Stuffed Cucumber Kimchi

Stuffed cucumber kimchi (Oisobagi kimchi 오이소박이 김치) is crunchy, refreshing and spicy. I like to have it as a side dish with plain white rice and a sunny side up egg. It is best served fresh, while the cucumbers are still crunchy. Otherwise, it will keep well in the fridge for a week. Cucumber kimchi is a good example of a kimchi that doesn’t tastes better fresh than fermented for a few days.

Since this a Korean dish, you should be able to find all the ingredients at an Asian grocery store such as T&T or H-Mart supermarket in Canada.

Step 1

Wash the 2lbs of cucumbers and drain. Make pockets in the cucumbers by slicing them twice lengthwise at right angles. Stop cutting ½ inch from one end so that the cucumber quarters are still connected at one end.

Step 2

Put them in a big bowl. Sprinkle and gently massage 2 tablespoons of salt inside and out of the cucumbers. Let them rest for 10 minutes, then turn them over and let rest for another 10 minutes. This ensures that the cucumbers are evenly salted and helps draw out moisture from the cucumbers. Prepare the stuffing during this time.

Step 3

Rinse the cucumbers in cold water a couple of times to remove excess salt. Drain and set aside. Taste test a bit of the cucumber to ensure that you have thoroughly rinsed off the excess salt.

Step 4

With your hands, gently mix 1 cup of garlic chives, 2 cups of carrots, 5 garlic cloves, 2/3 cup of hot pepper flakes, 4 tablespoons fish sauce (optional), and 2 tablespoons of sugar in a large bowl. The hot pepper flakes will stain your hands red, so wear gloves.

Step 5

Continue to gently massage the ingredients until they vegetables release their moisture and become soft, about 5 minutes. The ingredients should lightly hold together as a seasoning paste.

Step 6

Rub the seasoning paste onto the outside of the cucumber. Then stuff the seasoning paste into the cucumber pockets. Cover the stuffed cucumbers with any leftover seasoning paste. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of sesame seeds on top.

Step 7

Serve immediately as a side dish for rice. Keep the leftovers in a sealed container or jar in the refrigerator. If you prefer it to be fermented a bit more, let the container sit at room temperature for a couple of days until it smells and tastes sour. Then put it into the fridge. Serve cold.

Stuffed Cucumber Kimchi

Ingredients

• 2 pounds (14-16 cucumbers) Persian Cucumbers (Can substitute with 4 English Cucumbers, each cut into 3 pieces to approximate the length of a Persian cucumber)
• 2 tablespoons non-iodized salt
• 1 cup garlic chives into 1-inch-long pieces
• 5 garlic cloves, minced finely
• 2 medium carrots, cut into thin matchsticks (about 2 cups)
• 1 small onion, sliced thinly lengthwise
• 2/3 cup Korean hot pepper flakes (gochugaru) 
• 4 tablespoons fish sauce (optional- can substitute with 4 tablespoons of soy sauce, or omit entirely for a less salty cucumber kimchi)
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

Method

Cucumbers

1. Wash the 2lbs of cucumbers and drain. Make pockets in the cucumbers by slicing them twice lengthwise at right angles. Stop cutting ½ inch from one end so that the cucumber quarters are still connected at one end.
2. Put them in a big bowl. Sprinkle and gently massage 2 tablespoons of salt inside and out of the cucumbers. Let them rest for 10 minutes, then turn them over and let rest for another 10 minutes. This ensures that the cucumbers are evenly salted and helps draw out moisture from the cucumbers. Prepare the stuffing during this time.
3. Rinse the cucumbers in cold water a couple of times to remove excess salt. Drain and set aside. Taste test a bit of the cucumber to ensure that you have thoroughly rinsed off the excess salt.

Stuffing

5. With your hands, gently mix 1 cup of garlic chives, 2 cups of carrots, 5 garlic cloves, 2/3 cup of hot pepper flakes, 4 tablespoons fish sauce (optional), and 2 tablespoons of sugar in a large bowl. The hot pepper flakes will stain your hands red, so wear gloves.
6. Continue to gently massage the ingredients until they vegetables release their moisture and become soft, about 5 minutes. The ingredients should lightly hold together as a seasoning paste.
7. Rub the seasoning paste onto the outside of the cucumber. Then stuff the seasoning paste into the cucumber pockets.
8. Cover the stuffed cucumbers with any leftover seasoning paste. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of sesame seeds on top.
9. Serve immediately as a side dish for rice. Keep the leftovers in a sealed container or jar in the refrigerator. If you prefer it to be fermented a bit more, let the container sit at room temperature for a couple of days until it smells and tastes sour. Then put it into the fridge. Serve cold.

This recipe is adapted from Maangchi’s Stuffed Cucumber Kimchi Recipe.