Cucumber Kimchi – I love you. Where have you been all of my life? Cucumber kimchi is the perfect summer condiment. It isn’t fermented, but it bring all of the spice and crunch of what you’d expect from kimchi, without the funkiness. I love it on hot dogs, on burgers, on a platter of grilled sausages. Sweet, spicy, hot. Oh, yeah.
If you grow cucumbers, I know that you need this recipe. Even if you don’t grow cucumbers, the farmer’s market is calling. Cucumbers are so plentiful in the summer and they taste nothing like supermarket cucumbers. So go pick some, or pick some up at the farmer’s market, and make cucumber kimchi right now. You’ll be glad you did.
Cucumber Kimchi
Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh cucumbers
- 2 scallions
- 1 shallot
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 small knob of fresh ginger
- 1 T kosher salt
- 3 t granulated sugar (divided – 1 t for sweating the cucumbers, and 2 t for the dressing)
- 2 T gochugaru
- 1 T fish sauce
- 1 T tamari
- 2 t rice vinegar
Instructions
- Prep the veg – Peel and deseed the cucumbers. Slice the bigger cucumber halves vertically, then slice all of the spears across into ½-inch pieces. Chop the scallions, white and green parts. Peel and mince the shallot. Grate the garlic and the ginger. Set aside.
- Sweat the cucumbers – Massage 1 t of salt and 1 t of sugar into the cucumbers and set aside for at least 10 minutes.
- Make the sauce – In a medium bowl, combine 2 t of sugar, 2 T of gochugaru, 1 T of fish sauce, 1 T tamari, 2 t rice vinegar, and the grated ginger in a medium bowl and whisk vigorously to dissolve the sugar.
- Combine – Rinse the cucumbers under cold water and pat dry. Add the cucumbers, scallions, minced shallot, and garlic to the sauce. Mix with your hands and massage to ensure that the cucumber and shallots are evenly coated.
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