Chinese Pickled Cucumbers (酱黄瓜)

By RoketJSquerl

Ingredients

• 3 English/hothouse cucumbers (best to use seedless cucumber for this)
• 3 teaspoons sugar, divided
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
• 1 tablespoon dark Chinese vinegar
• 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon dark soy sauce
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 cloves garlic, smashed
• 3 dried chili peppers (de-seeded), optional

Details

Adapted from thewoksoflife.com

Preparation

Step 1

Instructions
Rinse off the cucumbers and wipe them dry. Trim off both ends, and cut each cucumber into 4 equal sections. Cut each section into 6 equal-sized strips. Transfer to a bowl and add ½ teaspoon sugar and 1 teaspoon salt. Toss, cover, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
At the same time, make the sauce by combining 2 ½ teaspoons sugar, ½ teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon dark Chinese vinegar, 2 tablespoons light soy sauce, ¼ teaspoon dark soy sauce, 2 bay leaves, 4 cloves of garlic, and the chili peppers. Stir and make sure the sugar and salt are completed dissolved.
Once the cucumber has marinated for 1 hour in the fridge, dump out the liquid from the bowl they were sitting in. You should be able to get rid of at least ¼ cup of liquid. Now add the prepared sauce, and mix everything well. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator overnight. The cucumbers should be ready to serve the next morning with a hot bowl of congee!