Korean

Oi Muchim (Korean Spicy Cucumber Salad)

Name: Oi Muchim (Korean Spicy Cucumber Salad)
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 15 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Korean

Crunchy cucumber slices tossed in a quick gochugaru, garlic, vinegar and sesame dressing. A fresh, spicy Korean side dish that takes 15 minutes and goes with everything from BBQ to bibimbap.

Serves

Prep

mins

Cook

mins

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Ingredients

Pantry bits

3 Lebanese cucumbers (about 450g)
1 tsp fine sea salt
1/4 small onion, thinly sliced
2 spring onions, cut into 3cm lengths
2 garlic cloves, finely grated
1 1/2 tbsp gochugaru (Korean chilli flakes)
1 1/2 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp fish sauce or light soy sauce
2 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp toasted sesame seeds

Instructions

Trim the cucumbers and cut them into 5mm rounds or half-moons. Toss with the salt in a bowl and leave for 10 minutes.
Tip the cucumber into a colander and gently squeeze out the liquid with your hands. This keeps the salad crunchy and stops the dressing going watery.
In a mixing bowl, stir together the garlic, gochugaru, rice vinegar, sugar and fish sauce.
Add the cucumber, onion and spring onion and toss until coated.
Drizzle with the sesame oil, scatter over the sesame seeds and toss once more. Taste and add a pinch more sugar or vinegar if needed. Serve straight away or chill for up to an hour.

About this dish

Oi muchim (오이무침) is one of the quickest banchan in Korean cooking: salted cucumber tossed in a bright red dressing of gochugaru, garlic, vinegar and sesame. It is sweet, sour, spicy and cold all at once, and it is ready in 15 minutes.

Serve it next to rich dishes that need something fresh: beef bulgogi, spicy pork bulgogi, bossam or a bowl of kimbap. If you like the Chinese smashed cucumber salad, this is its Korean cousin, with chilli flakes instead of chilli oil and a sharper vinegar kick.

Tips for the best result

Don't skip the salting. Ten minutes draws out water so the cucumber stays crisp and the dressing stays thick.
Lebanese and Korean cucumbers have thin skins and small seeds. If you use a telegraph cucumber, halve it and scrape out the seeds first.
Dress it close to serving. Oi muchim is at its crunchiest within an hour.

Substitutions

Vinegar: rice vinegar is mild and slightly sweet. Apple cider vinegar works too.
Vegan: use light soy sauce instead of fish sauce.
Milder: halve the gochugaru. For more heat, add a thinly sliced red chilli.

Storage

Leftovers keep in the fridge for a day but will soften and release liquid. Drain before serving.

Oi muchim FAQs

Is oi muchim the same as oi kimchi?

No. Oi muchim is a fresh salad eaten the same day. Oi sobagi (cucumber kimchi) is stuffed with a chive filling and fermented for a few days.

Can I make it ahead?

You can salt and squeeze the cucumber and mix the dressing up to 4 hours ahead. Keep them separate in the fridge and toss together just before serving.