Main ingredients 🥩
cucumberminced gingerminced garlicmonosodium glutamateshrimp pastedried anchovy saucecoarse red chili powderdried chili pepperssoju
Lim Sung-geun's Universal Seasoning Sauce Cucumber Kimchi
This unique kimchi recipe enhances the crisp, refreshing texture of cucumber by briefly soaking it in saltwater and adding rich umami flavor with a universal seasoning sauce.
🙋 Recommended for
- ⭐ Those seeking a different crunchy side dish beyond daily napa cabbage or radish kimchi
- ⭐ People who want to transform easily available supermarket cucumbers into a Korean-style savory rice companion
Ingredients needed 🛒4 servings
- cucumber 12 pieces
- water 2 cups
- coarse salt 3 tablespoons
- [universal seasoning sauce ingredients]
- minced ginger 30g
- minced garlic 250g
- sugar 60g
- monosodium glutamate 40g
- shrimp paste 150g
- dried anchovy sauce 1 cup (200cc)
- coarse salt 30g
- coarse red chili powder 150g
- dried chili peppers 200g
- soju 50g
Recipe 🍳
- Soak dried chili peppers in water, then grind finely. Mix with minced garlic, ginger, sugar, monosodium glutamate, fish sauce, salt, red chili powder, and soju to create the universal side-dish seasoning sauce.
- Wash 12 fresh cucumbers thoroughly, then cut them vertically into halves using a knife.
- In a large bowl, add 2 cups of water and 3 tablespoons of coarse salt. Stir until the salt is completely dissolved to make a brine.
- Submerge the cut cucumbers in the brine and gently turn them over once or twice during the 30-minute soaking period.
- Rinse the soaked cucumbers briefly under running water, then drain well and shake off excess moisture using a colander.
- Lightly coat the surface of the drained cucumbers with the prepared universal seasoning sauce, rubbing it evenly across the outer skin and mixing gently.
- Prepare the pre-mixed, flavorful universal kimchi seasoning sauce.
- Cut cucumbers in half and soak them in brine (2 cups water, 3 tablespoons salt) for 30 minutes.
- Remove all moisture from the rinsed cucumbers completely.
- Gently apply the seasoning sauce to the outer surface of the cucumber leaves, ensuring even coverage.
Cooking tips 💡
- The crisp, crunchy texture is key to cucumber kimchi, so avoid soaking it too long—don’t let it become as soft as napa cabbage.
- Avoid pressing hard when mixing, as excessive force may release raw vegetable odors; instead, gently rub the sauce onto the cucumbers with your fingertips.
- We highly recommend enjoying it fresh right after mixing, rather than cooking it.
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