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It's finally cucumber kimchi season!!🥒 The crunchy, spicy, refreshing banchan that makes every summer meal better. 

If there’s one banchan that instantly makes me feel like summer is here, it’s oi sobagi, AKA Spicy Stuffed Cucumber Kimchi. It’s crunchy, juicy, spicy, garlicky, and packed with fresh garlic chives. The kind of refreshing side dish that makes even the simplest meal taste SO much better!

Similar to the Fresh Kimchi recipe I shared last week, cucumber kimchi is meant to be eaten fresh, which means no waiting days for it to ferment!! It’s also way less intimidating than traditional kimchi and takes us less than an hour to make from start to finish.

And the crunch??? SO good. My family uses a hot salt water bath method, which seasons the cucumbers while helping them stay crisp and juicy (because mushy cucumbers are a no-no for me). Then once they’re chilled in the fridge, it is truly the most refreshing bite on a warm day. Spicy, garlicky, cold, crunchy, hydrating… basically summer banchan at its best. 

Lately, I’ve been eating this with everything: warm rice, grilled meat, noodles, eggs, tofu, or whatever is already in the fridge. It’s also been SO good with the Blue Apron meals I’ve been making the past couple of months. A lot of their meal kits come together in 30 minutes or less, so on busy weekdays, I’ve been pairing one of their high-protein meals with this cucumber kimchi. It’s such a versatile side dish!!

OK LET’S MAKE IT.

In this post…

• Stuffed Cucumber Kimchi Recipe + Printable PDF

• Sparky’s Notes (Helpful Tips + Swaps)

• Storage Instructions

Stuffed Cucumber Kimchi

Tools

• Large stainless steel bowl — for the cucumbers and hot salt water bath.

• Food processor/blender — for blending the dried red peppers and apple.

• Airtight glass container — we ended up using both an 87 oz container and a 23 oz container to store the full batch

• Large bowl — for mixing the spicy chive filling.

Ingredients

For the cucumbers + hot salt water bath

• 3 lb mini cucumbers

• 8 cups water

• 5 tbsp coarse salt

For the spicy chive filling

• 200g garlic chives, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces (also called Asian chives or buchu)

• Juice from 1 sweet apple, about 1/2 cup, such as Envy, Honeycrisp, or Fuji

• 25g dried red peppers

• 2 tbsp minced garlic

• 1 tsp minced ginger

• 1/2 cup gochugaru

• 1/3 cup fish sauce (we prefer sand lance fish sauce for this recipe)

• 2 tbsp Korean salted shrimp (saeujeot)

• 1/2 onion, thinly sliced

Instructions

1. Prep the cucumbers: Rinse the mini cucumbers well, then trim off both ends. To make the pockets, cut each cucumber lengthwise twice so it opens into 4 sections, stopping about 2 cm from the bottom so the pieces stay connected at the end. Repeat with the remaining cucumbers.

2. Make the hot salt water bath: In a large pot, bring 8 cups of water to a boil. Turn off the heat, then stir in 5 tbsp coarse salt until fully dissolved. Place the cut cucumbers in a large heat-safe bowl, then pour the hot salt water over the cucumbers. If the cucumbers aren’t fully submerged, place a small plate or bowl on top to help weigh them down. Let them sit for 10 minutes. The cucumbers should soften just enough to open more easily, but still feel firm and crisp. After 10 minutes, rinse the cucumbers under cold water, then drain well while you prepare the filling.

3. Prep the dried red peppers: Rinse the dried red peppers, then soak them in water for about 5 minutes to rehydrate. Drain, chop, then blend until broken down. Keep the seeds for more heat, or remove some/all of the seeds for milder kimchi.

4. Prepare the apple juice: Core and chop 1 sweet apple, then blend until smooth. Strain the blended apple through cheesecloth or a nut milk bag and squeeze out the juice. You can also use a juicer if you have one, but measure out about 1/2 cup apple juice for the marinade.

5. Make the spicy marinade: In a large bowl, combine the apple juice, blended dried red peppers, minced garlic, minced ginger, gochugaru, fish sauce, and Korean salted shrimp. Mix until fully combined. Let the marinade sit for about 5 minutes so the gochugaru can absorb the liquid and the flavors can come together.

6. Add the chives and onion: Add the chopped garlic chives and thinly sliced onion to the marinade. Gently fold everything together until evenly coated. Try not to overmix or squeeze the chives too much because you want them to stay fresh, crisp, and bright.

7. Stuff the cucumbers: I recommend wearing plastic gloves because the gochugaru can stain your hands. Gently open one cucumber pocket and add a small amount of the chive filling into the center. Cup the outside of the cucumber with one hand to help it hold its shape, then use your other hand to gently tuck the filling into each opening. Don’t overstuff. The cucumber should feel filled, but still be able to close around the filling. Repeat with the remaining cucumbers.

8. Store the cucumber kimchi: Place the stuffed cucumbers snugly in an airtight container. Packing them snugly helps the cucumbers hold their shape and keeps the filling in place. Spoon any extra chive filling and marinade over and around the cucumbers. You can eat the cucumber kimchi right away, or let it chill in the fridge for a few hours so the flavors can come together.

Serve with warm rice, grilled meat, noodles, eggs, tofu, or anything that needs a crunchy, spicy, refreshing side. 

Sparky’s Notes (Helpful Tips + Swaps)

• What kind of cucumbers should I use? Mini cucumbers work really well here because they’re crunchy, easy to stuff, and the perfect banchan size. Look for cucumbers that feel firm and crisp. If they already feel soft or watery before you start, the final kimchi won’t have that same juicy crunch.

• Why use a hot salt water bath? The hot salt water seasons the cucumbers quickly and helps them soften just enough to open up for stuffing, while still keeping them crisp. It also helps the cucumbers stay crunchier for longer in the fridge instead of turning mushy too quickly.

• What kind of chives should I use? Use garlic chives, also called Asian chives or buchu. They’re long, flat, and have a mild garlicky flavor that works perfectly in cucumber kimchi. Don’t use the tiny American herb chives because they’re much more delicate and not the same thing.

• Can I use apple juice instead of blending a fresh apple? Fresh apple juice tastes best because it gives the marinade a cleaner, brighter sweetness. But if you want a shortcut, use about 1/2 cup 100% apple juice with no added sugar. I wouldn’t add more than that because too much liquid can make the filling watery.

• Can I make this less spicy? Yes. This recipe is on the spicier side, especially if you keep the dried red pepper seeds in. For a milder version, use fewer dried red peppers, remove some or all of the seeds before blending, and/or reduce the gochugaru slightly. I’d adjust the dried peppers first before reducing too much gochugaru because gochugaru also gives the filling its classic color and flavor.

• Do I have to use dried red peppers? No, but my family loves adding them because they give the filling extra spice, color, and a fresher chili flavor than gochugaru alone. If you want to keep it simpler, you can skip them and use a little more gochugaru instead. The flavor will still be good, just less layered.

• No salted shrimp? Salted shrimp adds briny, fermented seafood depth that makes kimchi taste more traditional. The closest easy substitute is 1 tbsp fish sauce + 1/4 tsp salt in place of the 2 tbsp salted shrimp. It won’t have the exact same tiny shrimp texture, but it will still give the marinade that salty, savory depth.

• No fish sauce? Fish sauce adds salty, savory depth and helps loosen the marinade. If you don’t have fish sauce, keep the original 2 tbsp Korean salted shrimp and add 1 extra tbsp salted shrimp, finely minced or blended into the marinade. Since fish sauce is liquid, add 1–2 tbsp water or apple juice if the filling feels too thick.