Quick Pickles
Ingredients:
- persian cucumbers, cut into spears >=1 lb
- vinegar (rice wine, apple cider) 1-2 cups
- water 1/4-3/4 cup
- honey or molasses 1/2-1 tbsp
- salt 1 tsp
- cilantro, coarsely chopped 1 tbsp
- peppercorns, whole 1 tsp
- The amount of water depends on the strength of the vinegar. For 5% vinegar use 2/3 cup water to 1 cup vinegar. With 4% vinegar the ratio is halfway between 1/3 and 1/2 cup water to 1 cup vinegar. Either case the result is ~3% strength.
- Put vinegar, water, honey, salt, herbs in large-enough pan and bring to boiling.
- Take off of heat. Put cucumber pieces in pan, stir. Make sure all of the cucumber is covered by the brine.
- Let pan cool down to room temperature.
- Store pickles in refrigerator. Will keep for a few weeks (and probably a lot longer) without difficulty.
- Cucumber pickles can be served immediately after prep.
Some pickles (like garlic) require a longer cure before eating. A few days in the fridge is probably sufficient. It also depends on thickness of the pieces. Thin slices or smaller chunks cure faster.
Note that many spices are good additions to the brine. Whole coriander, cumin, fenugreek, allspice, clove, juniper, mustard seed are fine choices. Also herb stems (parsley, cilantro, rosemary, etc.) give excellent flavor. Experiment to find what suits your taste.
About Thinair Recipes
Recipes developed with low-sodium diets in mind—so easy to use!
Here's a quick guide:
Recipes have one or more “boxed” ingredient lists grouped with step-by-step instructions, for example:
- garlic, chopped 3 cloves
- chicken stock 2 cups
- ...other ingredients...
- Saute garlic in oil until soft.
- Add chicken stock to pan...
- ...next step...
Ingredient boxes show what you'll need for the numbered steps. Not too complicated!
BTW “salt” in our recipes refers to salt substitute, i.e., potassium chloride, KCl. (Since KCl may not be healthy for some people, ask your doctor if it's OK for you to use it.)