Cucumber and Shallot Pickle

Iain Bagwell
Add this to the side of Thai Curry Chicken Wings, along with some jasmine rice and an ice-cold light lager.
How to Make It
1
The day before, cut up the vegetables and chill.
2
About half an hour before serving, take a break from curry-making to mix the cucumbers, shallots, and chiles in a deep bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together vinegar, sugar, and salt until sugar has dissolved.
3
Pour liquid over cucumbers and let pickle 15 minutes to 1 hour (they should be fresh and crunchy).
*Thai chiles are very hot; seed them for a milder pickle.
Ingredients
1 ¼ lbs pickling cucumbers (such as Kirby) or Persian cucumbers, quartered lengthwise and sliced 1⁄4 in. thick
1 ¼ cups thinly sliced shallots
10 fresh red or green Thai chiles*, thinly sliced crosswise
1 ¼ cups each distilled white vinegar and sugar
1 tbsp plus 1 tsp kosher salt