# ISO Korean cucumber appetizer recipe



## marvinq (Apr 20, 2009)

Every time I go to a Korean Restaurant they give out about 6 small appetizer dishes and one of them is always this cucumber kind of dish.  There is some soft of slightly spicy seasoned liquid on it.  I don't know what it is or how to make it.  On separate occasions I've asked them how do they make it and there is always a communication barrier.  So I want to ask all of you.  

Does anyone know how to make this dish I'm talking about?


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## GrillingFool (Apr 20, 2009)

it's probably Cucumber Kimchee Recipe : Recipezaar

There are a bunch of variations, so search and see which receipe
matches what you are thinking of. 
I like the white turnip and carrot strips too.


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## RosCoe (Apr 21, 2009)

I checked a couple of Korean recipe sites I have bookmarked and found this. It sounds so good I'm going to try it.
Recipes - Cucumber Salad Recipe


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## powerplantop (Apr 22, 2009)

Is it one of these?

http://www.koreankitchen.com/oheechojeolim.htm

http://www.koreankitchen.com/oheemuchim.htmhttp://www.koreankitchen.com/oheejimuchim.htm

http://www.koreankitchen.com/oheejimuchim.htm

Cool & Spicy Cucumber Salad (Oi Muchim 오이 무침) | ZenKimchi Korean Food Journalhttp://www.koreankitchen.com/hobaknamul2minmicrowave.htm


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## Claire (May 6, 2009)

These small bowls are called kimchee.  The most common is one made with napa cabbage.  

For cucumber I peel if necessary (depends on the cucumbers, some don't need to be) and sometimes seed (again, sometimes they're fine with seeds, sometimes the seeds are large and you can just run a spoon along the cucumber, quartered lengthwise).  Cut into chunks of the size you like.  Then I put them in a large bowl, salt generously with kosher salt, place a bowl or plate on top of them, weight (a large can of whatever is in the pantry), and let sit over night.  

Then drain the cukes the next day, squeezing well.  Taste.  If way too salty, rinse and drain and squeeze again.

Sliver some garlic, coarsely chop some green onions.  You'll know what you want looking at it.  The hard part is the chili peppers.  It's an integral part of the dish, but peppers wildly differ in heat and only you can guess at what you can stand.  If you have an Asian grocery, you can buy the particular kind of dried chili flakes that are used (no seeds), but in reality I've use regular chili flakes or a Vietnamese chili/garlic sauce.  The liquid you're talking about is simply the "juices" of the cucumber, onion, garlic and pepper mingling after a day or two of sitting.

Part of the problem with the communication gap is that I doubt any Korean person ever used a recipe for kimchee, ever.  Kimchee can be made with almost every vegetable known to mankind, and in Hawaii I once had potato kimchee.  But a normal variety of little bowls of these pickles/salads would always include cabbage, but might include the cucumber, some bean sprouts in sesame oil, some rehydrated dried little bitty fish.  Some people make theirs with fish sauce or just an anchovie in the entire barrel; for me that is too strong.  It is really a trial-and-error thing until you find just the peppers you like.  

There is winter and summer kimchee.  The former is actually stored until it ferments.  Whew!  Is it strong.

Let us know how you do.


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