Quick & Easy Cucumber Kimchi

Korean Cucumber Kimchi is a spicy, flavorful Asian condiment. It is ubiquitous on Korean tables, but makes a delicious addition to any rice bowl. This quick version, which isn’t truly kimchi but rather a quick pickle salad, can be ready to eat in just 30 minutes. It’s the easiest kimchi recipe I’ve made!

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What is kimchi?

Kimchi is a Korean side dish that appears at nearly every Korean meal. The most common kimchi stars napa cabbage that is fermented along with chiles and other seasonings. It is also made with other vegetables like radishes or cucumbers. It is spicy, tangy, and loaded with umami.

The process of making kimchi is lacto-fermentation. First, the vegetables are salted, which destroys any harmful bacteria. Next, lacto-fermentation takes over when lactobacillus (the good bacteria) converts the natural sugars in the vegetables into lactic acid. This both preserves and flavors the vegetables. This process imbues the dish with healthy probiotic microorganisms that can help boost your immune system, aid digestion, regulate blood sugar, lower cholesterol, and possibly even prevent certain cancers.

This quick cucumber kimchi recipe (Oi Kimchi in Korean) is a popular summer kimchi. It can be left to ferment overnight, or you can eat it right away. It has a crunchy texture, bright acidic flavor, a punch of spice, and a trace of garlic.

It’s not a true kimchi because it includes soy sauce and vinegar and is not fermented over days or weeks. The true name of this dish is Oi Muchim or Spicy Cucumber Salad. But it makes a great vegan kimchi substitute, especially if you want something you can eat right away.

Most authentic Korean kimchi includes the Korean red chili gochugaru, as well as fish sauce and/or dried shrimp for added umami flavor. This version uses regular soy sauce for umami instead, making it a vegan kimchi.

To give this kimchi more authentic flavor, add 1 tablespoon of dried shrimp and 1 tablespoon of fish sauce or 2 tablespoons of fish sauce in place of the soy sauce.

Ingredient Notes

Cucumbers are the star here, and the variety matters. English cucumber or Persian cucumbers, also called Lebanese cucumbers, work best because their skin is thin and they hold less water, so the kimchi stays crisp instead of turning soggy. If all you have on hand is a standard slicing cucumber, peel it and scrape out the seedy center before salting.

The Korean red pepper flakes called gochugaru give this kimchi its color and its slow-building heat. Look for the coarse, flaky Korean chili flakes sold specifically as gochugaru rather than a generic crushed red pepper, since the flavor is fruitier and less sharp. Gochugaru comes in different heat levels, so check the label if you want to control the spice.

Rice vinegar brings the tang that traditional kimchi usually gets from days of fermentation. Since this version is a quick-style kimchi rather than a fermented one, the vinegar is doing that job instead, so don’t swap in a milder vinegar or the balance will be off. I like Marukan rice vinegar.

Sesame oil goes in at the end, not during any cooking step, because its aroma fades with heat. A few drops stirred in right before serving is what gives the dish that nutty, toasted background note. Be sure the one you buy is 100% sesame oil.

Sugar balances the vinegar and the salt. It’s a small amount, just enough to round out the sharper flavors, not enough to make the dish taste sweet.

Be sure to use additive-free salt, like kosher salt or sea salt. The iodine in regular table salt or iodized salt can inhibit fermentation.

How do you make it?

1. Start by salting the cucumbers, carrots, and onion in a large bowl, then let them stand for about 20 minutes. The salt draws out excess water, which is what keeps the finished kimchi crisp instead of watery. Drain the vegetables, rinse off the salt, and pat everything dry.
2. While the vegetables sit, stir together the garlic, gochugaru, rice vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, and sugar. Toss this mixture with the drained vegetables until everything is well coated.
3. At this point you can serve the kimchi right away for a fresh, crunchy side dish, or cover the bowl and let it sit at room temperature overnight if you want the flavors to deepen and the kimchi to develop a bit of tang from natural fermentation. Either way, garnish with sesame seeds just before serving.

Tips for success

1. For the best flavor, use only additive-free salt like sea salt or kosher salt. This is especially important if you want your kimchi to ferment because the iodine in iodized salt may prevent fermentation.
2. Be sure to use a non-reactive bowl, such as glass, stainless steel, glazed ceramic, or enameled metal. Reactive materials, such as aluminum, copper, uncoated cast iron, and plastic can react with the salt and acid and negatively affect the texture, flavor, and color of the kimchi.
3. For the most authentic Korean flavor, use gochugaru pepper flakes.
4. If you’d like to ferment your cucumber kimchi, let it sit, covered, at room temperature overnight. Store in the refrigerate after that for up to a week.
5. Store leftover cucumber kimchi in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
6. You can peel the cucumber if you like, but this is unnecessary with the smaller cucumber types.

What do you serve with Korean cucumber kimchi?

You can serve this Cucumber Kimchi the way way you’d serve cabbage kimchi. I serve it alongside meat dishes with steamed rice, or put it on top of rice bowls.

I often serve this Oi Muchim cucumber salad kimchi on top of my Beef Bulgogi Rice Bowl, alongside Korean Fried Chicken, Miso Salmon, Chicken Karaage, Thai Fish Cakes, or Pork Fried Rice.

It would go perfectly with these Korean pork chops or with Lemongrass Chicken.

I’ve even been known to put it inside an Air Fryer Fried Chicken Sandwich. This Spicy Cucumber Salad is a similar salad with Chinese seasonings.

Korean Bapsang is my favorite Korean food blog. She’s got lots of grilled meat and seafood dishes that would be perfect to serve with this cucumber kimchi. Try her Korean BBQ Pork Ribs or Spicy Grilled Squid.

Cucumber Kimchi

Robin Donovan

Korean Cucumber Kimchi is a spicy, flavorful addition to any
rice bowl. This is quick version can be ready to eat in just 30 minutes.

4.55 from 61 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Additional Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 25 minutes mins

Course Side Dish Recipes

Cuisine Korean

Servings 1 quart

Calories 74 kcal

Cook Mode(keep your screen awake)

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• ▢ 4 small cucumbers preferably Korean or Japanese, thinly sliced
• ▢ 2 small carrots thinly sliced
• ▢ 1/2 onion thinly sliced
• ▢ 2 1/2 teaspoons salt
• ▢ 3 tablespoons gochugaru crushed Korean red chili pepper
• ▢ 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
• ▢ 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• ▢ 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• ▢ 2 1/2 tablespoons sugar
• ▢ 2 garlic cloves minced
• ▢ Sesame seeds optional, for garnish

Instructions

 

• Toss the cucumbers, carrots, and onion together in a large mixing
  bowl. Sprinkle the salt over the vegetables and toss to mix well. Let stand for about 20 minutes.
• In the meantime, in a small bowl stir together the gochugaru, vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, and garlic until thoroughly combined.
• After the vegetables have finished soaking in the salt, drain off the excess water that has collected in the bottom of the bowl. Rinse the vegetables thoroughly in cold water, drain again, and then pat dry with paper towels or a clean dishtowel. Return the vegetables to the mixing bowl.
• Add the sauce mixture to the vegetables and toss until the
  vegetables are well coated.
• The dish can be served immediately, or you can let it ferment at
  room temperature overnight.
• Garnish the dish with sesame seeds if desired just before serving.
• Serve cold or at room temperature.
  
  

Notes

Nutrition

Serving: 1Calories: 74kcalCarbohydrates: 10gProtein: 2gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gSodium: 998mgFiber: 1gSugar: 6g

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