Quick & Easy Cucumber Kimchi by Mama Lee

I often drop by Mama Lee’s cafe to get my usual lunch fix. I’ve become one of Mama Lee’s familiar faces and she knows I enjoy Korean food. Sometimes she’ll have extra homemade kimchi to let me take back with my food order (kimchi not part of the menu by the way). One of my favorite kimchi is her cucumber kimchi. She tells me how easy it is to make and shows me.

Mama Lee says the secret to a good cucumber kimchi is coarse red pepper flakes like this brand. She insists on the coarse flakes and not the finely ground powder.

Next, you add these ingredients into a large bowl; fresh cut cucumber, minced garlic, sugar, salt, white sesame seeds, sliced spring onions and coarse red pepper flakes.

Now mix them all up until the cucumbers are coated in the seasonings. Lastly, add a splash of sesame seed oil. Mama Lee uses Ottogi Premium Roasted Sesame Oil.

“Do not add the sesame oil first,” Mama Lee said. “Or the seasonings will not coat the cucumber!”

And now it’s ready to be enjoyed!

Mama Lee shows me how to make this right outside her cafe (she sells the usual American foods like burgers and fries, but also fusion foods like Korean beef burger) and gives me the cucumber kimchi to take home.

One final word. She recommends eating it fresh since the cucumbers will be nice and crunchy. Otherwise, the cucumbers will release its juices after a day or two.

“You can put any fruit or vegetables as long as it’s crunchy, like apples and pears”, Mama Lee said.