Kimchi Master Lee Ha-yeon taught us two recipes during the Kim'C Market Culinary Odyssey. The first was cabbage mul-kimchi — a clear, cooling brine that takes three days and rewards patience. The second was oi sobagi, and it couldn't be more different.
Oi sobagi is stuffed cucumber kimchi. Oi means cucumber. Sobagi comes from the verb meaning to stuff or press — which is exactly what you do. You salt the cucumbers, cut them open, and fill the pockets with a spiced mixture of garlic chives, gochugaru, garlic, ginger, and anchovy sauce. Then you press the filling in with your fingers, rub the excess across the outside, and pack everything into a container.
What makes it different from most kimchi isn't just the cucumber. It's the timeline. You can eat oi sobagi the same day you make it, while the cucumbers are still crisp and the filling is bright with raw garlic. Or you can leave it for a week and let the flavors settle and deepen. Both are right. That flexibility is part of why Koreans reach for it every summer.
Korea's Summer Kimchi
Korean cucumbers come into their best season in summer — thin-skinned, dense, and less watery than the varieties common in Western supermarkets. That's when oi sobagi appears on tables across the country: alongside cold noodles, grilled meats, or just a bowl of rice. It's the kimchi that makes sense when the heat arrives, partly because cucumbers are at their peak, and partly because making a large batch together and eating it the same evening is one of those quietly pleasurable summer rituals.
The stuffing technique — pressing the filling into cuts made lengthwise through each cucumber — means the spiced chives and gochugaru aren't just coating the outside. They work their way into the flesh, so every bite has the crunch of cucumber and the heat and brightness of the filling together. It's a different eating experience from paste kimchi, and once you've had it cold from the refrigerator on a hot afternoon, it earns a permanent spot in your summer rotation.
Ingredients
For salting the cucumbers
2kg cucumbers
1L water
80g Korean sun-dried sea salt (Haeyeareum Premium Mineral Bay Salt)
Filling
200g garlic chives (buchu) — flat-leafed and garlicky, distinct from the thin-stemmed chives common in Western cooking. Found at most Asian grocery stores.
2 red chili peppers, seeded and julienned
50g Premium Gochugaru (Korean red pepper flakes)
90g glutinous rice porridge (see Method)
50g minced garlic
1 tsp minced ginger
1 tsp dried anchovy powder
50g Fish Anchovy Sauce
A pinch of sesame seeds
Method
Salting the cucumbers
Dissolve 80g of salt in 1L of water. Submerge the cucumbers in the brine and leave for 5 hours, turning them over halfway through. A well-salted cucumber will yield slightly when pressed — still firm, but no longer rigid. Drain and pat dry before cutting.
Making the glutinous rice porridge
Combine 1 cup of glutinous rice with 7 cups of water in a small pot. Bring to a gentle simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture thickens slightly into a loose, pourable porridge. Let it cool completely before using. This ratio makes more than the 90g needed here — the rest keeps well in the refrigerator for up to a week, and works equally well in the cabbage mul-kimchi recipe.
Making the filling
Combine the gochugaru, glutinous rice porridge, minced garlic, minced ginger, dried anchovy powder, and anchovy fish sauce in a bowl. Mix well and leave to rest for 20 minutes — this is the step most people skip, and it matters. The gochugaru needs time to fully hydrate and the anchovy sauce needs time to distribute evenly before the chives go in. After 20 minutes, fold in the garlic chives and julienned red chili pepper. The filling should be vivid red and fragrant, with the chives just coated rather than buried.
Cutting and stuffing
Trim both ends of each salted cucumber. Make three cuts lengthwise through the center, stopping about 1cm from each end — the cucumber stays intact at both ends, which is what holds the filling in place.
Pack the filling firmly into each pocket. Resist the urge to overfill — if too much spills out, the flavor distribution becomes uneven and the container gets messy. Use your hands to rub any remaining filling across the outside of each cucumber. Pack tightly into a clean container, pressing each one down as you go.
Eating and fermenting
Oi sobagi is good immediately — cold, crunchy, with the filling still sharp and bright. It's also good after a week in the refrigerator, when the cucumbers have softened slightly and absorbed the full depth of the filling. The fresh version is a summer snack; the fermented version is a proper banchan. Try both and decide which you prefer.
What to Eat It With
Oi sobagi pairs naturally with anything mild and starchy — plain rice, cold noodles, doenjang jjigae. The crunch and heat work as a contrast against quieter dishes, the way a good pickle anchors a rich plate. It also belongs on any larger Korean spread, bringing the brightness and texture that heavier dishes need nearby. On its own, straight from the container on a hot afternoon, it's also completely acceptable.
Oi sobagi is the kind of recipe you make once and then find yourself making every summer after that — usually in larger batches than the time before. The technique is fast to learn, the ingredients are easy to find, and the result is immediate enough to feel like a reward the same evening.
Make it while cucumbers are good. Eat it tonight, and again next week.
About Kimchi Master Lee Ha-yeon
Kimchi Master Lee Ha-yeon is Republic of Korea Food Master No. 58, designated in 2014 for her haemuul ssekbakji — a seafood-and-radish kimchi reconstructed from an 1809 Joseon-era recipe that is widely credited as the work that established her reputation. She runs the Lee Ha-yeon Kimchi Cultural Institute in Namyangju, offering kimchi education programs, and is the founder of Bongwoori, a Korean fine dining restaurant with locations in Yeoksam and Euljiro, Seoul — selected for Seoul's 100 Best Restaurants list in 2024 — as well as an online kimchi shop at bongkimchi.co.kr. Her book Byeolbyeol Kimchi, covering 78 kimchi varieties and their regional and historical contexts, was published in 2025.
FAQ
What kind of cucumber works best?
Korean cucumbers — thin-skinned, firm, and less watery than Western varieties — are ideal if you can find them at a Korean or Asian grocery store. In the US, Persian cucumbers are a good substitute: similar in size and density, with fewer seeds. Regular English cucumbers work too, though their higher water content means the filling may loosen slightly over time. Whatever you use, look for cucumbers that feel dense and firm when you press them.
Can I make this without anchovy sauce?
The anchovy fish sauce adds umami depth that's hard to replicate directly, but the recipe works without it. For a vegetarian version, substitute with a good soy sauce — the salt level will be similar, though the flavor will be cleaner and less complex. Reduce the amount slightly, as soy sauce can be saltier by volume than anchovy sauce.
Fresh versus fermented — is there a real difference?
Yes, and both are worth trying. Fresh oi sobagi has crisp cucumber, bright garlic, and forward heat from the gochugaru. After a week in the refrigerator, the cucumbers soften slightly, the heat mellows, and the filling integrates into a more rounded, cohesive flavor. Neither is better — they're essentially two different dishes made from the same batch.
I have leftover glutinous rice porridge from making mul-kimchi. Can I use it here?
Yes — that's exactly what it's for. The porridge keeps well in the refrigerator for up to a week. If you're making both recipes in the same session, prepare a larger batch of porridge at the start and divide it between the two.