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I am frequently flattered by reader contacts from all over the globe, requesting my posting of their nostalgic recipes. Requests fall into three categories. Foods I have never heard of and have no clue. Foods with which I am quite familiar and pencil on my posting list. And, foods I know about but have never made and need to thoroughly investigate and experiment with. Melina, a young Iranian lady living in Norway, requested that I post a recipe for shouri, vegetables pickled in brine, Persian style, which I was more than happy to experiment to create a worthy recipe.
Persians love their shouri, especially khiyar shour (cucumbers pickled in brine)! Side-by-side with torshi and sabzi khordan, it is always served at festive tables, and desired at family lunch/dinner tables. We cannot think of sandwiches without a slice or two of khiyar shour. And of course, Olivier salad is not Olivier salad without it.
What is supposed to be a very simple recipe (just a few ingredients) is what many home-cooks strive to come-up with, a perfect khiyar shour. Canned and bottled ones are available at Persian/Mediterranean markets, a taste which is almost impossible to achieve homemade. In addition to what is already present in vinegar[1], manufacturers add more acetic acid liquid for pickling. I really don’t know what the extra acetic acid does to the pickling taste, I did not use it. To go all naturellé, I resorted to cyber-space information. The ratio of water/salt/vinegar was widespread, and in my opinion, too salty in every case. Consequently, I made several batches with dill, with tarragon, less salt, more vinegar, etc. This recipe is the outcome and I think I have something good here.
[1] Vinegar is typically 4-18% acetic acid by mass. Vinegar is used directly as a condiment in the pickling of vegetables and other foods. Table vinegar tends to be more diluted (4% to 8% acetic acid), while commercial food pickling employs solutions that are more concentrated. The amount of acetic acid used as vinegar on a worldwide scale is not large but is by far the oldest and best-known application.
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Persian Cucumbers in Brine | Khiyar Shour خیار شور
Recipe by: Fae’s Twist & Tango (fae-magazine.com)
INGREDIENTS
These ingredients are to fill an 8 cup (1.8 liters) glass jar
• 800 gr / 1¾ lbs Persian cucumbers – thinner, smaller the better (Persian midget-cucumbers are best) – use fresh/new cucumbers or the effort is not worth it
• 6 sprigs – fresh and fully-leaved tarragon (preferred) or dill weed
• 4 medium-sized garlic cloves
• 2 fresh, small Serrano, jalapeño or any similar hot peppers – poked in a few places by tip of a knife
• ½ tsp coriander seeds (optional)
• 1 large bay leaf
• 1 liter / 4½ cups, boiled water
• 2½ Tbsp salt
• ½ cup apple cider vinegar
DIRECTIONS
◊ Sterilize clean jar(s) by filling it/them with boiling water and let it/them sit for a while, empty, and let dry.
◊ To make brine: Pour 4½ cups boiling water into a heat-proof pitcher or bowl. Dissolve salt in it and let it cool completely to a room-temperature.
◊ In glass jar(s), arrange cucumbers tightly, also placing sprigs, garlic cloves, (coriander seeds), and hot peppers between the cucumbers.
◊ Pour brine into the jar. Stop, when it reaches 5cm / 2″ from the top (there may be some water left). Pour vinegar and place the bay leaf on top. If needed, pour remaining brine to completely cover cucumbers. Seal the jar and store at room-temperature in a dark, cool place (if no cupboard space available, cover the bottle(s) with a kitchen towel on the counter, away from heat). This is to protect from sunlight, to keep the color of the cucumber as green as possible. After 4 days (or 3 if the weather is warm), place jar(s) in the refrigerator. Pickles are ready to be enjoyed after 6~7 days, however, the longer they’re pickled, the tastier they get. Pickles store for a long time.
For mixed vegetables in brine (makhlut shour مخلوط شور): Same ratio of brine, sprigs, garlic, peppers, (coriander seeds), bay-leaf and vinegar may be used. Vegetables to be cut into bite-size, i.e., carrots, celery, cauliflowers. I recommend not slicing the cucumbers but inserting in whole form in the midst of the cut vegetables and sliced when using. Also, keep small vegetables such as tiny pearl onions, cucamelons, baby watermelons, baby cantaloupes/melons in their whole shape (check-out → My Mother’s Farm).
~ ! نوش جان • Noushe jan! ~
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So, what’s cooking in your kitchen?
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Very yum.. Love the apple cider. I do this with carrots.
Will try this soon. Came via WP reader. Great blog
Thank you Srividhya, When you do make it, please let me know how you like it, and maybe even e-mail me a photo.
I’m the only one in my family who likes cucumbers. I didn’t know there was such a thing like a Persian cucumber! A must try!!! I always learn something new from you, Fae! Thank you!
You are too kind, dear Francesca. Persian cucumbers are the best tasting cucumbers with full of fragrance. They have the least seeds and very crunchy. Also, perfect for pickling. Seeds were brought from Iran and being farmed in Mexico for U.S. use and also some grown in California (I don’t know if they are planted elsewhere now). Your family may change their mind about cucumber, once they taste Persian cucumbers.
I am amazed at all the effort you take and research you do behind each of your posts Fae.Truly impressive
Thank you SKD. We have readers from all over the world. We want to present them with the best of what we know and are able to.
And you are doing an excellent job.I am so proud to be a part of your community ☺
How did I miss this wonderful recipe and explanation of Persian cucumbers in brine? They sound really delicious Fae. I’m following you, but for some reason. You do not pop up on my Reader, so I apologize for missing this dear Fae.
No worries, dear Loretta. When you don’t get the posts from blogs you follow in your Reader, refresh the following button (click ‘unfollow’ and ‘follow’ again). Thank you for noticing and visiting. These pickles in brine are pretty good.
How odd, that’s exactly what I did last night Fae, so let’s hope you now appear in my reader. I’d hate to miss some of the unique dishes you post.
This is such a good recipe. I will be giving it a go. Next time I go to the Lebanese supermarket here in London I will see if they have any Persian cucumbers. How long do you think it will keep in the fridge?
We are still enjoying the pickles from 3 weeks ago. Still very crunchy. I purposely kept a few cucumbers untouched, to see how long they can be enjoyed with good taste and crunchiness.
I absolutely love how you display your recipes. They are very appealing to the eye. Great recipe!
Thank you very much.
آنها همیشه بهترین، با تشکر از شما برای به اشتراک گذاری آن
Hello dear Mihran, I am not all that educated in reading/writing Farsi.
I try though. 😀 ))) I appreciate English when it comes to reading/writing. Thank you very much for your kind comment. 
Good Afternoon Dear Fae – Please allow me to thank you for sharing always for such delicious from you culture dishes – I will do so of having comments in English!!
Love the photo of your three jars of beautiful pickles. I enjoy fresh pickles and yours sound wonderful.
Thank you, Karen! I am enjoying the pickles now and my husband loves them too.
I really love the idea of these pickled cucumbers Fae – bookmarked for the coming weeks!
Let me know how you like it.
Your pics make me hungry, they look so delightful. I’m not sure though if I would be able to do this recipe. Thanks anyway.
Why not? It cannot be any simpler.
I’ll need to try this! The mixed veggies look really good!
Thank you, Nancy. Please give it a try.
Yummy & healthy! Pretty too~
Thank you…
Looks very interesting. In India, most pickling involves oil and chilli powder with a few exceptions like fresh green pepper in brine or then gooseberries in brine.
Oh, I love Indian pickling. Each cuisine has pickling that goes so well with its flavorings of dishes. Is/are Indian brine(s) similar to what this recipe is?
So glad to find this recipe!
Oh, I’m glad!
This is absolutely gorgeous, Fae
In Arabic we call them also Khiar. Always served on the table with khobz. Love this post!
Thank you, Linda. Do you have a similar pickles in Algerian cuisine?
Yes, we have Fae. We have turnips, long green peppers and green chili peppers also
This is just fabulous!!
Thank you! It really is very refreshing!
My mouth salivating… Fae! 😀 They look so tasty! Hope, they crunchy as well? 😉 yum yum!
Yum, yum yes! They are crunchy! 😀 )))
In Israel we use the same cucumbers but the flavor is completely different, as they are pickled without vinegar (salt only), dill, jalapeno and garlic. I love the idea of tarragon here! Will give it a try next time I’ll find nice cucumbers.
Ronit, I know all about the most delicious Israeli pickles… had them both in Israel and I buy them here from our Persian market. Should you make this recipe with tarragon, please let me know what you think. Make a small batch with vinegar too.
Israelis are indeed very fond of pickles – and with so many immigrants from all over the world, the selection is huge. I can find the commercial ones at some stores here in NY, and others I bring with me when I go to visit.
I will definitely try your version, as I love tarragon and never tried in it pickles. I just hope to find suitable cucumbers – the ones I find now at the store are really not the best. Guess I’ll have to wait until farmers’ market starts.
Fae, this recipe looks really good and even though I seldom pickle I think I’ll try this one. I like the added tarragon. Thank you.
Hello dear Gerlinde, Thank you for stopping by and leaving a lovely comment. I briefly visited your beautiful blog and would love to explore more. We are both foreign-born, who made California our home. As for this recipe, I found tarragon being very refreshing. Please do give it a try, and let me know how you like it.
I love pickling vegetables and always, always had torshi or some form of pickle on my table. I like the proportions of your recipe and this summer when I have some nice vegetables I will make this. Saved.
It is lovely that you always have torshi or some form of pickles on your table. The proportions I found through search engines were extremely salty… at least for my taste-buds. Thank you for the input, I also think this recipe has enough salt for the craving and it complements any dishes served with.
I’m not a pickle fan in general, but I did try a sour cherry jam once, made by a Persian kitchen, which I adored. I haven’t seen a recipe that looks quite right yet. Just wondered if you’ve ever tried this?
Hello Vinny! Unfortunately, I have not seen fresh sour cherries in my neighborhood to even give it a thought. If I do, I will make sour cherry rice with fresh sour cherries and I shall also look into making preserves with it. I will alert you if I get lucky.
What a fun recipe for preserving cucumbers!
Yes, it is smart to have a jar in the fridge handy for when sandwiches are desired.
First of all, Fae, your photos are gorgeous…especially with the red lidded jars.
Second…these sound delicious! Love the use of tarragon…so unexpected from the usual dill. I’ve only pickled cucumbers and peppers in the past…thanks for encouraging me to branch out a bit!
Thank you a bunch, dear Nancy. Tarragon gives a refreshing flavor, which also leaves your mouth refreshed.
In no time, we will have the best seasonal vegetables to pickle at their best.
Oh how I love pickled cucumbers! They are important in Russian cuisine as well. I usually ferment my pickles (no vinegar, no sterilizing, and they keep for ever… I’ve still got a few left in an open jar in the fridge from a batch I made last September), or quick-pickle them if I want to be able to eat them the next day (but that version doesn’t keep more than a few days). My seasonings are very similar to those you use, but I have yet to try a version calling for vinegar; apple cider vinegar is my favorite, I bet I would love your version.
Thank you for mentioning the pickles you made last September. I visited your post to remember our comment-exchange and see what I have learned since. After reading many recipes and commentaries, I found that if hot brine is poured on the vegetables (which my Mom use to do too) makes the vegetables softer. If the brine is poured at room temperature, the vegetables, especially cucumbers pickle crunchy. This is a matter of preference. I do recommend trying with vinegar next time. It does not make the pickle sour at all. It compliments the saltiness and adds flavor to the brine.
Looks delicious Fae – I have done some pickling over the years but really appreciate such a well-tested recipe like yours – thanks
Thank you. Since I knew exactly how it was suppose to taste, I could do the experiment. It is not exactly how the store bought ones taste, but very comparable good tasting and crunchy.
Thank you so much Fae.
You’ve helped me so much with your recipes and learned me so many things trough your blog.
Thank you for posting this for me and for inspiring me everyday with your posts <3
A lot of kisses and hugs to you my dear. Can't wait till your next post <3
Hello dear Melina, Thank you for requesting this recipe, and I hope it would be to your liking. I’m glad that you are enjoying my posts. It is comments like this that gives me more energy to bring good recipes to my readers.
I hope it is not as cold in Norway as people of East Coast States of USA are experiencing. I wish you all the success in this new year and years beyond. Keep in touch! <3
Thanks dear and i wish the same for you.
I’m glad we finally have a snow free year.. I can go to work without shoveling around the house and car for an hour just to get out the house… it has only snowed 3-4 times in the city I live in, so it’s very unusual for us….but there has been much storm. Its sad to hear what is happening over there, it must be especially difficult since they are not used to that kind of weather, like we are in Norway. My thoughts are with them and I hope it soon will be over.
I have pickled lots of different fruits and veg, but for some bizarre reason, never cucumbers. These are now on my todo list. Thanks Fae, I’m sure they’ll be delicious
Oh, I’m sure, and I have to learn from you. Should you try this recipe, please comment your thoughts about the taste.