Pickle in a Cup is the simplest recipe in Mung's cookbook, and was in fact the first thing he, and probably every other chef, learned. While Chowder and Mung were looking for a suitable recipe for Chowder to make on his own, Chowder finds a very complex recipe very unsuitable for him. Mung suggests he should try making Pickle in a Cup instead. It is probably the shortest and easiest recipe in the book.