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Kimchi is a traditional Korean dish whose ingredients are usually a combination of vegetables, garlic, ginger, chilli peppers and salt. Today, we offer a slightly lighter and crunchier version of this fermented food thanks to the cucumber.
Ingredients
2-3 cucumbers
1 – 1 ½ tbsp of sea salt or kosher salt (not table salt)
3 green onions ribs, chopped
¼ small yellow onion, chopped
2 (or more) cloves of garlic, minced
2 flat tbsp Korean crushed red pepper flakes (find in your local Asian market)*
1 tsp vinegar (such as apple cider vinegar)
1 tbsp sweetener (such as agave syrup or raw sugar)
Procedure
Rinse cucumbers and chop them into bite-size pieces. In a large bowl, add the salt and toss well.
Allow the salted pickles to sit overnight at room temperature, or at least for a couple of hours. The salt helps draw moisture out of the cucumbers, which creates a natural brine. Cover with a thin cloth to keep out bugs and dust.
Add 1 full teaspoon (or more if you like it garlicky) of minced raw garlic, chopped green and yellow onions, chilli flakes, sweetener, and vinegar.
Put on a pair of gloves to protect your skin against the heat of the red pepper flakes, If you don’t have gloves wash your hands very well after this step. Give everything a good toss.
Pack the cucumber kimchi into glass bottles, add a bit of brine to each one – just a couple of tablespoons of brine per bottle will do.*
Leave capped bottles of cucumber kimchi out in room temperature for 24 to 48 hours to let it ferment. After 24 to 48 hours, transfer the bottles to your refrigerator to stop the fermentation process.
How to use it?
Due to the Lacto-fermentation, these cucumbers will last quite a while in your fridge as long as you only use clean utensils to take from the jars. Over time the flavors will deepen and the cucumber will soften. Enjoy!