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
Makes: 5 lb Prep Time: 3 hrs Cook Time: 20 min Difficulty: Easy
Ingredients
- 5 lb pickling cucumbers (Korean, Kirby, Persian, Pickling)
- 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 seasoned cucumber 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)
Ingredients
Pickling Cucumber in Salt
- 5 lb pickling cucumbers (Korean, Kirby, Persian, Pickling)
- 60 g Korean Solar Sea Salt (Cheonilyeom) with bittern removed (60 gram = 1/4 cup)
Kimchi Seasoning (Yangnyeom)
- 150 g chives, Korean or Chinese (150 gram = 5 oz)
- 6 Tbsp Korean red chili powder (gochukaru)
- 3 Tbsp sugar
- 5 Tbsp garlic (chopped)
- 2 tsp Korean Sea Salt (Cheonilyeom)
- 4 green 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:
Nutrition Information:
FAQ
What is the best type of cucumber for Kimchi?
Thin skinned, crunchy cucumbers with little or no seeds like Korean, Kirby pickling, Persian cucumbers work best. Thick skinned, waxed cucumbers are NOT good for Kimchi making. Here’s a post that explains all the different types of cucumbers.
How is this different from Stuffed Cucumber Kimchi (Oi Sobaegi 오이 소박이)?
In terms of taste, it is probably not hugely different but this is lighter and fresher tasting. It is basically a simplified version of the traditional Oi Sobaegi where the cucumber is only cut partially in the center and then stuffing is added in.
Tips
- Serve this cold right from the fridge and you will LOVE it!! It would also be a very good FIRST KIMCHI to try if you are still new to eating Kimchi.
- Check my No Crazy Kimchi chart for more details on how to ripen Kimchi properly.
Happy Summer everyone!
XOXO ❤️ 🌿
JinJoo
What does “bittern removed” mean?
Korean sea salt (cheonilyeom) for kimchi making is usually aged a bit so that the bitterness is drained away during aging. Hence, “bittern removed”. You can read more about it here – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bittern_(salt). But basically, to make kimchi, it is important that you don’t use just any salt but use Korean sea salt that’s for kimchi OR use sea salt without the bitterness. Otherwise you kimchi can come out tasting bitter. Good luck!
Hi! I have a quick question I didn’t see how long these cucumbers will last for?
How long can I keep them in the fridge for?
Thanks so much! This looks so delicious!
Oh these will last quite a while – weeks to even months depending on how cold the fridge is. Lower temps will keep it longer. It may become just too sour to taste or may become mushy. Enjoy!! Thank you.
Am I missing a step here? Because I’ve made this batch twice, and each time it has molded.
That’s strange.. you’ve salted the cucumbers for 3 hrs or more? Are you also using Persian/Korean/Japanese/pickling cucumbers? If you use other thick-skinned cucumbers, it may not have fully pickled in salt. Also, you are not rinsing the cucumbers right? Not supposed to here. How much liquid do you get after 2 days or so? There should be enough liquid coming out to at least mostly cover the cucumbers. Usually, molds appear when it’s not salty enough and when too much is exposed to air. Hope this helps.
well I lost my quarter cup so I’m actually putting on a third of a cup so that’s more salt then the recipe called for. I couldn’t find the cucumbers you mentioned but you did say in your comments a that English cucumbers would work, so that is what I’ve been using. I do not rinse them I only drain the liquid. After the 24 to 36 hours I usually have liquid up to within an inch and a half of the top of the cucumbers so I’m still getting mold on the top layer of cucumbers.
hmm..how small did you slice the English cucumbers? Do they look as pickled as I show them in the post? I wonder if maybe the English cucumbers are cut too big and still has too much juice which then dilutes the kimchi too much? And how soon do you put them in the fridge? And how long are you keeping these in your fridge? I am sorry this is happening to you – I never get any mold on my cucumber kimchi so I don’t know why this is happening with yours. Let me know and we will try to figure it out. Oh and what kind of salt did you use? thank you!
what is Korean Cheonilyeom and where can I get it (h mart ?), also I went to the link about the cucumber types and they did not mention Korean cucumber……are they like the japanese one that were mentioned ?
It’s Korean Solar Sea Salt and yes, you can buy it at hmart. You can read more about Korean salt here – https://kimchimari.com/on-k-ingredients/. Oh, sorry I was not totally clear on the Korean cucumber, they are similar to Japanese but not quite. I couldn’t find the scientific name but you can only buy them in Korean markets for now. As I said in the post, if you use any kind of pickling cucumbers, not waxed, with thin skin and sweet crunchy inside, it will work beautifully. Thanks so much for asking!
I just realized – you can also buy Cheonilyeom online at Amazon. I have a couple on my store also if that’s more convenient for you. 😉
you mentioned green onions in your instructions and photo but I don’t see it in your ingredient list. How many green onions?
OH! So sorry – I missed that one! You should use about 4-5 green onions, chopped or sliced thin. Thanks so much for asking – I’m going to fix the recipe now. 🙂