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We made these Korean-Style Marinated Cucumbers as part of a sponsored post for #OXOGreenSaver and Melissa’s Produce. All opinions are 100% ours.
Back when my husband Jack and I first started dating, one of our first dates was dinner out with his friends at a small, out-of-the-way Korean restaurant up near the border of Massachusetts and New Hampshire. It was the first time I ate Korean cuisine, and one bite into dinner, I immediately understood why Jack had this crazy-love for Korean food!
Although we haven’t been back to that restaurant in a long time, to this day, Jack still dreams about their food – including the kimchi and marinated cucumbers that were served as a condiment with every dinner. So when we received these gorgeous, perfectly-ripe mini cucumbers from Melissa’s Produce, Jack decide to make a homemade version of Korean-Style Marinated Cucumbers.
But as the way things go sometimes – our week got crazy busy – and Jack didn’t have a chance to prepare his Korean-Style Marinated Cucumbers for a few days. But thankfully, we also received an OXO GreenSaver Produce Keeper to try out, and we were able to keep those wonderful cucumbers fresh and crisp until he could develop the recipe!
Did you know that 25% of the fresh fruits and vegetables purchased by U.S. Consumers are wasted annually before being consumed? (It happens to us all the time too – we buy produce, store it in the refrigerator – and by the time we go to eat it – it’s rotten and slimy!) There are three main reasons produce rots and spoils:
- Ethylene Gas – Fruits and vegetables give off ethylene gas which speeds up the ripening process and causes over ripening and produce to go bad.
- Improper Airflow – When produce rests against the walls of storage containers, bags and crisper drawers, moisture can build up and cause rotting.
- Uncontrolled Humidity – every fruit and vegetable requires a perfect balance of humidity to stay crisp and prevent wilting and different kinds of product require different humidity levels.
So that’s why OXO developed their line of GreenSaver Produce Keepers. OXO GreenSaver prolongs the life of produce with an Activated Carbon Filter that absorbs ethylene gas, an elevated basket that promotes proper airflow around your produce, and an adjustable vent that allows you to regulate the humidity levels specific to the produce you are storing in your refrigerator.
And those cucumbers were still perfect by the time we got around to making these Korean-Style Marinated Cucumbers! This recipe is made with easy-to-find ingredients available in most supermarkets, rather than ingredients you can only find in a specialty market.
These Korean-Style Marinated Cucumbers have a wonderful crunch and a gentle sweet-hot flavor (if you’d like, you can add more hot pepper paste!) that is refreshing and delicious served on salads, over rice, or just eaten as-is!
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Korean-Style Marinated Cucumbers
Note: These cucumbers are marinated and not fermented (like kimchi) and as a result, will only last around 4 days in your refrigerator once you’ve prepared this recipe.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds skin-on Melissa’s Mini Cucumbers, cut lengthwise into sticks 1 1/2 inches long by a half inch wide.
- 1/2 pound daikon, peeled and cut into match stick-sized pieces
- 1 bunch scallions (about 2 ounces), cut on the bias into half inch slices, white and greens
- 3 tablespoons hot pepper paste, (found in the Asian section of most supermarkets)
- 1 teaspoon shrimp paste (found in the Asian section of most supermarkets)
- 2 teaspoons fish sauce, (found in the Asian section of most supermarkets)
- 1 tablespoon finely minced fresh garlic
- 2 tablespoons finely minced fresh ginger
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
Instructions
- In a large bowl, toss cucumbers, daikon and scallions.
- In a small bowl combine all other ingredients then mix with the cucumber mixture.
- Cover tightly and let sit overnight.
- Stir and serve. Discard any remaining liquid.
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You may also like these other recipes featuring OXO brand products:
Fall Harvest Vegetarian Corn and Butternut Chowder
Those GreenSavers sound like a great way to keep things fresh! I have a feeling I wouldn’t be able to stop eating these cucumbers.
Those savers are perfect. I can’t wait ge to my hands on one and try this recipe. Always looking for ways to use cucumbers!
Yum! We always called these kimchi cucumbers and I LOVE eating them when they get super sour. Total yum!
Similar flavors Brandy – but these cuts aren’t fermented so they won’t get super sour! (But they are delicious mixed with some kimchi – yum!) 🙂