If you are looking for a quick, easy and delicious vegetable side dish, you have to make this Korean cucumber salad or Oi muchim. It’s super flavorful and only takes about five to ten minutes to whip together.
Ingredients for Korean Cucumber Salad
Before making this recipe, make sure you have all the ingredients you need. You may need to purchase some of these ingredients online or at your local asian grocery store.
- Cucumber: I use english cucumbers since they are the most accessible for me, but any variety of cucumber would work for this recipe.
- Soy sauce: I use low sodium, but regular is fine.
- Rice vinegar: This is a must in the recipe, adds a nice acidity.
- Sugar: Adds some sweetness to the salad.
- Gochugaru (Korean chili powder): The centerpiece of this dish. Adds a lot of flavor and spiciness.
- Sesame seeds: Optional, but highly recommended.
- Salt: I like using kosher salt for this recipe.
How to make Korean Cucumber Salad
First, cut your cucumber into thin slices. You can use a mandolin if you’d like, but it’s not necessary. Add your sliced cucumbers to a medium sized bowl.
Add soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar, gochugaru, sesame seeds and salt to the bowl. Thoroughly mix the ingredients together until all of the cucumber slices are coated in the spices. Enjoy immediately.
Is Korean cucumber salad spicy?
Yes, the gochugaru adds quite a bit of spice to this dish. If you don’t like spice, simply add less of the gochugaru to the dish. I wouldn’t recommend completely omitting it since it adds most of the flavor to the dish.
What’s the difference between Japanese and Korean cucumber salad?
The biggest difference between Japanese and Korean cucumber is the addition of gochugaru, which is a Korean spice. Other than that, these two dishes are quite similar.
Japanese cucumber salad or Sunomono typically involves salting the cucumbers beforehand and squeezing moisture out before adding the other ingredients. You can also do this before making Korean cucumber salad.
Both recipes typically include soy sauce, rice vinegar, salt, sugar and sesame seeds. They are both pretty easy to make and are a great vegetable side dish.
Is Korean cucumber salad healthy?
Yes! Korean cucumber salad is a delicious and nutritious vegetable side dish. One serving of this recipe contains about 50 calories, 10 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of protein and 1 gram of fat.
It’s a good source of vitamin K, copper and manganese and contains about 2 grams of fiber. Overall, it’s a great low calorie side dish that’s packed with flavor.
How to store the leftovers
If you have any leftovers, I recommend transferring them to a small, airtight container and storing them in the refrigerator for about 3-4 days. They should stay crispy, but will likely absorb some more flavor as they sit.
Similar Recipes
- Maple Bacon Roasted Brussel Sprouts
- Honey Roasted Sweet Potatoes
- Roasted Chili-Corn Salad
- Simple Roasted Carrots and Green Beans
For more nutritious and delicious recipes, be sure to check out my TikTok, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube. I post new recipes every week.
Korean Cucumber Salad (Oi Muchim)
Ingredients
- 1 large cucumber english or other
- 2 tsp soy sauce
- 2 tsp rice vinegar
- 2 tsp gochugaru
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp sesame seeds
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
- First, cut your cucumber into thin slices. You can use a mandolin if you’d like, but it’s not necessary. Add your sliced cucumbers to a medium sized bowl.
- Add soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar, gochugaru, sesame seeds and salt to the bowl. Thoroughly mix the ingredients together until all of the cucumber slices are coated in the spices. Enjoy immediately.
