Stuffed Cucumber Kimchee Food

OI SOBAGI (STUFFED CUCUMBER KIMCHI)

Steps:

• Rinse cucumbers. Cut off both ends. If using long Korean cucumbers, cut in half (or thirds if long) crosswise.
• Add 6 cups of water with 1/2 cup of salt in a medium size pot. Bring it to a boil. Turn the heat off. Pour the boiling water over the cucumbers in a bowl. Keep the cucumbers submerged by weighing them down with a bowl or plate. Let it sit until the cucumbers are bendable, about an hour or two, depending on your cucumbers and salt.
• Meanwhile, cut the chives into 1/2 inch lengths. Julienne the radish (or onion), and then cut into the same lengths.
• Combine all the stuffing ingredients along with 1/4 cup of water, and mix well. It should taste a bit salty.
• Drain the cucumbers. Holding the top end of the cucumber on the cutting board, run a small knife through the middle lengthwise. Leave 1/2 inch uncut at both ends. Turn the cucumber and make another cut through the middle lengthwise to make a cross cut, again leaving 1/2 inch uncut at both ends. Repeat with all the cucumbers.
• Gently open each slit and insert about a teaspoonful or two of the stuffing. Be sure to fill all 4 slits of each cucumber. Repeat until all the cucumbers are stuffed. Place them in a jar or an airtight container. Leave it out at room temperature for a day. Then, store in the fridge.

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.

STUFFED CUCUMBER KIMCHEE

Steps:

• Wash cucumbers very thoroughly,scrubbing with a vegetable brush ,Dry with a paper towel.
• Cut slices diagonally into the cucumbers at 1/2 inch intervals,DO NOT CUT ALL THE WAY THROUGH.Only cut about 3/4 of the way through the cucumber leaving the slices attached at the bottom by a section of cucumber.
• Make a brine by dissolving the 3 tablespoons of salt in 5 cups of water.
• Place the cucumbers in a clean bowl and cover with the brine.Cover with a plate to keep the cucumbers completely submerged.Leave at room temperature for 3-4 hours.You may cover the bowl loosely with a clean cloth if you are worried about bugs or debris ,but do not cover the bowl tightly,.
• prepare the stuffing:peel the daikon,slice it as finely as possible,and julienne into thin ribbons;peel the ginger and shred finely;peel,crush and mince garlic;slice green onions as thinly as possible including both white and green parts.Mix with the pepper powder and salt.
• Remove cucumbers from the brine.save brine in a separate sterile jar for now.
• Gently stuff as much of the mixture as possible in between the cucumber slices .The cucumber slices will be fanned out apart by all the stuffing-just don't let the slices break.
• Place the cucumbers back in the same bowl and cover with any remaining stuffing.cover loosely with a cloth and set aside for 8 more hours,or overnight.
• Pack the cucumbers tightly into a sterile 1 1/2 quart jar.Pour any of the accumulated juices from the bowl over the cucumbers;top with as much of the reserved brine as necessary to cover.Cover loosely'.
• Set aside to ferment at room temperature for 3-6 days.Taste every day from the 3rd day on and when the pickle is soured to your liking it is ready.
• Store in the refrigerator to stop the pickle from fermenting any longer.