Quick, Vegan Cucumber Kimchi (in 30 minutes!)

Yes!  Kimchi that is fast, easy, and tasty.  Check! Make in the height of summer when fresh pickling cucumbers are around or when you see cucumbers in the market! Just needs a few ingredients and less than 30 minutes to prepare. 

This kimchi is modeled off the fresh cucumber kimchi served at Kunjip restaurant in Santa Clara, CA.  They serve hot steaming bowls of bone broth and serve with 3 kinds of red kimchi: daikon, napa cabbage, and this cucumber one. 

What can you do with cucumbers? 

Make this kimchi!  Sliced into thick rounds, it provides a crunchy contrast to the meal.  Despite its redness, it is not terribly spicy either.  

Eat it Fresh

This kimchi is meant to be consumed right away.  As the cucumbers sit in the marinade, it starts to turn from opaque to clear and degrade a little bit after a few days. 

How long does cucumber kimchi last? 

For that reason, it’s best to eat this kimchi the same day or at most up to 1-2 days afterwards. But ideally, the same day or next day is best. 

There are some cucumber kimchi recipes that do require fermenting for a few days to obtain that characteristic sour flavor, but this recipe is not one of them. 

Not to be confused with stuffed cucumber kimchi

Stuffed cucumber kimchi is a whole different animal that requires garlic chives, shrimp paste, and patience to sit there and stuff. 

Some day you should try that but but not today. 

6 Simple, Vegan Ingredients

1. Cucumbers - use any thin skinned, small varieties, such as pickling (Kirby), Persian, or Japanese Cucumbers.  English cucumbers could work too though not traditionally used in Korean cuisine. Waxy regular cucumbers would not work so well, since the skin is too thick. 
2. Korean red chili flakes - this is what will make the cucumbers red and come to life.  You can buy them in various shades of spicy but generally it is a mild chili that makes this kimchi very approachable. 
3. Garlic - fresh chopped, a must have in all kimchi
4. Soy Sauce - Since we're not using the traditional fish sauce or salted shrimp, the soy sauce lends umami notes.
5. Salt - coarse sea salt would be traditional though kosher or pink Himalayan salt would work too.  
6. Sugar - this is needed to balance out the salt and give the kimchi a more well rounded flavor.  You can use sugar or another sweetener of choice, such as vegan honey, coconut sugar, or brown rice syrup.  

Did you know that conventional sugar is processed through bones? To be truly vegan, use a sugar that is made via evaporating sugar cane juice.

Optional additions

You could spice up your kimchi with any number of these additions:

• Toasted sesame seeds
• Garlic chives cut into 2" pieces 
• Chopped Onion
• Sliced Green onion
• Rice vinegar - for extra sourness

I hesitate to include any of these in the actual recipe in order to keep it as simple as possible.  They would be nice but not completely necessary to achieve the desired dish.

Non-Vegan version

The non-vegan version of this kimchi would use salted shrimp or fish sauce to enhance the flavor.  Without it, we don’t miss it too much. 

Why are Cucumbers Bitter?

The biggest way your cucumber kimchi can go wrong is if your cucumbers are bitter to begin with.

This is an unfortunate outcome that particularly seems to affect pickling cucumbers, and you don't know they are bitter until you bring them home and taste them.

Apparently, they can get stressed out due to lack of sun, water, and nutrients and become bitter as a result.

To avoid this:

1. Peel the skin and cut off the stem end.  This is where most of the bitter compounds are concentrated.
2. Buy from a producer/vendor/brand you've bought from before so you have an idea of what they taste like.
3. Sneak a taste while in the store/farmer's market (though people may stare, and it's kind of audacious and ungracious).

How to Make Vegan Cucumber Kimchi

Step 1: Quick Brine

Some recipes call for salting heavily, then rinsing the cucumbers.

Not this one!  Just salt a little bit, and add. We're going for a fresh cucumber salad type thing. Not wilted cucumbers. 

Slice the cucumbers into ½” rounds and toss with the salt.  Let sit for 10-15 minutes until they start glistening. The salt will dissolve and pull out the moisture from the cucumbers. 

If you skip this step, no one will die.

Brining the cucumbers before hand ensures that it is kimchi.  Otherwise, it's more like cucumber salad such as: Angry, Vegan Smashed Cucumbers or Vegan Vampire White Cucumbers.

Step 2: Toss with remaining ingredients

The traditional way to make this kimchi is to use your hands or a disposable glove so that you really massage the flavor into the kimchi.  If you have one, that’s great. If not, that’s ok too. 

Without hands though, you will need to toss for a while.  The Korean chili flakes need some massaging to release their red color.  

Step 3: Serve

Serve right away or chill and serve later that day. 

Eat with the best rice, vegan kimchi fried rice, or these traditional Korean black bean sauce noodles.

Helpful Tips from a Pro Chef:

1. Use pickling cucumbers for best results.  Persian or Japanese cucumbers would work too.  Use English if you must, but it's not very traditional. 
2. Massage in the ingredients with your hands if you have a disposable glove.  Alternately, mix very well with spatula/spoon.
3. Toss in optional chopped onion, green onion, or garlic chives if you have them for additional flavor.
4. Add a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds for garnish if you have them.
5. Eat the same day for optimal freshness.  Store up to 1-2 days maximum, but it really tastes best within 24 hours.

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Recipe

Do you love cucumber kimchi?  Spread the ♥, and please share!