These Quick Pickles Will Brighten Your Day

Or at the very least your sandwich

Photo: Brett Stevens/Cultura/Getty Images

Here, two crazes — canning and Korean food — collide. The result is an easily made pickle that requires neither fancy equipment nor difficult-to-procure ingredients. The balance of sweet and salty makes this a perfectly satisfying snack or a tantalizing appetizer. For the best results, please plan ahead: These pickles are technically ready in 45 minutes, but they benefit greatly from marinating for at least several hours in the refrigerator.

Korean-Style Quickles

Ingredients

• 1½ pounds cucumbers
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup or other sweetener
• 1 teaspoon red chile flakes, or more to taste
• 1½ teaspoon salt

Instructions

1. Peel the cucumbers if the skins are thick or waxed and cut them into 2- or 3-inch spears or crosswise into rounds about ½ inch thick.
2. Put the sesame seeds in a large, nonreactive pot over medium-high heat. Cook, shaking the pot nearly constantly until they’re fragrant and begin to darken a little, 1 or 2 minutes. Remove them from the pot.