Main ingredients 🥩
cucumberminced garlicgreen oniontuna saucered pepper powdergochujangsesame seedssesame oil
Lim Sung-geun's Crackling Cucumber Salad
A secret cucumber salad with the ultimate texture—crisp, firm, and crackling like pickled cucumber—achieved by using syrup instead of salt to draw out moisture.
🙋 Recommended for
- ⭐ Those who want to enjoy a crisp, firm cucumber salad that never develops excess liquid over time
- ⭐ People looking for a unique, appetite-awakening side dish with a satisfying crackling texture
Ingredients needed 🛒2 servings
- cucumber 2 pieces
- syrup half cup
- salt half tablespoon
- minced garlic half tablespoon
- minced green onion (white part) 1 tablespoon
- sugar half tablespoon
- tuna sauce 1 tablespoon
- medium red pepper powder 1 tablespoon
- gochujang 1 tablespoon (scooped)
- sesame seeds 1 tablespoon
- sesame oil 1 tablespoon
Recipe 🍳
- Slice the cucumber into round pieces about 0.5 to 0.6 cm thick.
- Place the sliced cucumber in a bowl with half a cup of syrup and half a tablespoon of salt, then let it sit for 2 hours to fully draw out moisture.
- Do not rinse the soaked cucumber under water. Wrap it in a clean cloth and squeeze out as much moisture as possible.
- In a mixing bowl, combine half a tablespoon of minced garlic, 1 tablespoon of minced green onion (white part), half a tablespoon of sugar, 1 tablespoon of tuna sauce, 1 tablespoon of medium red pepper powder, and 1 tablespoon of scooped gochujang to make the dressing.
- Add the squeezed cucumber to the dressing and toss thoroughly until evenly coated.
- Finally, add 1 tablespoon of sesame seeds and 1 tablespoon of sesame oil, and gently mix to finish.
- Slice cucumbers thickly and soak them in syrup and salt for 2 hours.
- Do not rinse the soaked cucumbers—squeeze out moisture using a cloth.
- Mix all the seasoning ingredients together to create a spicy dressing.
- Toss the cucumber with the dressing and finish with sesame seeds and sesame oil.
Cooking tips 💡
- Using syrup creates an osmotic effect that draws moisture from cucumbers faster than salt, maximizing the crisp, crackling texture similar to pickled cucumber.
- Never rinse the soaked cucumbers, as washing removes their subtle sweetness and unique chewy texture—squeeze them immediately after soaking.
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