Sweet and Sour Pickled Cucumbers with Corn Syrup (Oiji Muchim)
How to Make Corn Syrup Pickled Cucumbers (Oiji) Without Water, and Oiji Salad
While many enjoy the traditional oiji pickled with just salt, here’s a recipe for a quick and easy version using corn syrup and sugar. We’ll be pickling oiji without any added water, creating a wonderfully crisp and flavorful dish. I’ll share the detailed steps for making this delicious oiji, perfect for a refreshing salad (muchim) or a cooling cold soup (naengguk). After years of experimenting with ratios, I’ve found a combination that I particularly love and am sharing a small batch this year for research purposes.
Ingredients
- 10 Korean cucumbers (Baek Oyi)
- 1 cup coarse sea salt (Cheonilyeom)
- 1 cup corn syrup (Mulyeot)
- 1 cup vinegar
- 3 Korean chili peppers (Cheongyang peppers)
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
Start by preparing 10 fresh Korean cucumbers (Baek Oyi). Gently wash them under running water, rubbing them softly with your hands to remove any dirt or debris. It’s important to rinse them thoroughly.
Step 2
Now, gather the ingredients for pickling your oiji with corn syrup. You’ll need 1 cup of coarse sea salt, 1 cup of corn syrup, and 1 cup of vinegar. Corn syrup is a good choice as it has a lower glycemic index than sugar. Using unrefined sugar would lower it even further, so keep that in mind.
Step 3
Place the washed cucumbers into a container suitable for pickling. For easier handling later, consider lining the container with a large ziplock bag, similar to those used for kimchi. Once the cucumbers are packed in, pour the prepared vinegar and corn syrup evenly over them.
Step 4
To ensure the cucumbers are submerged and properly pickled, you need to weigh them down. You can use a traditional pickling weight, or as I do, fill a plastic bottle with water and place it on top. Store the container in a cool place, like a balcony. After just half a day, you’ll notice a significant amount of liquid being drawn out from the cucumbers. At this point, flip the cucumbers over to ensure the pickling liquid is absorbed evenly.
Step 5
Once the cucumbers have released a good amount of liquid, prepare 3 Korean chili peppers (Cheongyang peppers). Make a lengthwise slit in each pepper and tuck them among the cucumbers in the container. This addition of chili peppers helps to balance the sweetness of the corn syrup with a gentle spicy kick, making the oiji even more delicious. While adding chili seeds is an option, using fresh Cheongyang peppers is perfectly fine and readily available.
Step 6
After letting it sit overnight, the cucumbers will soften considerably and become submerged in the liquid they’ve released. Leave them as they are.
Step 7
After 3 days of pickling, your delicious corn syrup oiji will be ready! You can now use these pickled cucumbers to make a refreshing sweet and sour salad (Oiji Muchim) or a cooling cold soup (Oiji Naengguk).
