Cucumber Kimchi Inspired Spicy Garlic Pickles

Cucumber Kimchi Pickles

Cucumber kimchi (Oi Kimchi, 오이 김치) is a popular summer kimchi in Korea. Many families have their own versions of cucumber kimchi, each delicious in its own way.

Cucumber kimchi is a fun ferment to make, and if you’d like to make authentic Korean cucumber kimchi, I suggest this recipe from My Korean Kitchen. You can also check out her blog to learn more about cucumber kimchi.

The flavors of cucumber kimchi inspired me, and I always try to keep my recipes original enough to call them my own. So, I made these cucumber kimchi-inspired spicy garlic pickles, and I included spices and seasoning similar to those found in kimchi.

Choosing Quality Cucumbers for Fermentation

I suggest using one of three types of cucumbers when making these kimchi pickles. First, English cucumbers, the long cucumbers normally sold tightly wrapped in plastic, work well. The second is pickling cukes; these are the shorter, bumpy, lighter green cucumbers. Third is the Persian cucumber (my favorite), also known as teeny tiny or cocktail cucumbers.

Do not use slicing cucumbers for fermentation. These are very smooth, dark green cucumbers. They’re usually fat and long. Most slicing cucumbers will turn into a soggy mess through the fermentation process. Slicing cucumbers are also normally wax-coated, which disrupts the fermentation process.

Here’s my checklist for choosing good cucumbers:

1. Density: The cucumber should feel heavy, like it is hydrated and has turgor pressure. It should not feel hollow, like yellow squash, if you tap your finger against it.
2. Check for surface mold: Look for indentations and soft spots in the cucumbers. You do not want to buy a squishy cucumber. Cucumbers near molding will have dark, small, circular indentations or black “pocks” on the surface.
3. Small is Better: The bigger the diameter of the cucumber, the soggier your pickles will be. For English cucumbers, look for one with a smaller diameter. If you are buying pickling cucumbers, go for the smaller, daintier ones. If you can find cocktail cucumbers, they will work fantastically.
4. Color: Pickling cucumbers should be predominantly green with streaks of yellowish-green. English cucumbers should be a solid medium green color.

Crisp, Fermented Cucumber Kimchi Pickles

How you slice cucumbers impacts how these kimchi pickles will hold up during fermentation. You should always remove the ends of cucumbers and not include the ends in the fermentation. The blossom end of cucumbers contains enzymes that can soften the cucumbers.

There are two slicing techniques I recommend when fermenting any sort of pickles. For pickle chips, a ripple-cut pickle holds up better than a straight-sliced pickle. You can get a cheap and simple ripple cutter by clicking here.

I also suggest fermenting pickle spears or halves, which tend to hold up even better than pickle chip slices. Spears and halves can be cut with a regular knife.

Preventing Sogginess in Fermented Pickles

To help prevent sogginess, start with cold cucumbers and a 3.5% total salt concentration. The most important thing you can do to keep your fermented pickles crisp is to use at least 3.5% total salt. That’s what the recipe calls for, so just follow it as written.

You can add bay leaves, sencha green tea, and grape leaves for tannins. You can also try adding calcium chloride salt to pickles, which is very effective at keeping things crunchy. (Some sources of calcium chloride are natural from limestone… and some are chemically produced. I suggest researching this salt and deciding for yourself if you’d like it in your food).

Don’t forget, as mentioned above, how you slice your cucumber matters. Stick to ripple cuts or spears/halves for the best results.

If you still end up with pickles that just aren’t as crisp as you’d like, use them to make delicious Fermented Pickle de Gallo!

Making Cucumber Kimchi Inspired Spicy Garlic Pickles

To master fermentation, you’ll need to use weight measurements for your ingredients, so you’ll need a kitchen scale.

To select the best probiotic bacteria (the beneficial ones) in your ferments, you must weigh salt to create a specific salt concentration. Weighing salt is the only way to make a salt concentration that will select only probiotic microbes to thrive. You can read more about why you must weigh your salt here.

Kitchenaid Dual Platform Scale

Wide Mouth Fermentation Weights

Regular Mouth Rust Proof Mason Jar Lids

Plastic pH Test Strips (pH 0-14)

Australian Sea Salt

32 Oz Mason Jars

Fermented Pickles

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Cucumber Kimchi Inspired Spicy Garlic Pickles

The spicy, umami flavors of cucumber kimchi inspire these spicy garlic pickles! These pickles only take a few minutes to prepare and 14 days of fermentation time. 

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

• Prep: 20 minutes
• Total Time: 336 hours 20 minutes

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Ingredients

• 400 grams cucumber*
• 75 grams carrots, peeled and sliced
• 300 grams water
• 28 grams sea salt
• 1 tablespoon everything bagel seasoning
• 1 tablespoon minced ginger
• 2 green onions, sliced
• 1 tablespoon gochugaru
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon seaweed or kelp granules (no oil or added salt)

Instructions

1. Please see the recipe notes before you begin.
2. Wash all of your fermentation equipment (jar, weight, and lid)
3. Wash your cucumbers in cool water.
4. Slice your cucumbers either as ripple cut chips or as spears/halves. Remove and discard the cucumber ends.
5. Place your kitchen scale on the counter. Turn it on and set it to weigh in grams.
6. Measure and weigh out the designated amounts of all your ingredients.
7. Add everything to the mason jar. (It helps if you put anything cut small, like green onion and seaweed, below the cucumbers to keep them from floating)
8. Place the lid on the jar, and secure it. Shake the jar vigorously for 2 minutes to dissolve all the salt.
9. Remove the lid. Place your clean fermentation weight in the jar, making sure to submerge the cucumber pieces and weight fully in the liquid.
10. Secure the lid to the jar (you don’t need to tighten it too much; just close it).
11. Let the kimchi pickles ferment for 14 days at room temperature. Set the jar in a glass dish to catch any spills.
12. If you tighten the lid a lot, you should burp the jar daily when it is bubbling. It also helps to open up the jar daily to rinse the lid clean and re-submerge or scoop out any floating bits. With things like sesame seeds, I usually just use a clean spoon to dip and coat them in brine so they don’t cause mold. 
13. After 2 weeks, remove the fermentation weight and smell and taste test. Your kimchi pickles should smell pleasantly sour and taste tart and salty. (if it’s warmer in your kitchen you can taste test around 10 days).
14. Store in the fridge. Please leave a five-star rating below if you love this pickle recipe!

Notes

• The timeline is adjustable based on temperature. Fermentation is faster at warm temperatures. You can taste test at 10 days and see how you like them.
• This recipe at 1x is for a 32- ounce jar.
• Pickling, Persian, or cocktail cucumbers work best. Cucumber recommendations are in the first paragraph of this blog post.

Kaitlynn Fenley Author, Educator, Food Microbiologist

Kaitlynn is a food microbiologist and fermentation expert teaching people how to ferment foods and drinks at home.

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