Offering 60 incredible recipes, Lauryn Chun’s The Kimchi Cookbook (Ten Cent Press, 2013), follows traditional kimchi-making seasons and focuses on the produce at its peak. Chun explores a wide variety of flavors and techniques for this live-culture food. In this excerpt from “Spring/Summer Kimchi”, readers are shown the techniques for preparing this delicious Kimchi Cucumber Recipe with Chives.
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Kimchi Cucumber Recipe with Chives (Oyi Buchu Gutjori)
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Brining Time: 5 to 7 minutes
Fermentation: Ready to eat
Makes 5 cups
Ingredients:
8 Kirby, 10 Persian, or 2 large Japanese or English cucumbers, unpeeled
2 tablespoons kosher salt (preferably Diamond Crystal)
2 tablespoons Korean chili pepper flakes (gochugaru)
2 teaspoons anchovy sauce (optional)
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1/4 cup Korean or regular chives, cut into 2-inch pieces
2 tablespoons thinly sliced onion
Instructions:
1. Halve the cucumbers lengthwise, then cut them into 1/8-inch thin diagonal slices. In a medium bowl, mix the cucumbers with the salt until well combined. Set aside for 5 to 7 minutes until cucumbers sweat and glisten. They will lose the some firmness, but should still have a little crunch as you don’t want them to be too soft.
2. Place the cucumbers in a colander and rinse, then pat them dry. In a medium bowl, combine the cucumbers with the chili pepper flakes, anchovy sauce, and sugar and allow to combine for 10 minutes. Add the chives and onion and toss to combine. Eat immediately, or refrigerate and consume within 2 to 3 days.
Farmer’s Market Tip
Try adding thin slices of watermelon radish from your local farmer’s market to this kimchi recipe or to liquid-type kimchi recipes such as Tri-Colored Bell Pepper and Cabbage Water Kimchi in Clear Broth. They are visually appealing and refreshing addition to summer kimchi recipes such as these two.
Read more from The Kimchi Cookbook:
Pan-Fried Kimchi Dumpling Recipe
Red Curry Recipe With Mussels and Kimchi
Reprinted with permission from The Kimchi Cookbook: 60 Traditional and Modern Ways to Make and Eat Kimchi by Lauryn Chun and published by Ten Speed Press, 2013. Buy this book from our store: The Kimchi Cookbook.
