Stuffed cucumber kimchi (oi-sobagi)
Small cucumber pockets filled with garlic chives and gochugaru. This fresh, small-batch traditional Korean side is salted, rinsed and refrigerated right away.
Ingredients
4 servings
Everyday kitchen measurements
For 4 servings. Use a small 180 ml paper cup, a level eating spoon (about 15 ml) and a small teaspoon (about 5 ml).
How to fill the cup and spoons
Use the same cup and spoons throughout. Their sizes vary, so these amounts are approximate. Spoon flour in loosely and level the top without pressing. Measure vegetables after chopping, without packing them down. The amounts in g/ml are the original reference quantities. For part of a pack, use the specified pack weight and divide the contents evenly.
King Arthur Baking-
Essential
Needed for this version. Use the listed amount and add it at the stated step.
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Essential
Needed for this version. Use the listed amount and add it at the stated step.
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Substitute available
If Garlic chives is unavailable
- Use instead
- Green parts of spring onions
- Substitute quantity
- 1 small loose handfulReference quantity: 40 g
If garlic chives are unavailable, use this amount of washed spring-onion greens instead. Chop to 1 cm and mix in the same step; the flavor is sharper.
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Optional
May be left out. Keep the other quantities unchanged.
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Essential
Needed for this version. Use the listed amount and add it at the stated step.
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Essential
Needed for this version. Use the listed amount and add it at the stated step.
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Substitute available
If Bottled anchovy fish sauce is unavailable
- Use instead
- Soy sauce
- Substitute quantity
- 2 small teaspoonsReference quantity: 10 ml
If fish sauce is unavailable, replace it with this soy sauce. Do not add both. The filling will taste different and contain soy; check for wheat.
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Essential
Needed for this version. Use the listed amount and add it at the stated step.
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Essential
Needed for this version. Use the listed amount and add it at the stated step.
Tap each ingredient as you prepare it. Check product labels for egg, soy, sesame, wheat, fish or shellfish where relevant.
Step-by-step cooking
Check off a completed step to move to the next one. After the last step, you will move to the finished dish.
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Step 1
Wash and scrub the cucumbers gently under running drinking water. Trim both tips, then cut into pieces about 5 cm long. Use firm small cucumbers; very watery, thick-skinned ones are difficult to stuff neatly.
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Step 2
Stand each piece on a flat cut end. Make a cross-shaped cut from the top, stopping 1 cm above the board so the base holds all 4 sections together. Keep the knife controlled and do not cut through the bottom. Open the pockets gently without tearing them.
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Step 3
Rub the 1 tablespoon coarse salt lightly over the cucumbers and into the cuts. Rest in a clean bowl for 25–30 minutes, turning after 15 minutes. The arms should bend slightly without snapping; let thicker pieces soften a little longer if needed.
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Step 4
While they salt, wash the chives and optional carrot. Cut chives to 1 cm and carrot into fine 2 cm matchsticks. Peel and mince the garlic. Mix gochugaru, fish sauce, sugar and 2 tablespoons water, then fold in garlic, chives and optional carrot to make the stuffing.
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Step 5
Briefly rinse the salted cucumbers in 2 changes of clean cold water, flushing the cuts to remove visible salt. Taste a small edge; rinse once more if very salty. Drain cut-side down in a colander for 10 minutes. Do not stuff while water is pooling inside.
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Step 6
With clean food-safe gloves, gently tuck a little stuffing into every pocket; divide it across all pieces without forcing the cuts apart. Rub the remaining seasoning over the outside. Pack into a clean lidded food container and refrigerate immediately at 4°C or below. Eat fresh or chill overnight; do not leave this batch out to ferment.
Finished dish
4 side-dish servings. Small paper cup 180 ml; tablespoon 15 ml; small teaspoon 5 ml. Most salting salt is rinsed off. Contains fish; bottled sauce may contain other allergens. Use clean utensils, keep refrigerated and eat within 3 days. This quick cucumber kimchi is not for long-term room-temperature storage.
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Enjoy every bite
How to enjoy it
Serve a few chilled pieces beside warm rice or soup. Keep the base intact when opening the pockets; a torn piece can still be dressed and eaten as cucumber salad.
Serve it with
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