I am proud to share a recipe from my friend and major YHIOYP fan Joe Gardewin, who loves food (especially when it’s Korean!) and has been actively contributing to the conversation here for a long, long time. This is such a great recipe, and I love the technique, the marinating, the kick, the bite, the sweetness, all of it. Thank you, Joe, for sharing your spicy cucumber salad with the readers of YHIOYP.

“My wife, now passed, was born in Korea. I liked chilis and spicy things even before we met, but I came to appreciate them even more as I ate food the way she prepared it. Since her passing, I have tried to replicate some of her cooking. It is, in part, my way of honoring her for putting up with me for 32 years. This is a recipe I adapted from ZenKimchi, a wonderful web site for Korean cooking. Just a couple of notes about the ingredients: My wife liked to use regular Morton’s table salt but I prefer sea salt, and you can find Korean chili powder (gochugaru) and chili paste (gochujang) in most Asian grocery stores.*

You will need: 

1 large or 4-5 mini cucumbers (regular or seedless)
1 tsp. salt
1/2 small onion (any kind) or 1 whole shallot, thinly sliced
1 tsp. rice vinegar
3/4 cup cold water
3-4 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tsp gochugaru (Korean chili powder)
2 tsp gochujang (Korean chili paste)
2 tsp. sugar or honey
1 tsp. sesame seeds, toasted

To toast the sesame seeds, swirl in a preheated skillet on medium-high heat for a minute or two until you hear the characteristic snap, crackle and pop that tells you they are ready. Do not leave the stove while you heat the seeds or they will burn and you will have to start over. 100% guaranteed.

Put sliced onions (or shallots) in a small bowl, mix together the rice vinegar and cold water, and pour the liquid mixture over the onions. Place in refrigerator until needed.

Rinse the cucumbers, and cut on the diagonal into quarter-inch slices. (If using a large cucumber, split in half lengthwise and then slice each half in half once again prior to cutting into quarter-inch slices.) Place sliced cucumbers in a colander, sprinkle with salt, and stir cucumbers to distribute salt evenly. This will draw out some of the water and soften the cucumber slices a bit. Leave for about 15 minutes, stirring once. Then you can either give them a quick rinse with cold water (especially if you are restricting your salt intake), or leave them as is.

While the cucumbers are marinating, mix together all the remaining ingredients (except the onions) in a big mixing bowl. Mix thoroughly. Once fifteen minutes have passed and the cucumbers are ready, add them to the bowl, and mix again. Remove the onions from the refrigerator, drain off the vinegar, and add them as well. Place in refrigerator and chill for a couple hours before eating. This dish will keep in the fridge for four or five days. It goes especially well with rice and pork dishes. Enjoy.”

Optional per Joe: I have lot of chives growing on my patio. Sometimes I cut a handful, hold them over my cucumbers, and cut one-inch lengths of chive into the mix.

*And one final note: Joe says to be careful if you buy Korean chili pepper flakes in Asian groceries. Much of what is labeled as Korean is really Chinese in origin, and the Chinese chili flakes often lack the slightly malty, sweet taste of Korean chili flakes. Personally, he says that he would substitute Aleppo chili flakes, which you can get, if you’re in Cleveland, at Urban Herbs in the West Side Market.