00:08Hey guys, it's Yutof here from stachirecipes.com and today I'm going to show you how to make a
00:14refreshing Japanese cucumber pickle we call tsukemono. I'll be flavouring it with ginger
00:20and chilli for an extra kick and you can eat it after just an hour.
00:26Let's start with the ingredients. You will need 20 grams of fresh ginger, 1 dried chilli,
00:333 Japanese cucumbers, 2 teaspoons of salt, 2 tablespoons of sugar, 1 teaspoon of sushi vinegar
00:41or rice vinegar, 1 teaspoon of soy sauce and 1 teaspoon of sesame oil. So first we're going to
00:50prepare the cucumber. I've washed them in advance so next I'm just going to sprinkle a chopping board
00:57with salt and then roll the cucumber over it. The salt helps improve the taste of the cucumber
01:04and also makes little scratches on the surface so that it absorbs more flavour.
01:09Amusing free Japanese cucumbers. They're quite small and have less water than English cucumbers.
01:17They're perfect for pickles because they're very crunchy.
01:21You could also use mini cucumbers or Persian cucumbers too.
01:33Once you've done that, wash them off and set aside for later.
01:43Next I have my fresh ginger. I peeled it with a spoon and now I'm just cutting it into thin
01:50strips.
01:51I find it's easiest to cut it into slices first and then stack up the slices to cut it into
01:59thin strips.
02:06Then I have one dry chilli. I'm just going to remove the seeds so it's not too spicy,
02:12but this is optional. After that, just finely slice it.
02:27Now I'm going to smash the cucumbers a bit. This is a Chinese technique that creates a variety of
02:34textures within the cucumber. Some parts are crunchy, some parts become tender.
02:40It really makes a simple cucumber more interesting. Not only that, but it again helps absorb the flavour.
02:48I'm using a thick glass tankard, but you can use a rolling pin or something else heavy like
02:54wine bottle. Don't completely crush it, just a bit.
03:01Once you're done, remove the ends and cut the cucumber into bite-sized chunks.
03:20Transfer the chunks to a Ziploc bag with a ginger and chilli.
03:28Now we're going to add a few things to help it pickle. So I have two tablespoons of sugar,
03:36one teaspoon of salt, one teaspoon of sushi vinegar, but you can just use rice vinegar instead if you like,
03:42a teaspoon of soy sauce and a drizzle of sesame oil.
03:52Shake it around and massage the bag to help mix up the flavours and coat all the cucumber pieces.
04:04Finally, seal the bag and leave it in the fridge. You can eat them in about an hour, but for
04:10a more
04:11intense flavour, I recommend leaving them overnight.
04:19And there you have it, delicious, crunchy and refreshing Japanese cucumber pickles with ginger and chilli.
04:27Thank you so much for watching. If you enjoyed this recipe, don't forget to like and subscribe to my channel
04:33for more tasty Japanese recipes.
04:34Thank you, Ken.
