Fresh Spicy Cucumber Kimchi Stuffed with Garlic Chives

Scrub about 900 g cucumbers under running water and trim damaged ends. Prepare 1 cup chopped chives, one julienned carrot, 1 cup sliced onion and four minced garlic cloves.

Leaving about 1.3 cm intact at one end, make one lengthwise slit through each cucumber, rotate it 90 degrees and slit again to form a connected cross-shaped pocket.

Rub 2 tbsp coarse kosher salt evenly over and inside the cucumber slits. Rest 10 minutes, turn and rest another 10 minutes. Do not replace with the same volume of fine table salt.

Rinse the salted cucumbers twice under clean cold water to remove excess salt and drain in a colander.

Mix 1 cup chives, four minced garlic cloves, one carrot, 1 cup onion, 1/2 cup gochugaru, 45 ml fish sauce, 1 tbsp sugar, 60 ml water and 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds into a cohesive stuffing.

With food-safe gloves or clean hands, fill each cucumber pocket with the stuffing and spread any remaining paste thinly over the outside.

Divide into four small side portions and serve fresh. If saving it, transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate within two hours at 4°C (40°F) or lower; this quick version does not prescribe extended room-temperature fermentation.