ASIAN PICKLED CUCUMBERS

1 pound pickling cucumbers
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
4 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon chili oil
1/3 cup red rice vinegar
1 teaspoon ground Szechuan peppercorns

Julienne the cucumbers. Place in a colander and sprinkle with the salt. Let the cucumbers sit for 15 minutes. Remove from the colander and pat dry with paper towels. Arrange the cucumbers in a shallow glass baking dish.

While desalting the cucumbers, whisk together the remaining ingredients.

Lay the cucumbers out on a shallow glass baking dish. Pour the pickling mixture over. Cover and refrigerate overnight

Serves 4