Fresh Korean cucumber kimchi is a summer staple and the first thing we make as soon as cucumbers are in season. Cucumber kimchi is spicy, salty and crunchy and a perfect side to go with grilled meats or simple white rice.

Cucumber Kimchi

Cucumber kimchi is a refreshing and crunchy Korean cucumber side dish that is flavored with bold seasonings of sesame oil, fresh green onion and red Korean pepper called gochugaru.

Growing up in Hawaii, I ate my weight in cucumber kimchi! In Hawaii, you'll often find cucumber kimchi being served with plate lunches or close to the poke in markets.

Why You'll Love Cucumber Kimchi

Cucumber kimchi is quick to make and can be eaten in as soon as 30 minutes!
During the summer when cucumbers are in season is the best time to make cucumber kimchi.
Cucumber kimchi stays crunchy and crisp, making it a delicious and refreshing bite with grilled meats.
There is so much flavor, including savory, spicy, fresh and slightly sweet.

Ingredients

Persian Cucumbers: Thin peel Persian cucumbers are or pickling cucumbers are great for cucumber kimchi since they don't' need to be peeled and have less seeds.
Kosher Salt: A good amount of salt is sprinkled onto the cucumbers to help draw some of the moisture out.
Gochugaru: Is a Korean red pepper that is a necessity when making kimchi. You can find gochugaru in Asian markets and online as well.
Rice Flour: A friend who taught me to make cucumber kimchi insisted I add a slurry of rice flour mixed with very hot water. The rice flour slurry helps thicken the mixture slightly.
Garlic: A few cloves of fresh garlic, grated or finely chopped.
Ginger: A good amount of fresh ginger, about an inch that is peeled and finely chopped or grated.
Green Onions: A few green onions, chopped and added to the kimchi mixture. If you don't have green onions, chives will work or very thinly sliced white onion.
Sesame Seeds
Sesame Oil
Fish Sauce: A few dashes of fish sauce gives the kimchi a great savory, umami flavor. If you want to make this vegan, leave the fish sauce out.
Rice Vinegar: Just a little bit of rice vinegar offers a touch of acidity and sweetness to the kimchi.

How to Make Cucumber Kimchi

Cut the cucumbers into ½ inch chunks and place in a large bowl. Sprinkle a few tablespoons of Kosher salt onto the cucumbers and let it sit for 30 minutes.
Pour out excess water from the bowl and use paper towels to gently pat the cucumbers dry.
Make a slurry by adding rice flour to very hot water and stir to combine well.
In the same bowl as the cucumbers, add a few tablespoons of gochugaru, fresh garlic and ginger, chopped green onions, sesame seeds, sesame oil, few dashes of fish sauce and rice vinegar.
Add a few tablespoons of the rice flour slurry and stir everything to combine well.
Fill cucumber kimchi into clean glass jars, leaving some space at the top. Place a lid on the jar and leave the cucumber kimchi to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
After at least 30 minutes, place kimchi in the refrigerator and enjoy.

Cucumber kimchi is mixed together in a large glass bowl. The cucumbers are chopped into ½ in pieces and mixed with Korean red pepper, fresh green onion, grated garlic, grated ginger and sesame seeds.

Recipe Making Tips

Be generous with the flavorings, the cucumbers can handle it!
After the cucumbers are salted, you don't need to rinse the cucumbers afterwards. Some recipes say to rinse it, but I find the salt leftover flavors the kimchi nicely.
There is no substitute for Korean red pepper, so I suggest seaking some out. You can find gochugaru online easily.
Mix the cucumber kimchi with your hands and use gloves so the pepper doesn't stain your hands.
To make vegan cucumber kimchi, simply omit the fish sauce, it will still be delicious!

What To Serve with Cucumber Kimchi

You can serve cucumber kimchi with anything you would eat cabbage kimchi with.

Cucumber kimchi is great served with simple white rice. I like to pour some of the kimchi juice onto the rice even more flavor!

Serve cucumber kimchi on a Hawaiian style plate lunch or with slow cooked hoisin pork sliders.

Serve grilled kalbi ribs with rice and cucumber kimchi.

Save some of the kimchi juice and add it to Korean scallion pancakes called pajeon.

Poke Nachos Are always a favorite on Hawaiian menus.

are in season. Cucumber kimchi is spicy, salty and crunchy and a perfect side to go with grilled meats or simple white rice. Pack cucumber kimchi into glass jars.

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