Quick-Pickled Sugar Snap Peas for Cold Noodles
These quick-pickled sugar snap peas stay snappy and bright, with a lightly sweet-sour brine that cuts through rich sesame or peanut-style cold noodles. A brief salt massage and a warm (not boiling) pickling liquid help the flavors move fast, so you get punchy, crunchy pickles in about 20 minutes—no canning, no fuss. Finish with sesame and chile if you like, and serve well-chilled alongside noodles, dumplings, or grilled fish.
- quick pickle
- side
- no-cook-ish
- asian-inspired
Ingredients
- •225 g sugar snap peas, strings removed, trimmed
- Quick brine
- •120 g rice vinegar
- •120 g water
- •25 g sugar
- •8 g kosher salt (about 1 1/2 tsp)
- Optional add-ins
- •1 small garlic clove, thinly sliced
- •2 g red pepper flakes (about 1 tsp) or 1 small fresh chile, thinly sliced
- •5 g toasted sesame seeds (about 2 tsp)
- •5 g toasted sesame oil (about 1 tsp), for finishing
Instructions
Prep
Remove any strings from the snap peas and trim the ends. If they’re large, split them lengthwise for more surface area.
Make the quick brine
In a small saucepan, combine the rice vinegar, water, sugar, and salt. Warm over medium heat, stirring, just until the sugar fully dissolves and the liquid is steaming-hot (don’t boil).
Pickle
Put the snap peas in a heatproof bowl or jar. Add the garlic and chile (if using). Pour the hot brine over the peas and press them down so they’re mostly submerged.
Let sit at room temperature 10 minutes, then chill 10–20 minutes, until the peas are cold and still very crisp. Taste: they should be bright, lightly sweet, and tangy; if you want more punch, let them sit another 10–15 minutes.
Serve
Drain lightly (or serve with a spoonful of brine). Toss with sesame seeds and a few drops of toasted sesame oil right before serving.
Tip: For maximum crunch, don’t over-soak—these are best within 2–3 hours. After that they’re still tasty, just less snappy.
Notes
Substitutions: White wine vinegar works in place of rice vinegar (reduce sugar to 20 g). Add-ins: thinly sliced ginger is excellent. Pairing: Great alongside sesame cold noodles, soba, or peanut noodles; also good tucked into lettuce wraps. Storage: Keep refrigerated up to 3 days; crunch is best day 1.