Cucumber Kimchi

  

March 31, 2020

Cucumber Kimchi is a refreshing crunchy version of Kimchi that I ate a lot in the Summer time in Korea. It has the delicious spicy heat from a normal Kimchi recipe with a familiar crunch. Cucumber Kimchi ferments very quickly so it is the perfect side dish for a last minute planned gathering or for a day of snacking in front of the TV.

Lactobacillus plantarum (L. plantarum) the main strain found in Kimchi, has been found in experiments to help you feel less anxiety and depression. It does this by working on the hippocampal brain-derived neurotrophic factor.  BDNF acts on certain neurons of the central nervous system, helping to support the survival of existing neurons, and encouraging the growth of new neurons and synapses. As they say your Gut is the Brain of your body. Time to feed it some Kimchi deliciousness.

Directions

1Cucumber Prep

2Slice cucumbers into halves, then into thumb sized pieces.

3Dissolve two teaspoons of the Kalahari Rock Salt into water in a mixing bowl.

4Add your cucumber slices to this salt brine. Let it sit for 2 hours. Weigh a plate on top to keep them submerged in the brine.

5Drain the brine from the bowl, reserving ½ cup of brine

1Paste Prep

2Grate Fresh Ginger (with the skin) and add to a bowl.

3Peel and Grate the Fresh Garlic and add to Ginger mix

4Chop the Spring Onions into thin strips and add to bowl.

5Add Korean Chilli Flakes & leftover salt to mixing bowl.

6Add this mixture to a highspeed blender or food processor. If you don’t have one you can use a Pestle and Mortar until a thick paste forms

1Ferment Prep

2Spread a layer of paste on top of a cucumber piece. Carefully place it into a fermentation jar or crock. Repeat with the other slices. You can stack one layer on top of the other, alternating the direction of the cucumbers, to make them all fit.

3Pour ¼ cup of the brine into the bowl you used to make paste, in order to get every last morsel of paste. Gently pour the brine over the top of the cucumbers.

4Brine should come just slightly below to the top of the cucumbers. The Cucumber Kimchi should express more brine after the first day.

5After 2 or 3 days, move to the refrigerator. They will last up to 2 weeks in the fridge.

6* Eat your Kimchi Cucumbers with dips like Hummus, Chop into Salads for a spicy kick, or straight out of your jar.

Ingredients

800g Mini Cucumbers

3 Tsps Kalahari Rock Salt

250ml Water

15G Korean Red Pepper Flakes (available from our online store)

8 Cloves Fresh Garlic

15G Fresh Ginger

4 Spring Onions

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