Make Two-Ingredient Quick Pickles With Seasoned Rice Vinegar
While I respect people who crave total control over their seasonings, I have a short lifestyle that pre-seasoned ingredients allow me to do. Unsurprisingly, this includes flavored rice vinegar , one of my favorite pantry secret weapons.
Flavored rice vinegar is so good that I don’t understand why anyone who doesn’t keep track of their sugar consumption is buying an unflavored product. It has the perfect balance of sweetness and salt that complements the characteristic flavor of rice vinegar and goes well with everything . I use it all year round, but I use it in the summer when fresh produce is at its peak: zucchini, tomatoes, radishes, cucumbers, sweet corn, melon, peaches and cherries are delicious on their own, but they are even better with a little sweet and savory vinegar.
My favorite app is quick pickles. Like “two ingredients and 10 minutes” quickly. Cut literally any vegetable into thin slices, drizzle with seasoned rice vinegar and let sit for about 10 minutes to release some moisture. Stir again, try and add more vinegar or a pinch of salt if you feel like it. That’s all.
You can use marinating as you like by adjusting the amount of vinegar in the cooked dish: use less to get more pickle flavor, and use more to get the full flavor of the marinade. To show you what I mean, here are two of my favorite ways to quickly make rice vinegar pickles, one from each end of the marinade spectrum.
The perfect pickled cucumber salad
Cut 2 large cucumbers into thin slices and place in a shallow bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of seasoned rice vinegar; cast to cover. After a 10 minute rest, taste and adjust the seasonings. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
If desired, drizzle toasted sesame oil and a large pile of thinly sliced onions or cilantro over the cucumbers just before serving. This salad goes well with anything, but it could almost be eaten with cold peanut noodles .
Quick pickled hot peppers
Cut 3-4 jalapenos (or 6-8 serranos) into 1/4 inch circles and place in a jar with a tight-fitting lid. Add enough seasoned rice vinegar to coat the pepper about halfway. Close the lid, shake to spread the vinegar, and leave at room temperature for 10 minutes. Try and tweak the seasonings. You can eat them right away, but these sweet-spicy aroma bombs last almost indefinitely in the refrigerator and only get better over time.