooking so if you don’t have some, they are definitely worth buying! Good news, all of these ingredients are available on Amazon or you can easily find them at any Asian grocery stores in the states.
How to Make Japanese Cucumber Pickles
This is super easy to make! The printable recipe is below this article but here are the steps!
- Cut both sides of a cucumber and then cut into chunks randomly
- Then in a bowl, add the cut cucumbers and salt – this is shio momi (塩もみ)
- Remove water that came out from the cucumbers
- In a Ziploc, add the cucumbers, dashi powder, sesame oil, and soy sauce
- Put the Ziploc to your fridge for 30 minutes
- After 30 minutes you can eat!
Q&A : Why Do I Need to Cover with Salt (塩もみ : Shio Momi)?
Shio means salt and momi means knead. But the meaning is cover with salt and mix or roll the cucumber. Some people skip this but this is an important step.
- To prevent food from becoming soggy
- To make it easier for the cucumber to soak in the flavor
- To eliminate the grassy odd smell of cucumbers
- To soften the cucumber
Cucumbers are approximately 95% water. The moisture in the cucumber can interfere with other ingredients deliciousness. The salt rubbing of the cucumbers is the preparation that is done to remove the moisture from the cucumbers and not spoil the taste of the dish.
After Shio Momi, you don’t need to wash the cucumbers!
Q&A : Which Kind of Cucumber Do I Have to Use for Pickles
I recommend using Japanese Cucumber if you have access to an Asian grocery store. They are sweeter than regular cucumbers and don’t have as many seeds. If you can’t find Japanese Cucumbers, then I recommend Persian. They are a little pricey compared to other types but they’re never bitter and are great for Japanese Pickled Cucumbers! Persian cucumbers are usually sold in packs.
Similar Recipes to Japanese Cucumber Pickles on Oishi Book
- Spinach Namul Recipe (ほうれん草のナムル)
- Butter Sautéed Mushrooms and Cherry Tomatoes
- Japanese Sweet Rolled Omelet (厚焼き玉子)
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Homemade Japanese Pickled Cucumber Recipe ( きゅうりの浅漬け)
Ingredients
Instructions
- Cut 0.4 inches (1cm) both sides of cucumber. Then, cut the cucumber into bite size chunks.
- Move the cucumber to a medium bowl, and add salt. Lightly mix the cucumber and salt. Leave it for 5 minutes at room temperature.
- After 5 minutes, remove the water from the bowl and pat the cucumber with paper towel.
- Move the cucumbers into a Ziploc.
- Add dashi powder, sesame oil, soy sauce, white sesame seeds.
- Rub the cucumbers and the mixture in the Ziploc to make sure everything mixed together well. Put the bag in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
- Let's serve!
Super easy side dish! I added Korean seaweeds too.
Korean seaweeds are good choice! Thank you for commenting!!
It was super easy to make and I loved it 🙂
Thank you! I love easy food and I am glad you liked it!!
do I need to wash after covering salt
No, you don’t need to! If you want the cucumber less salty, then you can wash out but salt is one of the ingredients that makes this cucumber tasty 🙂
OMG it was easy to make and I snack on it
Thank you!!
Summer side dish! Super good
Thank you! It is really good 🙂