Korean Cucumber Kimchi

The first Korean kimchi most people encounter and try is probably napa cabbage kimchi. Making homemade napa cabbage kimchi is quite a project, with ingredients that can be difficult to find outside of a well-stocked Korean grocery store, and it takes days if not weeks to mature. So most of the time, I make cucumber kimchi instead.

Korean cucumber kimchi, on the other hand, is the very opposite of napa cabbage kimchi. It is so quick to put together, requires paired-down Asian pantry ingredients, and can be enjoyed in the next hour after the kimchi is prepared.

Ingredients for Korean cucumber kimchi

This kimchi recipe needs cucumber, garlic, scallion, gochugaru (Korean chili powder), sugar, salt, rice vinegar, and sesame oil.

I use the most common cucumber you can find in any supermarket in the United States. You can also use English cucumbers to make the kimchi.

There are two versions of gochugaru (Korean chili powder), the coarse powder and the fine powder. I am using fine powder gochugaru, but you can use coarse variety. In a pinch, you can even use regular chili flakes.

For the rice vinegar, I use plain unseasoned rice vinegar. Feel free to use seasoned rice vinegar, or even apple cider vinegar in place of unseasoned rice vinegar.

Step-by-step for homemade cucumber kimchi

Peel and dice cucumbers, mince garlic cloves, and thinly slice scallions diagonally.

Place diced cucumber, minced garlic, and thinly sliced scallions in a mixing bowl.

Add in gochugaru, sugar, salt, rice vinegar, and sesame oil. Stir until everything is evenly mixed.

Chill in the fridge for at least one hour before serving.

What to serve with cucumber kimchi

This kimchi is especially good with Korean grilled or roasted dishes. If you are carnivores, you may want to try cooking Korean oven roasted pork belly, bulgogi, or spicy grilled Korean chicken at home.