Japanese Pickled Cucumber on a Stick

1. Gather all the ingredients. Remember that soy sauce here is optional and up to your liking. I prefer a simple salt flavor while Mr. JOC likes soy sauce one.

To Make the Pickling Solution

1. Cut 1 piece kombu (dried kelp) into strips about ¼ inch (6 mm) wide. Discard the seeds from 1 dried red chili pepper and cut into thin rounds. Tip: If you‘d like to make a spicy version, keep the seeds.
2. In a small saucepan, add 1 Tbsp rice vinegar (unseasoned), 1 Tbsp sugar, 2 tsp soy sauce, and 2 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt.
3. Add ⅓ cup water, the kombu strips, and the chili pepper slices. Turn on the heat to medium.
4. Mix the pickling solution and let the sugar dissolve completely. Then, turn off the heat and set aside to cool.

To Prepare the Cucumbers

1. Peel 4 Japanese or Persian cucumbers to create a striped pattern. Cut off both ends. (Here, I use really long cucumbers, so I cut them in half.)
2. Sprinkle with 1 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt and rub the cucumbers with your hands. Set aside for 5 minutes.
3. Quickly rinse off the salt and pat dry with a clean towel or paper towel.

To Pickle the Cucumbers

1. Pour the cooled pickling solution into a resealable plastic bag. Add the cucumbers to the bag. Let them lightly pickled for 5–6 hours in the refrigerator. Tip: If you will not be around to take out the cucumbers after 5–6 hours (or prefer to pickle overnight), consider diluting the solution with water or reducing the salt to keep the cucumbers from becoming too salty.

To Serve

1. Remove from the plastic bag and skewer each cucumber onto a wooden chopstick. Insert the chopstick gently along the center of the cucumber and hold the cucumber straight so the chopstick doesn‘t poke out from the side. Tip: Skewer the cucumbers right before serving. You don‘t want to keep the chopstick inside the cucumber for too long as it will draw out the moisture and the cucumber will become loose.
2. Serve the Cucumbers on a Stick over ice cubes. They are delicious when they are well chilled!

To Store

1. Keep the cucumbers in an airtight container and store them in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Do not store them in the pickling solution. Insert a chopstick just prior to serving.