Stuffed Cucumber Kimchi with Garlic Chives and Radish

What you need

• 10 pickling cucumbers, about 12 cm (5 in) long
• 120 g (1/2 cup) coarse sea salt
• 1.5 l (6 1/4 cups) water, 1.4 l for the brine, 60 ml for the chive mixture
• 85 g (3 oz) Korean garlic chives
• 85 g (3 oz) Korean radish, or 1/4 onion
• 5 tbsp gochugaru
• 2 tbsp salted shrimp, roughly chopped
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tbsp garlic, minced
• 1 tsp ginger, finely grated
• 2 tsp sugar, optional

Method

Restated from the original video

1. 1

   Rinse the cucumbers and trim off both ends. Cut any longer than 12 cm in half crosswise.

2. 2

   Lay the cucumbers in a large heatproof bowl.

3. 3

   Bring 1.4 l of water and the salt to a boil in a pot, stirring until the salt dissolves.

4. 4

   Pour the hot brine over the cucumbers and set a plate on top to keep them under.

5. 5

   Leave until the cucumbers bend without snapping, 1-2 hours.

6. 6

   Meanwhile, cut the chives into 1 cm lengths. Cut the radish into thin matchsticks of the same length.

7. 7

   In a bowl, stir the gochugaru, salted shrimp, fish sauce, garlic, ginger, sugar and 60 ml of water into a loose paste.

8. 8

   Add the chives and radish and toss gently, wearing gloves. The mixture should taste a little salty.

9. 9

   Drain the cucumbers. Make a lengthwise cut through the middle of each, stopping 1 cm short of both ends.

10. 10

    Turn each cucumber a quarter turn and make a second cut the same way, so the slits form a cross.

11. 11

    Ease the slits open and push 1-2 tsp of the chive mixture into each cucumber, filling all four sides.

12. 12

    Pack the cucumbers snugly into a jar or airtight container and scrape any leftover seasoning over them.

13. 13

    Leave at room temperature for 1 day to start fermenting, then refrigerate. They are crunchiest within the first week.

Imported from koreanbapsang.com. Recipe Grab pulled out what you need to cook it; the video stays where its author put it.