Cucumber kimchi, also known as oi kimchi (오이 김치) is one of my favorite kinds of kimchi. Yes, there are a lot. Aside from being delicious and healthy, it is so easy to prepare. Here’s how I make cucumber kimchi at home.
Ingredients:
- 5 cucumbers
- buchu (asian chives) or green onions cut into 2 inches lengths
- 2 tbsp rock salt
Paste:
- 3 tbsp chili pepper flakes (gochugaru)
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 1 tbsp salted shrimp
- 1 tsp fish sauce
- 1/2 tsp sugar
Wash the cucumbers well and cut them crosswise into 2 inch-long pieces. Quarter each piece lengthwise.
Melt the rock salt with warm water in a bowl and let the cucumbers sit for 30 minutes. If you intend to consume the kimchi for a longer period of time, salt it for few hours. By doing so, your kimchi won’t be too watery and bland after few days. If you don’t salt it, then it will become oi muchim (cucumber salad) which is good to consume right away or in a day or two.
Drain the cucumber and rinse once. Then set it aside. In a separate ball, mix chili pepper flakes, garlic, salted shrimp, fish sauce and sugar, then make a paste. Adjust the amount according to your preferred taste.
Add the cucumber and chives then toss well until the cucumbers are well coated with the seasonings. Finally, sprinkle some sesame seeds.
The cucumbers will look dry at first but will release moisture as they absorb the seasonings. If you like it ripe, leave it at a room temperature for few hours to expedite the fermentation process. That’s what I do with cabbage kimchi. So, there you are. Oi kimchi is done! It’s so easy right? 🙂
