Baek-oi-sobagi (White Stuffed Cucumber Kimchi)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Large heatproof bowl
• •Small pot for boiling the salting brine
• •Fine sieve or cheesecloth
• •2-liter glass, ceramic, or onggi container with lid
• •Small saucer or fermentation weight

Instructions

1. 1

   Cut the cucumbers

   Wash the cucumbers well and trim 1/4 inch from both ends. Cut each cucumber crosswise into pieces about 2 1/2 inches long. Stand one piece upright and cut an X down from the top, stopping 1/2 inch before the bottom, so the four arms stay attached. Do not cut through. The uncut base is the hinge that holds the stuffing and keeps the brine from washing it away.

   Choose cucumbers that feel heavy for their size. If the seed core is already soft and watery, cook something else from the market today.
2. 2

   Hot salt them

   Bring 6 cups water to a boil and dissolve the 60g coarse sea salt in it. Put the cut cucumbers in a large heatproof bowl and pour the hot salt water over them. Press them down with a plate and let them stand 35 minutes, turning once. This fast salting seasons the middle, softens the cuts just enough for stuffing, and keeps the skin lively. Rinse once under cold water for 5 seconds, then drain cut-side down for 15 minutes.

   Taste a thin slice from one cucumber after salting. It should be seasoned but still crisp. If it tastes sharply salty, rinse 10 seconds more and drain again.
3. 3

   Make the brine

   Blend the pear, onion, garlic, ginger, and 1 cup of the cold filtered water until smooth. Strain through a fine sieve or cheesecloth into a bowl, pressing gently but not forcing the pulp through. Stir in the remaining 3 cups cold water, 1 tablespoon coarse sea salt, and the saeujeot brine or fish sauce if using. Add the sugar only if the pear was flat. Taste the brine. It should be a little saltier than you want to drink, because the cucumbers will water it down.

4. 4

   Season the filling

   Toss the radish and carrot matchsticks with 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt and let them stand 10 minutes. Add the garlic chives, scallions, and 2 tablespoons of the prepared brine, then fold everything together with your fingers. Do not pound it. Radish needs a little salt so it bends; chives bruise easily and turn harsh when crushed.

5. 5

   Stuff each cross

   Open each cucumber gently and tuck in about 1 tablespoon of filling. Use less than you want. If the cucumber cannot close around the filling, it is overstuffed and will split as it sits. Lay the stuffed cucumbers snugly in a clean glass, ceramic, or onggi container just large enough to hold them.

6. 6

   Brine and settle

   Pour the clear brine over the cucumbers until they are covered. If they float, press them down with a clean small saucer or fermentation weight. Leave at cool room temperature for 1 hour, then refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving. For a light tang, leave them at room temperature 6 to 8 hours with the lid loose, then refrigerate. If your kitchen is hotter than 24C or 75F, move them to the refrigerator after the first hour.

   This is a young cucumber kimchi. Do not treat it like winter cabbage kimchi and leave it out for days.
7. 7

   Serve cold

   Serve the cucumbers cold in a small bowl with enough brine to spoon over them. Eat them the day they are made for the best crunch, or within 3 days. Use clean chopsticks each time. If the brine turns ropy, smells spoiled, or grows mold, throw the batch away.

Chef Tips

• •Baek-oi-sobagi is plain in the dangerous way. There is no chili to distract the mouth, so the cucumber, salt, and brine have to be right. Let it taste like itself.
• •Korean baekdadagi cucumbers are best here: short, pale green, thin-skinned, and made for kimchi. Persian cucumbers are the easiest substitute. Long English cucumbers work only if they are firm; cut them shorter and salt 25 minutes, because they soften faster.
• •The hot salting brine looks severe, but it is measured. Thirty-five minutes seasons the cucumber without making it limp. An hour gives you tired cucumber, and tired cucumber does not recover in the refrigerator.
• •For a meatless version, omit the saeujeot brine or fish sauce and add another 1/4 teaspoon salt to the kimchi brine if it tastes flat. For temple-style cooking, you would also remove garlic, onion, and chives, but then the dish changes honestly into another branch of the same family.
• •Do not make a large batch unless the table is large. Cucumbers continue releasing water and soften quickly, so two or three days is the proper life of this kimchi.

Advance Preparation

• •The pear brine can be blended, strained, and refrigerated 1 day ahead. Stir it before using, because the fine fruit sediment settles at the bottom.
• •The radish, carrot, chives, and scallions can be cut up to 6 hours ahead and kept covered in the refrigerator. Salt the radish and carrot only when you are ready to stuff.
• •Finished baek-oi-sobagi is best after 2 hours of chilling and within 24 hours. It remains good up to 3 days if kept cold and submerged.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 190g)