Oi Sobagi (cucumber kimchi)

May 5

Crispy, tangy, and spicy: the perfect crunch.

My late grandma used to always make oi sobagi. That and kkakdugi (cubed radish kimchi). These two kimchis always bring back cherished memories of her. Sadly, I never was able to get her recipes. The recipe I’m sharing today is by Maangchi, who has so many awesome korean recipes on her channel. Though, it is still different from the ones I remember my grandma making, it is equally delicious!

You can find Maangchi’s recipe here:
https://www.maangchi.com/recipe/oisobagi-kimchi
I doubled her recipe to make a bigger batch

Ingredients
4 pounds (around 20 cucumbers) kirby cucumbers
Salt
2 cups buchu (Asian chives), cut into 1/2 inch pieces
8 garlic cloves, minced
2 medium carrots, cut into matchsticks
2 cups onion, slicked thinly
1 cup gochugaru (Korean red pepper flakes)
6 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

Directions

Wash the cucumbers. Cut off the tip of one end and then slice into the cucumbers lengthwise two times at opposite sides. Make sure to leave an uncut area around 1/2 inch on one end so that the cucumber is able to hold together. You want to make something like a four fingered claw haha.
Sprinkle salt onto each cucumber rubbing it both inside and out. Place them in a big bowl and let them sit for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, turn them over and let them sit for another 10 minutes.
Rinse the excess salt off of the cucumbers under cold water. Drain and then set the cucumbers aside.
Prep your ingredients by mincing the garlic, and cutting the carrots, buchu, and onion. Add 2 cups buchu, 8 garlic cloves, 2 carrots, 2 cups onion, 1 cup gochugaru, 6 tbsp fish sauce, 2 tbsp sugar, 1/2 cup water, and 2 tbsp sesame seeds into a bowl. Combine thoroughly.
Stuff the seasoning paste into the cucumber pockets and pack the cucumbers into a container with a lid.
You can serve/eat these immediately but they taste so much better after fermenting for a bit. Let the container sit in room temperature for around 2-3 days until they smell and taste a bit sour. Afterwards, place them into the fridge and enjoy!