Cucumber Kimchi 2 Ways

Cucumber kimchi 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 and go well with beef and radish soup. Cucumber kimchi is a good example of a kimchi that doesn’t have to be fermented to be great.

Ingredients
2 pounds kirby cucumbers (9 or 10 cucumbers) or four 4½ inch long small, thin cucumbers.
2 tablespoons kosher 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 Korean hot pepper flakes (gochugaru)
3 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
¼ cup water
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

Directions
Wash the cucumbers. Make pockets out of them by slicing them twice lengthwise at right angles, ½ inch from one end so the cucumber quarters are still connected to each other at the end.oisobagioi-sobagi
Put them in a big bowl, and sprinkle and rub them with salt inside and out. Let them sit for 10 minutes on the kitchen counter, and then turn them over so they’re evenly salted. Then turn them over and let them sit another 10 minutes.cucumber kimchi
Rinse the cucumbers in cold water a couple of times to remove excess salt. Drain and set aside.
Combine buchu (Asian chives), carrot, hot pepper flakes, fish sauce, sugar, and sesame seeds in a large bowl. Mix well with a wooden spoon.
Stuff the seasoning paste into the cucumber pockets. If you have sensitive skin, you can wear rubber gloves for this because the paste might irritate your hands.oisobagioisobagi seasoningoisobagi stuffing
Serve immediately as a side dish for rice, and keep the leftovers in the refrigerator. If you prefer it to be fermented a bit more, let the container sit at room temperature for a couple of days until it smells and tastes sour. Then put it into the fridge. Serve cold.

Barley Rice

Ingredients
1 cup short grain rice, 1 cup barley
Directions

Combine rice and barley rice in a heavy pot.
Wash and drain a couple of times. Drain water as much as you can and add 2½ cups water.
Cover and let it sit at least 30 minutes.
Bring the pot to a boil over medium heat for 10 to 12 minutes.
Open the lid and turn the rice over with a rice scoop or spoon.
Simmer it over low heat for another 10 minutes.
Fluff with a rice scoop to remove excess steam. Serve immediately with side dishes.