A staple in Korean dishes, this spicy Korean cucumber salad combines crisp cucumbers with a flavorful dressing made with gochugaru, sesame oil and rice vinegar. The result is a refreshing and spicy side dish that's perfect for adding some fresh crunch to any meal.
Jump to:
🌶️ Korean Cucumber Salad
If you're looking for a delicious and refreshing side dish, let me introduce you to Korean cucumber salad, also known as oi muchim.
Often served as banchan, this simple and spicy cucumber salad features chunks of crisp cucumbers that are tossed in a flavorful dressing made with gochugaru, nutty sesame oil, soy sauce and other aromatics.
The results are spicy, savory and refreshing that pairs well with a variety of other dishes, such as chicken katsu and kalbi ribs.
👨🍳 Why You'll Love this Recipe
- Comes together within minutes!
- Layers of flavor, including salty, spicy, refreshing and slightly sweet.
- Easy to double or triple the recipe.
🥒 Spicy Cucumber Salad Ingredients
- Cucumbers: Look for long English cucumbers or Persian cucumbers that have a thin peel and less seeds.
- Gochugaru: Is a medium heat dried red pepper that is used in kimchi. You can find this in most Asian markets and online as well.
- Soy Sauce: I like using shoyu, which is a Japanese style of soy sauce that has a mild and slightly sweet flavor.
- Sesame Oil: Look for toasted sesame oil for added depth.
- Rice Vinegar: This gives the cucumber salad a layer of acidity and sweetness.
- Sugar: Sugar is added to balance out the savory and salty flavors.
⏲️ How to Make Korean Cucumber Salad
- To a medium sized bowl, add the gochugaru, soy sauce, sesame oil, sesame seeds, rice vinegar and sugar and whisk to combine.
- Chop the cucumbers into ½ inch chunks and add them to the bowl.
- Give the cucumbers a toss in the dressing, making sure the dressing is evenly coated on all of the cucumbers.
- Taste for seasoning and adjust as needed. You can also add sliced green onions if available.
- Let the cucumber salad marinate for 10 minutes, then serve.
📍 Recipe Tip
Don't add salt just yet! Salt will draw the moisture out of the cucumbers as the salad sits. Taste for seasoning after the salad is assembled, and add more salt if desired.
🧄 Recipe Variations
- Add sliced green onion or thinly sliced sweet onion.
- Slice the cucumbers into very thin slices instead of chunks.
- Add finely chopped garlic for a sharper flavor.
- Add fresh grated ginger.
You can make the cucumber salad up to 2 days in advance. As it sits, some moisture will release but the cucumbers will stay mostly crunchy.
If you are using long English cucumbers, Asian cucumbers or Persian cucumbers, you do not have to peel them because the cucumbers have a thin and tender peel.
Serving Suggestions
Spicy Korean Cucumber Salad
LittleFerraroKitchen.com
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 Persian cucumbers ends removed and cut into ½ inch chunks
- 1 tablespoon gochugaru
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- 3 teaspoons soy sauce
- ½ teaspoons sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
- ½ teaspoon sugar
Instructions
- To a medium sized bowl, add the gochugaru, soy sauce, sesame oil, sesame seeds, rice vinegar and sugar and whisk to combine.
- Add the chopped cucumbers to the same bowl and toss in the dressing, making sure the dressing evenly coats all of the cucumbers.
- Taste for seasoning and adjust as needed. You can also add sliced green onions, if available.
- Let the cucumber salad marinate for 10 minutes, then serve.
Notes
- Cucumber salad can be made ahead up to 2 days in advance.
- Hold off on salting until after you taste the salad for seasoning.
- If your cucumbers have a lot of seeds, cut in half lengthwise and remove the seeds with a spoon.
Leave a Reply