Oi Sobagi Food

OI SOBAGI (KOREAN CUCUMBER KIMCHI)

Steps:

• Place cucumbers onto one end, slice in half down the length to create and x-shape, leaving the last 1/4-inch uncut; place into a bowl. Combine 8 cups water and sea salt in a saucepan over medium heat; bring to a boil. Pour brine mixture onto the cucumbers; brine until flavors combine, about 1 hour.
• Combine red pepper flakes, 1/2 cup water, fish sauce, sugar, garlic, ginger, and fermented shrimp in a bowl; mix until sauce is thoroughly combined.
• Rinse cucumbers in cold water; place in a colander to drain. Sit until semi-dry, about 10 minutes.
• Lather cucumbers with sauce, inside and out, making sure to stuff the x-shaped cut as well. Place cucumbers, chives, radish, and sesame seeds in an air-tight container. Let sit at room temperature until flavors combine, 1 to 2 days; refrigerate until ready to serve.

OI-SOBAGI (KOREAN STUFFED CUCUMBER KIMCHI)

Steps:

• Using a sharp knife, trim and discard both ends of the cucumbers. If using long cucumbers (about 10 inches), halve crosswise; for smaller kirby cucumbers, leave whole. Working with one piece of cucumber at a time, halve lengthwise, stopping 1/2 inch from the base to keep cucumber intact. Rotate cucumber 90 degrees and repeat cut, producing a quartered cucumber held together at one end. Repeat with remaining cucumbers.
• Set a colander inside a large bowl. Sprinkle cucumbers evenly with salt, seasoning the cut-open interiors as well as the skins. Arrange in colander, cut-side down, and set aside until cucumbers are softened, pliable, and have released a good amount of water into bowl, about 30 minutes. Drain, reserving 1/4 cup (60ml) of the salty cucumber liquid left in bowl; discard remaining liquid, and wipe out bowl.
• In now-empty bowl, combine daikon, carrot, Asian pear, garlic chives, scallions, garlic, saeujeot, and fish sauce. Using clean hands, gently mix until thoroughly combined. Set aside until vegetables release moisture and look wet on surface, about 1 minute.
• Add gochugaru and gently mix until gochugaru is thoroughly incorporated and begins to absorb liquid released by vegetables, about 1 minute.
• Working with one cucumber at a time, gently squeeze cucumber to release any residual excess moisture. Hold cucumber by un-cut end in your non-dominant hand and, using other hand, pick up approximately 1/3 cup (70g) of the vegetable mixture and gently stuff into cavity, taking care to keep cucumber intact. Transfer to a serving platter or container that can comfortably fit cucumbers in a single layer. Repeat stuffing process with remaining cucumbers. Top oi-sobagi with any leftover filling and reserved cucumber liquid. Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate for up to 1 week.

SPICY STUFFED CUCUMBER KIMCHI (OI-SOBAGI)

Steps:

• 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. 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. 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.
• 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.

OI SOBAGI

Steps:

• Whisk together the sea salt and 5 cups lukewarm water in a large bowl until most of the salt is dissolved, then set the brine aside.
• Cut off a small piece from both ends of the cucumbers, then halve each cucumber crosswise. Cut each half lengthwise from the wider end until you reach 1/2 inch from the thinner end. (Do not cut all the way through the cucumber.) Turn the cucumber 90 degrees and repeat the process. What you have now is 4 equal "spears" of the cucumber held together at the thinner end.
• Add the cucumbers to the brine and let soak until the spears can bend slightly without breaking, 3 to 4 hours. Drain the cucumbers cut-side down in a colander for 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, whisk together rice flour, 1/4 teaspoon of the sugar and 1/2 cup water in a small pot. Heat over medium-high heat and whisk constantly until thickened, 4 to 5 minutes. (The mixture will start bubbling at about 2 minutes.) It is ready when you tilt the pot and streaks/lines in the mixture formed from the whisk on bottom of the pot don't fill in. Set the paste aside until ready to use.
• Combine the carrots, chives, onions, gochugaru, fish sauce, garlic, chili flakes, salted shrimp, the remaining 1 teaspoon sugar and reserved paste in a medium bowl.
• Working with one cucumber at a time, hold the spears open with one hand and use your other hand to stuff the vegetable mixture between the spears and slather it all over. (Distribute the mixture evenly among the cucumbers.) Serve immediately or transfer to an airtight container and let sit at room temperature for 4 to 6 hours so the flavors develop more. I think the kimchi tastes best cold, so also like to refrigerate it for at least an hour before serving. It will keep in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.