Oisobagi (Stuffed Cucumber Kimchi)
One dish of crisp oisobagi and a bowl of rice disappears in no time. The cucumbers are brined in hot salted water to stay crunchy, then stuffed with a spicy filling of chives, onion, and carrot. No aging needed — it's crisp and refreshing right away.
Ingredients
Ingredients
- Cucumbers4
- Onion1
- Carrot1/3
- Chives1 handful
- Water800ml
- Coarse salt4 tbsp
Sauce & Seasoning
- Anchovy fish sauce2 tbsp
- Salted shrimp (saeujeot)1/3 tbsp
- Red chili powder4 tbsp
- Minced garlic1 tbsp
- Sugar1 tbsp
Directions
- 1
Wash the cucumbers well with coarse salt and cut each into 4 pieces. Leaving about 1cm at the bottom, make a cross-shaped cut in each piece.
- 2
Add 4 tbsp of coarse salt to 800ml of water and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. The hot brine is the secret to keeping the cucumbers crunchy.
- 3
Pour the boiling brine over the cucumbers and let them cure for about 30 minutes. Turn them once or twice while curing so they salt evenly.
- 4
While the cucumbers are curing, cut the chives, onion, and carrot into thin strips.
- 5
Mix 2 tbsp anchovy fish sauce, 1/3 tbsp salted shrimp, 4 tbsp red chili powder, 1 tbsp minced garlic, and 1 tbsp sugar to make the seasoning sauce, then add the prepared chives, onion, and carrot and toss lightly.
- 6
Drain the cured cucumbers in a sieve, then stuff the seasoning generously into the cuts.
- 7
The crisp oisobagi is ready.
- 8
With its crunchy texture and well-balanced seasoning, it goes perfectly with rice when you have little appetite.