Korean Cooking: A Spicy Stuffed Cucumber Side Dish
Are you trying to learn how to make Korean side dishes? Try a side dish at a restaurant and wonder how you can make it? Well, I’m in the same boat. On a mission to learn how to prepare more Korean side dishes as I have a Korean husband, I found a recipe for one of my favorite kimchis often found on the restaurant table in the summer.
Get ready to make some Korean cucumber kimchi (오이소박이). This is a pretty easy recipe. I’ve noticed that a lot of Korean side dishes are pretty straight forward to make and it’s more about adjusting to find the taste that suits you. With that in mind, let’s whip up this great summer side dish real quick.
Cucumber kimchi is crunchy and juicy and can be made spicier or not depending on your taste. This is a popular summer kimchi in Korea. I went to the best site on the interwebs for Korean recipes: Maangchi for the basics and then pared everything down because she seems to make quite a bit more than our household of two would need. This has become one of my go-to side dishes that is always delicious and always good.
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Ingredients
- 2 Cucumbers
- 2 Tbs. Shredded Carrots
- 2 Tbs. Thinly Sliced Onions
- 1/2 Cup Green Onions
- 1 Garlic Clove Minced
- 2.5 Tbs. Fish Sauce
- 3 Tbs. Hot Pepper Flakes
- 1 Tsp. Brown Sugar
Directions
1 Wash the cucumbers and cut them in half or thirds, taking into account your storage container to decide. Then cut them down the center twice making pockets. Be careful not to cut all the way through. They should still be connected at one end.
2 Put the cucumbers into a bowl and rub them with coarse salt. Mix and get the salt everywhere thoroughly and set aside and let rest for thirty minutes while you prep the other vegetables.
3 In another bowl, mix the rest of the ingredients: Carrots, Onions, Green Onions, Garlic, Fish Sauce, Hot Pepper Flakes and Sugar. If you have cats, be prepared for some excitement around the table when you pour the fish sauce. Mine thought they were getting a treat. Also, 3 Tbs. of Hot Pepper Flakes makes for a quite spicy side dish. Don’t put as much if you want something milder. You don’t have to have a super spicy side dish.
4 Once everything is prepped and the cucumbers have been sitting for 30 minutes, wash the cucumbers and stuff them with the mixture. Get as much in the slits you made as possible.
This can be eaten right after it’s made. Leftovers should be stored in the fridge and can be eaten over the next week or so. It’s a great spicy crunchy addition to the lunch and dinner table. I suppose you could have it at breakfast too if you really wanted. Enjoy!
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