Quick Japanese Pickled Onions (Ramen Style)

Name: Quick Japanese Pickled Onions (Ramen Style)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 15 min
Yield: 1 servings
Cuisine: japanese
Ingredients: 100 ml Rice vinegar; 100 ml Water; 1.5 tbsp Sugar; 1 tsp Salt; 1 tsp Soy sauce; 1 piece Red onion (very thinly sliced); 1 piece Kombu; a few slices Ginger (sliced); 1 tsp Sesame seeds

Bright, crunchy, slightly sweet and salty — these Japanese-style pickled red onions are the perfect topping for ramen, Japanese curry, karaage, or rice bowls. The combination of rice vinegar, soy sauce, kombu and ginger gives them a deep umami character that's miles away from heavy Western-style pickled onions.

Prep Time10 min

Cook Time5 min

Total Time15 min

Servings1

Difficultyeasy

Cuisinejapanese

Instructions

1
Slice the red onion very thinly — ideally with a mandoline for uniform, paper-thin slices.
Tip: Uniform slices give the best crunch and absorb the pickling liquid most evenly.
2
Put the sliced onion into a clean jar.
3
Mix the pickling liquid — combine rice vinegar, water, sugar, salt, and soy sauce in a small saucepan.
4
Heat gently until the sugar and salt dissolve completely. Don't boil hard.
Tip: You just want everything dissolved and warm, not actively boiling.
5
Pour the warm pickling liquid over the onions in the jar.
6
Add the kombu and ginger slices to the jar.
7
Let cool to room temperature, then refrigerate.
Tip: Already good after 30–60 minutes, but much better after an overnight rest. Keeps 1–2 weeks in the fridge.