Korean Cucumber Salad (aka Oi Muchim). Crisp cucumbers dressed in a savory, tangy, spicy, sesame sweet sauce. These tasty Korean cucumbers are easily made in 5 minutes with minimal ingredients!
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What is Korean Cucumber Salad?
Korean Cucumber Side Dish (aka Oi Muchim) is a delicious spicy cucumber salad with a sesame soy dressing using Korean red pepper flakes. "Oi Muchim" means "seasoned cucumbers". It's one of my favourite Korean side dishes that is super quick to make!
The tasty spicy dressing will satiate every taste bud from sweet, savory, spicy to tangy! Let's also not forget about that refreshing crunch. You'll find this dish served complimentary at any Korean restaurant before your main meal.
I love making this easy Korean spicy cucumber salad for meal preparation as it can be stored in the fridge up to 4 days. It's the perfect side dish to whip out when I want to add veggies to my meal. These will be the best cucumbers you'll ever have in Korean cuisine!
Ingredients
Please scroll down to the below recipe card for full measurements:
- Seedless cucumbers: such as English cucumbers, Kirby cucumbers, or Persian cucumbers. I would recommend any cucumber with a thin skin or a lot of seeds. These are the key ingredient so make sure they're fresh too!
- Fresh Garlic
- Regular soy sauce: or substitute with low sodium soy sauce, light soy sauce or fish sauce. If you’re gluten-free, substitute with tamari sauce, coconut aminos or a gluten-free soy sauce of your choice.
- Toasted Sesame oil
- Gochugaru: aka Korean red pepper flakes or Korean chili flakes
- Rice vinegar: or substitute with apple cider vinegar or white vinegar.
- White granulated sugar: or substitute with honey or a sweetener of your choice
- Sesame seeds
Note: Most Asian markets will carry most of the Asian specific ingredients.
How to make Korean Cucumber Salad
Prepare Cucumbers
Thinly slice cucumber, removing the ends. Transfer cucumber slices to a large bowl. Optional Tip: for extra crunchy cucumbers: massage 1 teaspoon of salt to the thinly sliced cucumbers with clean hands. Let this soak for 15 minutes until excess moisture is pulled out of the cucumbers through osmosis. Then rinse the cucumbers with cold water of the additional salt and pat them dry.
Create Sauce
In a small bowl, mix Sauce ingredients as listed above until well combined.
Mix Sauce into Cucumbers
Pour sauce over cucumbers in the mixing bowl and mix well until cucumbers are coated in dressing. Enjoy immediately or chill in the fridge for 10 minutes for best results.
Storage
Leftovers will last up to 4-5 days in the fridge stored in an airtight container.
Expert Tips
- Combine sauce ingredients before mixing for best results.
- Chill cucumber salad for 10 minutes for best flavour to let the flavors absorb.
- Salt the cucumbers for 5 minutes to remove excess water. Rinse with cold water and pat dry. This makes the cucumbers more crunchy.
What to serve with Korean Cucumber Salad?
- Korean Potatoes (Gamja Jorim)
- Korean Spinach Side Dish
- Gyeran Mari – Korean Egg Roll
- Korean Tuna Cakes (Chamchijeon)
FAQ
Unused gochugaru can be stored in the freezer in a ziplock or reusable bag and will actually last up to several months!
Unfortunately, not. I would suggest omitting these ingredients altogether and adjust the other ingredients to taste.
📖 Recipe
Easy 5-min. Korean Cucumber Salad (Oi Muchim)
Ingredients
- 1 English cucumber sliced thinly
Sauce:
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon regular soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 2 teaspoon gochugaru
- 2 teaspoon rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon white granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
Instructions
- Slice cucumber thinly, removing the ends. Transfer to a bowl.
- In a small bowl, mix Sauce ingredients as listed above. Pour sauce over cucumbers and mix well until cucumbers are coated in dressing. Enjoy!
Michelle | Sift & Simmer
What a refreshing way to use up cucumbers! Delicious!
Rosemary
Ooo saving this one for when summer cucumbers come back out here in NY!
Heidi | The Frugal Girls
I love English cucumbers. In fact, I always have at least 2-3 in my fridge at all times. Your salad is such a lovely compliment to the flavors of the cucumber.
Brett
This simple yet complex recipe is a joy to behold. I love the variabilities in spice ability and just the great flavor.
christieathome
Thanks for making my recipe! Glad you enjoyed it, Brett! Happy it hit the spot!