Brilio.net - Pickled cucumber is a fresh and crunchy side dish. The combination of the appetizing sour taste and crunchy texture of cucumber makes it the perfect complement to various dishes, such as fried rice, satay or chicken noodles. For some people, adding pickled cucumber can even increase their appetite . It's not surprising that a number of people stock pickled cucumbers.
Making pickled cucumbers is basically quite easy. You just mix the cucumber with vinegar, then soak it for several days. But who would have thought, quite a few people would still fail to make pickled cucumbers. One problem lies in the texture of cucumbers which easily become soft when stored.
Basically, the fermentation process and soaking in vinegar often causes cucumbers to lose their crunchy texture. This phenomenon not only changes the texture, but can also affect the overall taste of the pickle. But no need to worry, there is a trick you can do to overcome this.
A chef named Aaron Laksana once shared a trick for making pickled cucumbers so they don't get soft easily or remain crunchy when stored. Through his personal Instagram account, this cook and content creator admitted that he added one kitchen spice.
Reported by BrilioFood from the Instagram account @aaron_laksana on Tuesday (23/7), the kitchen spice in question is salt. He admitted that salt can help remove excess water content in cucumbers. The reason is, this water content can make pickled cucumbers easily soft when stored.
photo: Instagram/@aaron_laksana
To make the process clearer, just prepare a cucumber that has been cut into small pieces. Don't forget, wash and discard the contents of the cucumber. After that, place it in a large container.
photo: Instagram/@aaron_laksana
Next, sprinkle enough salt over the entire surface of the cucumber. If so, stir in the cucumber and salt while squeezing. Continue doing this process until the cucumber releases water.
"This is what makes our pickles crispy and the cucumbers remain green," said Chef Aaron Laksana.
photo: Instagram/@aaron_laksana
When the water has drained, rinse the cucumber and wash until clean. After that, transfer it again to a clean container. Then add other ingredients such as sliced carrots, sliced shallots, cayenne pepper, granulated sugar and vinegar. Then stir well until the sugar dissolves.
The final step, add a little water. After that, transfer the pickles to an airtight container and put them in the refrigerator. According to Chef Aaron Laksana, pickled cucumbers made this way will not get soft and will last up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator, you know.
"Well, if it's like this, it's guaranteed that your cucumber pickles will still be crispy and delicious," he said further.
photo: Instagram/@aaron_laksana
Having been watched more than 3 million times, this video about tricks for making pickles immediately caught the attention of netizens. In fact, quite a few claim to be interested in applying this trick directly. On the other hand, there are also netizens who provide suggestions for making pickled cucumbers to make them tastier.
"I like making this, but I've never cooked cucumber. "Chef, thank you for sharing your knowledge," explained Instagram @darmilah_14.
"Wow, great... I really like pickles, but I usually just mix all the ingredients together, next try the chef's method," said Instagram @rinnie.yanita.
"It's been more than 20 years since my mother made pickles like the video. If you want them to last, put them in a tightly closed container in the refrigerator," wrote the Instagram account @imanfirmansyah753.
"Try melting the sugar beforehand... It tastes better," said Instagram @rie_ta88.
"Thanks for the tip Chef... Additionally, if I like adding more sweet pineapple, try it, the aroma is beautiful," commented the Instagram account @ummihabib_sysyathirah_alaydrus.