Cucumber kimchi (Oi-sobagi: 오이소박이)

The recipe is here: http://www.maangchi.com/recipe/oisobagi-kimchi

Cucumber kimchi (oi-sobagi) is made by turning a cucumber into a pocket and stuffing it with vegetables and kimchi paste. It’s delicious and refreshing and it’s a great kimchi to make when cucumbers are in season and you don’t feel like waiting for your kimchi to ferment. You can eat this right away: they’re cool, spicy, and crunchy. Cucumber kimchi is a good example of a kimchi that doesn’t have to be fermented to be great.

It’s been a very popular recipe on my website ever since I first posted it. However my original video used copyright-protected music (‘A Message to You, Rudy’ by The Specials), and the sound was recently removed by the copyright holder. Many people have been asking me to remake the video, so with cucumbers in season it’s a good time to do it. Enjoy the updated video!

Ingredients:

2 pounds kirby cucumbers (9 or 10 cucumbers) or 4 4½ inch long small, thin cucumbers.
2 tablespoons salt
1 cup buchu (Asian chives), chopped into ½ inch pieces
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium carrot, cut into thin matchsticks (about 1 cup)
1 cup onion, sliced thinly
½ cup hot pepper flakes
3 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
¼ cup water
1 tablespoon sesame seeds