quick pickled cukes + radish

bonus: your cucumbers will soon turn a faint millennial pink.

meet your new favorite topping for fried rice bowls, egg noodles or ramen, salads, or a plate of zesty yogurt and fried paprika chickpeas: quick pickled cucumbers and radish. these are not actually pickles in the traditional sense and I don’t want you to use a classic pickling and canning process to make these salty and sweet little umami delights. I want you to make these and eat them as soon as 30 minutes after - and for the next week -  watching them deepen in flavor and develop in texture over time.

WHAT YOU NEED
1 tsp Soy sauce
1 tsp Salt 
3 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp Toasted sesame oil
2 generic cucumbers or 4 English cucumbers
4-6 small radishes, washed, greens removed
1 tbsp of ume plum vinegar**

**If you have access to getting a bottle of this, I really recommend you invest in keeping this ingredient on your shelf and starting to play around with it. Apple cider vinegar or extra rice vinegar is a good substitute too. 

HOW TO

STEP 1

Cut off unwanted ends of both the cucumbers and radish. Slice both veg as thinly as you can into rounds, working your way across the width of your cucumber or radish.

STEP 2

Add both veggies to the bowl and then add the vinegar, oil, salt, and soy sauce. Toss generously with your big spoon or tongs until the radish and cucumbers are coated. Salt further to taste and make any adjustments you like to the vinegars and sesame oil after allowing it to set for about 5 minutes.

STEP 3

Seal the bowl and place it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes while the veggies marinate. The longer it sits, the softer the veg will become and the more the color from the radishes will transfer over to the cucumbers, turning them a light pink hue. After 30 minutes, serve them as a side dish on their own or as a topping on tacos, rice bowls, and noddles, etc. Or just eat them out of the bowl as a midday snack.

NOTES

• You can swap out the radish or cucumbers and instead make an all-radish or all-cucumber dish depending on what you have available and what excites you.

• Get creative with your vinegars. Substitute one tablespoon of rice vinegar for something like Ponzu or the Ume Plum vinegar this calls for if you have it on hand or are experimenting with new ingredients.

• Save your radish greens for an excellent add-in to any stir fry including rice bowls, a chopped salad, or use it as an omelette filling.