This Japanese Pickled Cucumbers with Soy Sauce is a staple side dish in Japanese cuisine. A simple yet delicious way of serving cucumbers to accompany any meal! Pickled with ginger and chili for an extra kick.
Something I've been enjoying a ton this summer are cucumbers, they're in season so they have been so cheap! I love eating this crunchy vegetable as a snack dipped in hummus, chopped up in salads, sliced in sandwiches and my favourite: making Japanese Pickled Cucumbers in soy sauce! In Japanese, Pickled Cucumbers are called kyuri no tsukemono (きゅうりの漬物). Where kyuri = cucumbers and tsukemono = pickled. There are many ways to prepare Japanese pickles but today I'll be sharing my favourite way and method.
Ingredients to make Japanese Pickled Cucumbers with Soy Sauce
My grandma used to always make Japanese pickled cucumbers with ginger. She also would sometimes add a red chili to make Japanese spicy pickled cucumbers, so lately I have been loving adding in both these ingredients to add extra flavour. In total, all you need at 6 ingredients!
- Japanese cucumbers
- soy sauce
- rice vinegar
- sugar
- ginger
- red chili
How to make Japanese Pickled Cucumbers in Soy Sauce
There are many different ways of making Asian style pickled vegetables. The most common way is to just massage the cucumbers in salt and then throwing all the seasoning ingredients into a jar and letting that sit. There is also the method of quickly simmering the soy sauce seasoning and then pouring it onto the vegetables. The method I'll be sharing today was passed down from my grandma and it requires just an additional (but worth it) step: simmering the cucumbers in the soy sauce-ginger marinade for around 5 minutes.
What Other Vegetables can be used to make Japanese Tsukemono?
There are many other vegetables that can be made into tsukemono such as:
- daikon (Japanese radish)
- eggplant
- cabbage
- carrots
- broccoli stems
- lotus root
- zucchinis
Get creative and feel free to play around with your favourite vegetables!
How to Store Pickled Cucumbers
These Japanese pickled cucumbers should be stored in the fridge in an air tight container or jar for up to 10-12 days. I like to use these wide mouth mason jars! A tip to keep them from spoiling, use clean utensils to take a portion out so no bacteria starts to form.
And there you have it! An easy peasy homemade Japanese pickled cucumber recipe. Spicy, gingery and full of flavour. Enjoy as a side with some rice and use up those summer cucumbers while they last. I hope you try out making your own Japanese pickles and love it as much as I do!
More delicious side dishes to try:
If you recreate this Japanese Pickled Cucumber recipe let me know how you liked it by leaving a comment and rating below or by tagging me on Instagram @Okonomikitchen, I love seeing all of your tasty recreations!
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PrintJapanese Pickled Cucumbers |きゅうりの漬物
This Japanese Pickled Cucumbers with Soy Sauce is a simple yet delicious way of serving cucumbers to accompany any meal! Pickled with ginger and chili for an extra kick.
- Prep Time: 40 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 4 cups 1x
- Category: Sides
- Method: Pickling
- Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients
- 1 package of Japanese or Persian cucumbers (500g)
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 cup soy sauce (225g)
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar (40g)
- ½ cup + 2 tablespoon coconut sugar (130g)*
- 2 thumbs of ginger, sliced thinly (30g)
- 1 birds eye red chili pepper, sliced
Instructions
- Chop the cucumbers into ½ inch pieces. Transfer the cucumbers into a large bowl and coat with salt. Allow it to sit for 30 minutes.
- In the mean time, measure out the rest of the ingredients. Slice the red chili pepper and thinly slice the ginger.
- Drain the excess liquid that the cucumbers have released and pat dry with a lint-free towel or paper towel.
- Combine the soy sauce, vinegar, coconut sugar, ginger and chili pepper over medium heat and simmer until the sugar dissolves. Add in the cucumbers and bring the heat up to medium high. Allow the cucumbers to simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow it to cool at room temperature.
- Transfer pickled cucumbers into a large air tight jar and store in the fridge for up to 10-12 days.
Notes
- If using regular sugar, reduce to just ½ cup (100g) of sugar
- Storage: Keep refrigerated in an airtight container or mason jar for up to 10-12 days. I store mine in these sterile wide mouth mason jars.
- Nutritional Information Disclaimer: Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated on an online tool (Cronometer).
Nutrition
- Serving Size: ½ cup (100g)
- Calories: 30
- Sugar: 3g
- Sodium: 1500mg
- Fat: 0g
- Saturated Fat: 0g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 6g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 2g
- Cholesterol: 0g
Keywords: japanese pickled cucumber soy sauce
SAVE IT FOR LATER! ↓
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Bobbi says
Can you reuse the marinade for a second batch of soy sauce cucumbers. Your recipe delish! B.
Lisa Kitahara says
Hi Bobbi! Hmm, I've never tried to do that but I think the flavour would just be diluted. Let me know if you try though!
Mew says
Its my first time pickeling something and it was so much fun! I used normal sugar (100gr) and the regular cucumbers i could find at my local grocery store and they came out amazing!!
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JoeyJoJo says
Your ingredient list says "Rice Vinegar" but the linked product is "Seasoned Rice Vinegar" - which should I use?
Lisa Kitahara says
Updated! Thank you for catching that it's rice vinegar 🙂
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Cindy says
Do you keep the cucumbers in the marinade or remove them before refrigerating?
Lisa Kitahara says
I keep it in the marinade 🙂
Barbara says
What is “ 1 soy sauce “
I realize you’ve put the portion in grams, but could you clarify if this! One is in teaspoons, cups, or packets
Lisa Kitahara says
1 cup!