Spicy Egyptian Cucumber Pickles

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These super-quick spicy Egyptian no-cook refrigerator pickles are so easy! I usually make this recipe along with homemade hawawshi meat-stuffed sandwiches or molokhia with chicken. These refrigerator pickles are unpasteurized, so they need to be stored in the fridge and eaten within 2 weeks. Pasteurized pickled cucumbers that have a long shelf life are more involved to make and have a longer pickling time. If you want your pickles NOW, make this recipe.

What I Love About This Recipe

Every time I make a batch of these Egyptian pickles or Middle Eastern turnips, they are completely gone within a couple of days. A few other things I like about these no-cook refrigerator pickles:

Use a few ingredients
Take 5 minutes
Ready to eat in 3 hours

Ingredients

Cucumbers: Use Persian cucumbers or English cucumbers. I do not recommend using any cucumbers with thick skin.
Garlic: I use fresh garlic for this spicy pickled Persian cucumber recipe.
Sugar: Any type of sugar will work for this recipe. Sugar balances out the salt and vinegar.
Salt: I use pink Himalayan salt, sea salt, or iodized salt for this recipe.
Chili Pepper: If you want more spice, I recommend using fresh chili peppers. Remove the stem and slice them thinly. Dried red pepper flakes are a substitute for fresh chilis.
White Vinegar: I use white distilled vinegar. I have not tried making this recipe with any other type of vinegar.
Boiling Water: This recipe calls for boiled water.

How To Make Egyptian Pickles

Wash and slice the cucumbers diagonally.

sliced garlic, salt, sugar, and spicy pepper in a bowl

Slice the garlic cloves and fresh chili (if using). In a bowl, mix the salt, sugar, garlic cloves, and chili pepper.

add the sliced spicy pepper and garlic to the kheyar

Add the sliced garlic and spicy pepper mixture to the sliced cucumbers.

pour the boiling water on top of the cucumbers (kheyar)

Boil the water. Add the boiling water to the sliced cucumbers. Add the vinegar.

Mix well. Submerge the cucumbers with the boiling water and vinegar mixture.

side view of the spicy Egyptian pickles before going in the fridge

Cover and place in the fridge for a minimum of 3 hours. The cucumbers will change colors from a bright green to a dull green.

Tips and Tricks

Make ahead. These spicy pickles are relatively fast to make, however, they need a bit of time to be ready. Make sure you make these at least 3 hours ahead or preferably overnight.
Use Persian cucumbers. The best cucumbers for this recipe are Persian cucumbers, because they are a little sweet, crunchy, and have a thin outer skin. An alternate for Persian cucumbers is English cucumbers. Other cucumbers may work, however, the texture will be different.
Add the fresh garlic. I really like the added flavor of the fresh garlic in this recipe. It's subtle but really nice.
Use one fresh chili per 1 lb (0.5 kg) of cucumbers. To make these refrigerator pickles spicier, double the chili amount. If you don't want any spice whatsoever at all, then omit the chili pepper flakes and fresh red chilis entirely.

Storage

Store these Egyptian cucumber pickles in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

FAQS

What is a pickle?

A pickle is a cucumber preserved in vinegar or brine liquid. Pickling is the process by which food has been preserved through brine or vinegar.

Do non-preserved pickles need to be refrigerated?

Yes, non-preserved and unpasteurized pickled must be refrigerated.

How long do refrigerator pickles last?

Refrigerator pickles last for up to two weeks in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

Serve Egyptian Pickles With

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