My friend Sonja is a bit obsessed with South Korea and everything pertaining to the country. Her two oldest daughter's have served as missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in South Korea so Sonja has been to South Korea and has valid reasons for her obsession. After having a plethora of cucumbers from my garden and an urgent need to preserve them before my family went on a Summer trip to New York City I decided to indulge my friend's love of Korean food and make cucumber kimchi. She was able to help me and provide the Korean chili powder for this easy recipe. I'm not familiar with kimchi at all so this was a new experience for me, but I love making food for my friends. Hopefully a few more Korean recipes are on the horizon for my family.
My cucumber kimchi, its pretty to look at isn't it?
Ingredients:
1 lb Pickling Cucumbers (3 Lebanese cucumbers)
3 Green Onions
2 tablespoon Gochugaru (korean chili flakes, found online or at Asian Market)
1 tablespoon grated Gala Apple
1 tablespoon White Sugar
1/2 tablespoon Fish Sauce
1/2 tablespoon Sesame Seeds
2 cloves of Garlic
1/2" piece of Ginger
Himalayan Pink Salt or Sea Salt
I don't know why I included the white onion in my photo, it is not in the recipe. It was photobombing my recipe photo.
Cut cucumber into 2 inch long by 1/2 inch wide pieces, removing seeds if they are present.
Sprinkle salt onto cumbers in a sieve. I have some Himalayan Pink Salt I used but that isn't a requirement, sea salt will work just as well. Allow to drain in sink for 20 minutes. This will help remove excess water from the cucumbers and change the cellular wall inside the cucumber so the spice mixture will penetrate more.
Slice green onions width wise to create long skinny pieces then lengthwise into 4 inch matchsticks.
This is the Fish Sauce I forgot to include in my original photo.
Grate the peeled ginger and garlic with a microplane. This is one of my favorite tools, it creates a delicate grate without all the work of cutting. Dice one quarter of the apple flesh into small pieces.
Combine the Gochugaru, onions, garlic, ginger, and apple in a metal bowl. Stir until a paste is formed.
Brush the salt off the cucumber and add them to the paste and stir until combined. Finally sprinkle the sesame seeds on the mixture. Transfer to lidded mason jars and let set for 12-24 hours at room temperature on your counter. Refrigerate after curing. The cucumber kimchi may be eaten after refrigerated.
Enjoy!
Cucumber Kimchi(Oi Kimchi)
1 lb Pickling Cucumbers (3 Lebanese cucumbers)
3 Green Onions
2 tablespoon Gochugaru (korean chili flakes, found online or at Asian Market)
1 tablespoon grated Gala Apple
1 tablespoon White Sugar
1/2 tablespoon Fish Sauce
1/2 tablespoon Sesame Seeds
2 cloves of Garlic
1/2" piece of Ginger
Himalayan Pink Salt or Sea Salt
Process:
Cut cucumber into 2 inch long by 1/2 inch wide pieces, removing seeds if they are present.
Slice green onions width wise to create long skinny pieces then lengthwise into 4 inch matchsticks.
Grate the peeled ginger and garlic with a microplane. This is one of my favorite tools, it creates a delicate grate without all the work of cutting. Dice one quarter of the apple flesh into small pieces.
Combine the Gochugaru, onions, garlic, ginger, and apple in a metal bowl. Stir until a paste is formed.
Brush the salt off the cucumber and add them to the paste and stir until combined. Finally sprinkle the sesame seeds on the mixture. Transfer to lidded mason jars and let set for 12-24 hours at room temperature on your counter. Refrigerate after curing. The cucumber kimchi may be eaten after refrigerated.
Enjoy!
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