Korean Cucumber Salad (Oi Muchim)
Oi Muchim is a super-simple side dish from Korea. Cucumber and chilli are surprisingly amazing together – chilli heat and cooling in one! It’s the perfect accompaniment to many dishes and also my favourite Korean cucumber recipe!
I love dishes that are as simple to put together as Oi Muchim (오이무침), a wonderfully flavourful cucumber banchan salad from Korea. An intoxicating combination of chilli heat and cooling cucumber. A sweet, nutty and fragrant salad. No cooking required and ready in a matter of minutes.
What is Banchan?
Like many great cuisines of the world, Korean food often includes one or two main elements alongside lots (and we mean lots) of smaller plates. Banchan can feature a mind-boggling array of flavours, colours and textures, and are intended to be mixed and matched to create unique flavours and combinations with every bite. It's an incredibly satisfying way of enjoying a meal. No table can be truly complete without a Korean cucumber banchan in my humble, non-Korean, opinion!
Oi Muchim, translates as 'picked cucumber', but there's so much more to this amazing little plate. For one, it uses Gochugaru, the ubiquitous Korean chilli flakes used in obscene quantities throughout Korean food. A dazzling red hue permeates anything it comes into contact with - it's the ingredient that gives kimchi its striking colour. Hot, but not crazy hot, with its own unique flavour. It's an essential ingredient to creating an authentic Korean cucumber salad.
Oi Munchim is the perfect dish to whip up along with a simple salad, a bowl of kimchi and some jarred Korean pickles - a meal in minutes. It works perfectly with grilled meats like bulgogi or even fish. A real, no-fuss addition to your table. And as you'll see, it's super simple to make at home.
More Korean recipes
If you liked my recipe for Korean cucumber salad, Oi Muchim, you'll want to try some of my other delicious Korean favourites.
How to make Korean Cucumber Salad (Oi Muchim)
Ingredients
- 1 English cucumber (cut into 1/2"/10mm slices)
- 1 garlic clove (minced)
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp gochugaru (Korean chilli flakes)
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds
- 1 spring onion finely sliced
Instructions
- Cut the cucumber into slices and set aside.
- In a small bowl, mix together all the other ingredients until the sugar has dissolved.Pour the dressing over the cucumber and mix well to combine everything.
- Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate until needed.
Nutrition
Did you make my Korean Cucumber Salad (Oi Muchim)
How did you go? Let me know in the comments below and be sure to tag @cookeatworld at Instagram.
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