Korean Soy Pickled Cucumber

Quick answer

Total time: 30 min
Level: Easy
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients: 7

About this dish

Oi jangajji is a Korean soy-pickled cucumber made by slicing cucumbers into one-centimeter rounds, lightly salting them to draw out surface moisture, then packing them into a sterilized jar with whole garlic cloves and green chilies before pouring over a boiling brine of soy sauce, water, vinegar, and sugar.

The hot liquid partially cooks the cucumber surface while leaving the center firmly crisp, and two days of cold fermentation allows the sweet, salty, sour brine to penetrate all the way through. The green chilies leave a faint heat at the back of each bite, and the whole garlic cloves release their aroma gradually into the brine as they soften over the resting period, adding a layer of complexity beyond a straightforward soy pickle. Reboiling the spent brine and pouring it back over the cucumbers once extends the crunch considerably, turning this into a practical side dish that holds up well for more than a week in the refrigerator. It works alongside a bowl of rice, next to a hearty soup, or as a sharp palate-waker on a hot summer day when appetite runs low.

Ingredients

servings

IngredientAmountUnit

cucumbers4 eaea

soy sauce200 mlml

water200 mlml

vinegar120 mlml

sugar80 gg

garlic cloves6 eaea

hot green chilies2 eaea

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Instructions

Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.

6 steps

1

Prep

Scrub 4 cucumbers under running water with a brush, then trim both ends.

Slice them into even 1 cm half-moons and pat them dry so excess surface water does not dilute or cloud the brine.
2

Prep

Prepare a sterilized glass jar and pack the cucumber slices in tightly without crushing them.

Tuck in 6 garlic cloves and 2 hot green chilies between the layers so their aroma and heat spread evenly.
3

Control

Add 200 ml soy sauce, 200 ml water, 120 ml vinegar, and 80 g sugar to a pot.

Bring it to a boil over medium heat while stirring, then boil 30 seconds longer once no sugar grains remain.
4

Heat

When the brine reaches a strong boil, turn off the heat and let the steam settle for about 5 minutes.

Do not cool it completely, because the hot brine should lightly set the cucumber surface only.
5

Step

Slowly pour the hot brine into the jar and check that every cucumber piece is fully submerged.

If pieces float, press them down with a clean spoon to release trapped air, then seal the jar immediately.
6

Heat

Let the sealed jar cool completely at room temperature, then refrigerate it for 2 days before serving.

For longer crunch, pour off only the brine, reboil it, cool it, and add it back to the cucumbers.

Practical Cooking Checks

The cues that matter most while cooking.

Key technique: Sliced cucumbers seared with hot brine maintain their crunch for a week in this Oi-jangajji.
Finish cue: Let the sealed jar cool completely at room temperature, then refrigerate it for 2 days before serving.
Avoid this: Do not cool it completely, because the hot brine should lightly set the cucumber surface only.
Storage and reheating: Reboiling the spent brine and pouring it back over the cucumbers once extends the crunch considerably, turning this into a practical side dish that holds up well for more than a week in the refrigerator.