Summer Idea #2: Quick-Pickled Cucumbers

"I have a cucumber craving," I announced to my mom, completely out of the blue.

[...]

If you were expecting a story to come out of that first sentence, don't get your hopes up.

Basically, I got the cucumbers.

And I ate them.

What you will get, however, is a quick, no-cook recipe for pickled cucumbers! It's not the same kind of pickling in the sense that pregnant moms will crave these with vanilla ice cream, but it's pretty darn tasty, especially on a hot summer day.

(It's so hot that I can actually feel the hairs on my arm dry up immediately after stepping out from the shower. At least that means that it's not too humid today.)

I should warn you beforehand though: I forgot to measure out the ingredients when I was making this, since it's my mom's 'recipe' and she never uses instructions. Alas, I will try my best to approximate the amounts, but it's pretty easy to just make these cucumbers to taste.

INGREDIENTS
-1 English cucumber
-dark rice vinegar
-sesame oil *
-salt, to taste
-pinch of sugar

*I used spicy sesame oil, but it ended up being too spicy, even though I've been building up a spice (rather than alcohol) tolerance my whole life.

Slice the cucumber in half, length-wise, and then cut each half into small half-moons, slicing at a diagonal angle (although honestly, that's optional. It's just how my parents always do it, so I did that as well).

Place all the cucumber slices into a large bowl, and add salt. (I'm guessing that this is about a ½ tsp? Maybe ¾ tsp?)

Cover the cucumbers with a plate and place a weight (aka cup) on top of the plate, so that some excess water will drain out of the cucumbers. This will give them a nice crunch. Let the cucumbers drain for at least 30 minutes.

Then, uncover the cucumbers and add in the dark rice vinegar. Don't add too much at a time, and be careful when pouring, since I know that I tend to have the bad luck of seeing the liquid all pour out at once. I estimate that I used approximately 1 tsp, or slightly more, but finish adding in the rest of the ingredients before adding in more vinegar.

Then add in some sesame oil (approximately 1 tsp). Give it all a shake. ;)

Add in a pinch of sugar, and perhaps a bit more if the cucumbers taste too vinegar-y. Mix, and taste. (Add more dark rice vinegar or sugar if necessary.)

Eat! To beat the heat! (Sorry- couldn't resist the rhyming there.) In any case, hope you enjoy!