Oi Sobagi or Korean-style spicy stuffed cucumber kimchi

Name: Oi Sobagi or Korean-style spicy stuffed cucumber kimchi
Prep time: 25m
Cook time: 15m
Yield: 3
Cuisine: Korean

Crunchy, light, and spicy, this recipe is a summer favorite in Korea

Mi-Jung Hong

Cuisine:Korean

Cook time:15m

Prep time:25m

Servings:3

3 cucumbers

20 gms chives (chopped small)

¼ onion (thinly sliced)

2 tbsp Korean chili powder or Gochugaru (available in Korean grocery stores) or substitute with equal quantity of Kashmiri red chilli powder

1 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp store-bought fish sauce

1 tbsp store-bought shrimp sauce

¼ minced ginger or ginger powder

½ minced garlic

1 tbsp cooked rice

1 cup water for soaking 

½ tbsp toasted sesame seeds

3 tbsp sea salt for soaking 

2 tbsp sea salt for washing

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Ingredient Substitution Guide

First, wash the cucumbers and trim and discard both ends. Slice the cucumbers into 6 or 7cm-long pieces.

Now, cut each piece lengthwise in a cross shape (to make pockets for stuffing). Make sure you do not cut all the way through and leave at least 1 cm at the bottom (please refer to the pictures).

Transfer the cucumber pieces in a big bowl, sprinkle and rub them with sea salt inside and out.

Now, set aside for 15 to 20 minutes.

Ingredients for making Oi Sobagi

Wash and cut the cucumbers.

Cut them lengthwise in a cross shape, leaving about 1 cm on one end.

Cut the cucumber pieces lengthwise in a cross shape

Soak in salt and set aside.

Chop the chives and thinly slice the onion.

With a hand mixer, mix gochugaru, sugar, salt, fish sauce, shrimp paste, ginger, garlic, and cooked rice, to make the sauce.

Mix till its a thick paste.

Add the onion and chives to the paste and mix well.

Stuff the sauce in the cucumber pockets.

After the resting period, rinse the cucumber in cold water twice or thrice to remove any excess salt. Drain off the water.

Chop the chives about 0.5cm long.

Using a mixer, mix together all the ingredients for the sauce. Toss in the chives and the onion slices and mix well.

Gently squeeze the cucumber pieces to release any residual excess moisture and gently stuff the sauce mixture into the cucumber pockets.

Sprinkle sesame seeds and serve as a side dish.

Mi-Jung Hong

Mi-Jung Hong is currently the manager of the Korean Cultural Center, in the UAE. She studied Culinary Arts in a Korean university and holds a national Korean license as a culinary and baking technician. Hong has previously worked as a chef in five-star hotels in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Now, she focuses on sharing easy Korean food recipes with Korean food lovers in the UAE.