Sweet Soy-Pickled Cucumbers (Yan Xiao Huang Gua, 醃小黃瓜)

I like cookbooks that have photos of all the recipes – that way I can pick one that piques my appetite. However after making this dish, I’m not sure how any food stylist or photographer could make it look appealing! I guess there was a reason they left the photo out for this one :-).

They are basically sliced half-rounds of cucumber in a sweet soy-sauce brine with a touch of star anise. .. So they look like brown grubs… Maggots…but don’t let that turn you off! They are a very tasty condiment to go with your meal! Or a standalone as a snack!

I like to put them on top of soupy noodle dishes, or on meals to cut though the salt (when I put the ground meat sauce over rice it was a bit salty for my taste but the pickles can balance it out a little).

Sweet Soy-Pickled Cucumbers – adapted from the Food of Taiwan by Cathy Erway

Ingredients

• 1 cucumber
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• 1/8 cup dark soy sauce
• 1/8 cup water
• 2 tbp sugar
• 1/2 star anise

1. Trim and peel the cucumber, cut lengthwise, and slice into 1/2- inch pieces. In a large bowl, toss with salt and let sit 30 min-1 hour.
2. While the cucumber is sitting, combine vinegar, soy sauce, water, sugar, and anise in a small sauce-pan over med-high heat and bring to a boil. Stir to dissolve sugar. Let cool to room temp. Discard the star anise.
3. Rinse cucumbers under cold water and squeeze well to remove excess liquid.
4. Pour sauce mixture over the cucumbers in a bowl, and cover and refrigerate for as long as you are able. (Maybe 24 hours.)

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