All of my friends know that I loooove Korean food, and I got my mom hooked on going to Korean restaurants just for their side dishes. Last summer, I decided to experiment and make my own version of Korean spicy pickled cucumbers because I thought, it can’t be THAT hard to make! And so I did, and my mom was impressed B) I wrote a post way back in the day when I first started this blog about cucumbers and briefly talked about how I make this recipe, but I wanted to share it since I made it today and took pics this time (yay!!)
Ingredients you’ll need:
- cucumbers (large or small, doesn’t really
matter, just on how large of a batch you want to make!) - red pepper flakes
- salt and sugar
- white or red wine vinegar (I used red wine vinegar today, it’s a little sweeter)
- soy sauce
- a head of garlic
The steps are actually really simple and the prep time is super quick!
- Skin the cucumbers (or keep the skin on, whatever your preference–I kept 2 cucumbers’ skin on because my mom stopped me when I was halfway through peeling them haha).
- Dice them up into little cubes so they get soaked in sauce. Put them in a ziploc bag or a big bowl
- Peel and dice the garlic.
- Add the garlic, soy sauce, vinegar, red pepper flakes, and a pinch of salt and sugar to make the sauce. For this part, you can use your judgment because everyone’s preference is different; some people will want it more sour or more spicy, but it’s up to you! I use a lot of soy sauce, half as much vinegar, a generous amount of red pepper flakes, and a little bit of salt and sugar.
- TASTE THE SAUCE and make sure you like it! Because once you pour the sauce into your cucumber batch, there’s no going back… 😛
- When you’re satisfied with the sauce, pour it into your cucumbers and mix well and wrap it up to marinate for a few hours.
After a few hours of checking on your cucumbers and mixing the bag and turning it over a few times, it should be ready to eat! Enjoy 🙂
ALL PHOTOS ARE ©magnetically aesthetic. Please do not steal, edit, or use these pictures in any way without my permission. Thank you!
yum 🙂
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Hey Mi-Seol 🙂 I was wondering if you had any tips for how I can improve or modify this recipe? Are there secret ingredients that South Korea uses that I should try out for next time?
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Let’s see.. Each family has their own version. I usually add chopped scallions, 2 teaspoons of sesame oil and then, garnish it with sesame seeds. You may also add about 2tsp of sugar, depending on your preference. 🙂
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Oh yeah!! I don’t know why I didn’t think of sesame seeds or oil, or even chopped scallion haha, thank you for the tips!! I shall try that next time 🙂
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You’re welcome 🙂
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