Cucumber Kimchi – Oi Kimchi – Vegan and Gluten Free
Cucumber Kimchi (오이김치 Oi Kimchi) is the most delicious and refreshing summer Kimchi of all Kimchis.
The crunchy texture and the refreshing taste of cucumbers are perfectly preserved in this fabulous Korean Cucumber Kimchi that is Vegan and Gluten Free. Cucumber Kimchi is also one of those Kimchi’s that are rarely served at restaurants or sold at markets. Why? I am not totally sure but my guess is that Cucumber Kimchi doesn’t last as long as regular cabbage kimchi, it usually becomes mushy after few weeks and you really can’t eat it at that time. Also, once it sours, you can’t really repurpose it in jjigae or jeon like you can with cabbage kimchi.
I have been meaning to post a recipe but because again, my husband and my daughter are not big fans (but my daughter actually liked this recipe), it just naturally got pushed down the priority list. I think cucumber is one of those vegetables that you either love it or hate it.
Whenever I think people who don’t like cucumbers, I think of my sister #2 and her son #1. They both will NOT eat cucumber at all. Her son #1 (my nephew) hates cucumber so much that once when he was a child, my sister tried to make him eat my Korean potato salad with cucumbers and he ended up throwing up his whole meal!! 😱😰
After that, we never made him eat cucumber again… 😉
But if you love cucumbers and kimchi, you will LOVE this. And it’s really the simplest kimchi recipe to make with NO fermented sauces or flour pastes. You just have to make sure you buy the right kind of cucumbers and that they are properly pickled with the right kind of salt.
Don’t use common Garden Cucumbers that are waxed which is sold at regular grocery stores. And no, making kimchi with peeled cucumbers is not recommended. Korean cucumbers work best of course, but if you can’t find them, try Pickling or Japanese cucumbers that do not have big seeds in them. Also make sure they don’t have any bitter taste. English cucumbers may also work but sometimes they can be too big to work well.
A BIG THANK YOU to my friend Mrs. Woo! She makes a lot of delicious kimchi at her home and I asked her if she could help me by making them with me. Not only did she make these with me, she even went shopping for me!! I am so grateful for her friendship. This recipe was based on how she makes her cucumber kimchi by feel. We made 20 lbs in total, 3 different batches and I really like this version because it is extra refreshing since this recipe does NOT use Fish Sauce. I hope this recipe will find their way to her children someday so that they can make it at home when they grow up.
Now, let’s get started on pickling some cucumbers for our Cucumber Kimchi!
Cucumber Kimchi (Korean Oi Kimchi 오이김치) – Vegan and Gluten Free
1/4 cup (60 g) Korean Solar Sea Salt (Cheonilyeom) with bittern removed
5 oz (150 g) chives, Korean or Chinese
4 -5 green onions, chopped
Kimchi Seasoning (Yangnyeom)
6 Tbsp Korean red chili powder (gochukaru)
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup garlic, chopped
2 tsp Korean Cheonilyeom
Cut cucumber ends, and then into halves and then further cut each half horizontally to make pieces.
How to cut cucumbers for cucumber kimchi
In a large bowl, add the cut cucumbers and sprinkle 1/4 cup cheonilyeom salt. Toss cucumbers with your hands so that they are evenly coated with salt.
salting cucumbers for cucumber kimchi
Pickle for 3 hrs or until cucumbers have shriveled up. See the difference between fresh cucumbers (on the left) vs cucumbers salted after 3 hrs (on the right).
fresh vs salted cucumber after 3 hrs for kimchi
While cucumbers are pickling, prepare seasoning by cleaning and chopping chives, green onions and garlic.
cucumber kimchi chopped chives green onions** Alternatively, you can cut chives and green onions into longer pieces like below –cucumber kimchi yangyeom – chives, green onions, garlic, sugar, chili pepper powder
When cucumbers are pickled, drain cucumbers in a colander. DO NOT RINSE but just let excess liquid drain for few minutes.
salted cucumbers after 3 hrs for cucumber kimchi
In a large bowl, add the cucumber, chives, green onions, red chili powder, sugar, garlic and salt. Put plastic gloves on and mix everything gently.
cucumber kimchi seasonedcucumber kimchi 2 styles – chopped chives vs longer cuts
Transfer cucumbers to a container and leave at room temp for 24 to 36 hrs and then put in fridge. How long you ripen your kimchi at room temp depends on how quickly you want to eat it and keep it. If you want to eat it asap then leave it out 36 hrs or more until it tastes ripe. If you want to store it longer then, put it in the fridge after 24 hrs and let it ripen slowly in the fridge.
Cucumber Kimchi (Oi Kimchi) closeup
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The crunchy texture and the refreshing taste of cucumbers are perfectly preserved in this fabulous Korean Cucumber Kimchi that is Vegan and Gluten Free
▢60gKorean Solar Sea Salt (Cheonilyeom)with bittern removed (60 gram = 1/4 cup)
Kimchi Seasoning (Yangnyeom)
▢150gchives, Korean or Chinese(150 gram = 5 oz)
▢6TbspKorean red chili powder(gochukaru)
▢3Tbspsugar
▢5Tbspgarlic(chopped)
▢2tspKorean Sea Salt (Cheonilyeom)
▢4green onions
Instructions
Cut cucumber ends, and then into halves and then further cut each half horizontally to make 4 flat pieces.
In a large bowl, add the cut cucumbers and sprinkle Korean sea salt. 1/4 cup per 5 lbs. Toss cucumbers with your hands so that they are evenly coated with salt. Pickle for 3 hrs or until cucumbers have shriveled up like so -
While cucumbers are pickling, prepare seasoning by cleaning and chopping chives, green onions and garlic.
When cucumbers are pickled, drain cucumbers in a colander. DO NOT RINSE but just let excess liquid drain for few minutes.
In a large bowl, add the cucumber, chives, green onions, red chili powder, sugar, garlic and salt. Mix everything gently.
Transfer cucumbers to a container and leave at room temp for 24 to 36 hrs and then put in fridge. How long you ripen your kimchi at room temp depends on how quickly you want to eat it and keep it. If you want to eat it asap then leave it out 36 hrs or more until it tastes ripe. If you want to store it longer then, put it in the fridge after 24 hrs and let it ripen slowly in the fridge.
Tips & Notes:
Thin skinned, crunchy cucumbers with little or no seeds like Korean, Kirby pickling, Persian cucumbers that are NOT waxed work best for this recipe. Thick skinned, waxed cucumbers are NOT good for Kimchi making.
