Cucumber Kimchi (Oi Sobaegi)

It's hard to keep this stuffed cucumber kimchi (or kimchee) on the table or in the fridge, because it's so popular with Koreans of all ages. Full of snap, crackle, and layers of flavor, oi sobaegi can also be eaten the day you make it.

Prep Time: 35 minutes
Cook Time: 8 hours
Total Time: 8 hours, 35 minutes

Ingredients:

10 Korean, pickling or kirby cucumbers*, with ends sliced off
1/4 cup salt
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup kochukaru (Korean chili pepper)
1/2 cup Asian chives, cut into 1 inch pieces
1/4 cup fish sauce or liquid from brined sauce
1/3 cup shredded carrots
2 Tbsp sugar

Preparation:

Wash cucumbers.
Place end of cucumber on cutting board and cut in half down length, without cutting through to the end.
Rotate the cucumber and make another cut without going through the end, so that the second cut is perpendicular to the first.
Fill a large bowl with water and dissolve the ¼ cup salt into it.
Fully submerge cucumbers in salt bath for 30 minutes.
While cucumbers are marinating, mix all other ingredients together in a bowl to make the stuffing.
After 30 minutes, remove cucumbers from salt bath but do not rinse.
Fill each cucumber between the connected spears with spicy stuffing (but do not rinse out bowl).
Place cucumbers next to each other in a glass container.
Fill seasoning bowl with about a cup of water, dissolving remaining seasonings in bowl.
Pour liquid over cucumbers until they are almost submerged.
Cover with a tight-fitting lid and store at room temperature for 8-12 hours.
Move cucumber kimchi to the refrigerator.