Korea · 25 min · Vegan · Side dish · For beginners
Oi Muchim
In German: Gurken-Zwiebel-Salat · In English: Seasoned cucumber and onion salad
For 4 servings · US units
Korean cucumber salad with gochugaru, garlic and sesame – ready in 25 minutes
Oi Muchim is one of those small Korean banchan you throw together in about 25 minutes and then can't stop picking at. The cucumbers stay crunchy while the dressing of chili flakes, garlic, vinegar and sesame oil hits spicy, sweet and sour all at once – exactly what you want alongside something rich like grilled meat or anything fried. It's a weeknight kind of salad, and it tastes best on the day you make it.
Ingredients
- 2Cucumbersmall firm variety; cut into thin slices or half-moons
- 1 tspSaltfor salting the cucumbers
- 1 tbspadjust to desired heatKorean chili flakes made from sun-dried red chilies, ground coarse or fine. Bright red, fruity, mild to medium hot and slightly smoky.Substitute: The closest match is Aleppo pepper (pul biber) from a Turkish grocery, which is similarly fruity and mild but oilier, often salted and slightly tangier. In a pinch, mix sweet paprika with a little cayenne; this roughly matches colour and heat but not the fruitiness or texture. Ordinary crushed red pepper flakes are too hot to use in the usual quantities.Read more
- 2Spring onionfinely chopped
- 1 clovesGarlicfinely minced
- 1 tbspfor acidity in the dressingA mild, pale vinegar made from rice, less sharp and slightly sweeter than wine vinegar.Substitute: Cider vinegar or white wine vinegar, diluted with a little water and rounded off with a pinch of sugar, comes close but tastes fruitier.Read more
- 2 tspSugarto balance the dressing
- 2 tspSesame seedstoasted, mixed in and sprinkled over
- 1 tsptoasted, added at the endDark oil pressed from toasted sesame seeds, with a strong, nutty, roasted aroma; usually added at the end in small amounts as a seasoning.Substitute: There is no real substitute, as no other oil carries the roasted aroma; at a pinch, a neutral oil with freshly pan-toasted, crushed sesame seeds helps, though the flavour stays clearly weaker.Read more
- 1 tbspSoy saucelight or soup soy sauce for seasoning
- 1Onionthinly sliced, briefly soaked in cold water (optional)
- 1 tbspas sweetener instead of sugar (optional)Korean syrup made from green, unripe plums (maesil) steeped in sugar: sweet, fruity and tart.Substitute: There is no true equivalent. Honey or a light sugar syrup with a little lemon juice or rice vinegar matches the balance of sweetness and acidity, but the fruity, slightly almond-like plum aroma is lost; in marinades and dressings this is barely noticeable, whereas diluted as a drink the difference is obvious.Read more
- 1 tbspfor savoury depth (optional)A clear, amber seasoning sauce made from salted, fermented fish, in Korea usually anchovies; very salty and deeply savoury.Substitute: Thai or Vietnamese fish sauce can be used one for one; it tastes slightly different but works well. There is no true fish-free substitute: light soy sauce with a pinch of salt provides salt and some savouriness, but not the fermented fish note.Read more
Method
- Prep the cucumbersWash the cucumbers, trim off the ends and peel them if you like.
- Cut the cucumbersCut the cucumbers into thin slices, or halve them lengthways and slice them on the diagonal into bite-sized pieces.
- Salt the cucumbersToss the cucumber pieces with the salt and let them sit for 15 to 30 minutes so they draw out some water.
- Drain and pat dryPour off the liquid that has collected, or rinse the cucumbers briefly and pat them dry.
- Prepare the onionIf you're using the onion, slice it into fine strips, soak it briefly in cold water and drain it well.
- Mix the dressingFor the dressing, stir together the chili flakes, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar, minced garlic and sesame oil in a bowl.
- Toss with the dressingAdd the cucumbers (and the onion strips, if using) to the dressing and mix everything thoroughly, ideally with your hands.
- Finish and seasonFold in the spring onions and most of the sesame seeds, keeping a little back for sprinkling, then taste and adjust the seasoning.
- Garnish and serveServe right away or let the salad sit for 10 to 15 minutes; either way, sprinkle the reserved sesame over the top before serving.
Tips and variations
If you're in a hurry, dress the raw cucumber slices straight away without salting them first – they stay a bit wetter, but very fresh. For a mild version, start with just soy sauce, rice vinegar and sugar and add heat to taste; instead of gochugaru, wasabi with green plum syrup gives a sharp, bright kick. Plum syrup can replace the sugar entirely, thicker half-moons instead of paper-thin slices give you more bite, and a handful of soaked onion strips turns this into a cucumber and onion salad. If you're not cooking vegan, fish sauce or tuna seasoning sauce adds extra savoury depth. Serve it as banchan with rice and something grilled – it keeps for a few days in the fridge, but it's at its best the day it's made.
Allergens
Contains: Cereals containing gluten, Sesame, Soybeans
May contain if you use the optional ingredients: Fish
These notes follow from this recipe's ingredient list. Ready-made products and brands may contain further allergens — please check the packaging yourself.
Something not right?
This recipe was put together from independent sources and checked before publishing. Even so, a mistake can slip through — an amount that does not add up, a step that does not work as written. If you spot something, write to us: we will look into it and put it right.
