Spicy & Sweet Pickled Pepper Salad (Sakin Gochu Muchim)
Spicy & Sweet Pickled Pepper Salad (Sakin Gochu Muchim)
No Need to Buy! Easy No-Boil Pickled Pepper Recipe for Delicious Gochu Muchim
Hello everyone! It’s Kim Jin-ok. When peppers are in season, delicious, and affordable like now, try making your own pickled pepper salad at home! We made this salad with pickled Cheongyang peppers, and even though it was spicy, the whole family devoured it with their rice! While I previously shared a method using boiling salt water, this time, similar to the garlic stem pickle I introduced recently, we’ll use salt, sugar, and vinegar to pickle the peppers without any boiling. It’s a simple way to make them! The flavor is not too salty, so after pickling, you don’t need to soak them in water to remove excess salt; you can directly mix them with seasoning and enjoy. If you prefer milder flavors, you can substitute regular green peppers for Cheongyang peppers!
Pickled Pepper Ingredients- 500g Cheongyang peppers
- 50ml coarse sea salt (3 Tbsp, heaped)
- 100ml sugar (about 5 Tbsp)
- 100ml vinegar
Pickled Pepper Salad Seasoning- 3 Tbsp gochujang (Korean chili paste)
- 1 Tbsp gochugaru (Korean chili flakes)
- 1 Tbsp minced garlic
- 1 Tbsp oligodang (corn syrup)
- 1.5 Tbsp sesame seeds
- 3 Tbsp gochujang (Korean chili paste)
- 1 Tbsp gochugaru (Korean chili flakes)
- 1 Tbsp minced garlic
- 1 Tbsp oligodang (corn syrup)
- 1.5 Tbsp sesame seeds
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
Prepare 500g of Cheongyang peppers. Remove the stems and wash them thoroughly under running water. After washing, drain the peppers well in a colander to remove excess moisture. (Tip: The spiciness of Cheongyang peppers reduces somewhat during the pickling process. However, if you are sensitive to spicy food, using regular green peppers will result in a milder dish. For long-term storage, it’s best to leave the stems on when pickling.)
Step 2
Place the prepared peppers into a container or a zip-top bag. Add 50ml of coarse sea salt (3 heaped Tbsp), 100ml of sugar (about 5 Tbsp), and 100ml of vinegar. Close the container lid or seal the zip-top bag securely. Shake the container or bag up and down to ensure the seasoning is evenly distributed among all the peppers. Let this mixture sit at room temperature for 3 to 5 days to pickle. (Tip: Using a zip-top bag saves space and makes it convenient to shake and mix them periodically.)
Step 3
Adjust the pickling time based on the ambient temperature. In colder seasons, you might need to pickle them for about a week. It’s important to shake or turn the container or bag frequently during the pickling process to ensure the flavors meld evenly. I placed the zip-top bag on my dining table and gave it a shake whenever I passed by. After about 5 days of pickling, you can mix them right away. If you wish to store them for a longer period, without rinsing, place the pickled peppers directly into the refrigerator; they will stay crisp for up to a year!
Step 4
These peppers, pickled without boiling, are not overly salty, so there’s no need to soak them in water to remove excess salt. Drain the pickled peppers in a colander, discarding the pickling liquid, and lightly pat them dry.
Step 5
Now, let’s make the delicious pickled pepper salad. In a bowl, combine the drained pickled peppers with 3 Tbsp of gochujang, 1 Tbsp of gochugaru, 1 Tbsp of minced garlic, 1 Tbsp of oligodang, and 1.5 Tbsp of sesame seeds. Gently mix everything together until the seasoning is evenly coated on the peppers. This completes your pickled pepper salad! (Tip: You can adjust the amount of seasoning according to the spiciness of the peppers and your personal preference for a more delicious result.) This prepared salad can be stored in the refrigerator for about a month.
