Korean Soy Pickled Cucumber
Quick answer
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 in...
What makes this special
- Sliced cucumbers seared with hot brine maintain their crunch for a week in this Oi-jangajji.
- Hot brine just-sears the surface, keeping crunch for over a week
- Whole garlic and chili release flavor slowly into the brine over days
Key ingredients
Core cooking flow
- 1 Scrub 4 cucumbers under running water with a brush, then trim both ends.
- 2 Prepare a sterilized glass jar and pack the cucumber slices in tightly without crushing them.
- 3 Add 200 ml soy sauce, 200 ml water, 120 ml vinegar, and 80 g sugar to a pot.
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.
Instructions
Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.
- 1Prep
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.
- 2Prep
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.
- 3Control
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.
- 4Heat
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.
- 5Step
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.
- 6Heat
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.
After the steps
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