Korean Soy Pickled Cucumber

Name: Korean Soy Pickled Cucumber
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 10 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Korean
Ingredients: cucumbers 4 ea; soy sauce 200 ml; water 200 ml; vinegar 120 ml; sugar 80 g; garlic cloves 6 ea; hot green chilies 2 ea

Quick answer

Active time: 30 min
Waiting: See the steps
Level: Easy
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients: 7

About this dish

Hot soy brine sets only the outer surface of the cucumber while the center stays crisp even after several days of chilling.

Whole garlic cloves slowly release their aroma into the liquid and hot green chilies leave a faint heat at the end of each bite, giving more depth than plain soy pickles. Because the half-moons are cut a thick 1 cm, they need about two days of chilling before the soy and vinegar reach the middle. The first pour is hot, but when the brine is drained and boiled again to keep the slices crisp for longer, it goes back on only after cooling. Serve it over rice or next to gukbap, a Korean rice and soup dish.

Ingredients

servings

IngredientAmount

cucumbers4 ea

garlic cloves6 ea

hot green chilies2 ea

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Instructions

6 steps

1

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

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

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

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

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

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.