10-Minute Korean Cucumber Salad (Oi Muchim)
Korean cucumber salad (Oi Muchim) is a crunchy, refreshing side dish that’s perfect as a palate cleanser for any meal. This easy 10-minute recipe combines flavors of sesame oil, vinegar, garlic, chili flakes, and a hint of gochujang, making it a quick and impressive side salad.
During the abundant summer months, when garden-fresh cucumbers are plentiful, I frequently prepare this crunchy Korean cucumber salad to accompany my Korean Dinner Recipes or other Asian Recipes. It’s one of the most repeated Korean side dishes I make.
This simple Korean cucumber salad recipe, ready in just 10 minutes, provides a refreshing crunch and a delightful combination of savory, tangy, and slightly sweet flavors. The gentle spice from gochujang and gochugaru adds an exciting twist. It’s a perfect complement to various main dishes.
What is Korean cucumber salad?
The Korean cucumber salad, known as oi muchim (오이무침), is a cherished side dish, or banchan. ‘Oi’ means ‘cucumber’, and ‘muchim’ is a traditional method of hand-tossing vegetables with seasonings.
This salad is especially favored during summer and has gained global appreciation in recent years.
A typical recipe involves thinly sliced cucumbers mixed with a tangy and mildly spicy dressing. The dressing combines soy sauce, vinegar, Korean chili flakes, sugar, garlic, and green onions.
However, this version of the recipe offers a unique twist. By adding a hint of gochujang, a flavorful Korean chili paste, the salad acquires a deeper umami taste. Try this recipe for a special variation on a classic dish.
Ingredients for Making a Perfect Korean Cucumber Salad at Home
- Cucumber choice: The best option would be a thin-skinned variety with a mild, slightly sweet taste. Below are options of suitable cucumbers. The recipe is good for 1 medium-length English cucumber.
- Onion and Garlic: savory addition to the salad
- Gochujang and gochugaru: These Korean chili paste and chili flakes add spicy heat and Korean flavor to the dish
- Korean soup soy sauce (gukganjang): seasons the salad and brings umami taste. If not available, substitute with small amount of salt.
- Vinegar, sesame oil, sesame seeds: for the dressing to bring tangy and nutty taste to the salad.
- Most people commonly use rice vinegar, but if it’s not available, white vinegar makes a good substitute.
Note: If you only have the waxy American cucumber available, you should peel off its skin. The thick and fibrous skin.
Can I use a different type of cucumber for this recipe?
Absolutely, while the traditional Korean cucumber salad is made using Korean cucumbers, which are thin-skinned and have fewer seeds, you can certainly use other types of cucumbers.
English cucumbers or Kirby cucumbers are a good alternative due to their thin skin and minimal seeds. If you only have regular, garden variety cucumbers available, they can work too, but you may want to peel them as their skin can be tougher, and consider scooping out the seeds if they’re too abundant.
The key is to slice your cucumbers thinly so they can fully absorb the flavors of the dressing.
What dishes pair well with Korean cucumber salad?
Korean cucumber salad, or Oi Muchim, pairs well with various dishes. Perfect with Korean barbecue like Bulgogi and Galbi, it also complements Bibimbap and Japchae, a stir-fried glass noodle dish.
This versatile salad can enhance grilled meats (such as samgyupsal), grilled fish, chicken, and makes a refreshing addition to any picnic or barbecue.
Essential Recipe Tips
To achieve the best results for your cucumber salad, I recommend the following two tips:
- Lightly salt the cucumber slices for 5-10 minutes to draw out excess moisture. Doing so maintains the cucumbers’ crispness and prevents the seasoning from diluting once the salad is tossed.
- Add a small amount of Korean chili paste (gochujang) alongside Korean chili flakes (gochugaru). Gochujang adds thickness to the seasoning, allowing it to better adhere to the cucumber slices.
How to make Korean Cucumber Salad (Oi Muchim)
Step 1: Coat cucumber with salt
Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon of salt over the thinly sliced cucumber and toss to coat. Let it sit for 5-7 minutes until the salt draws out the excess moisture. Drain the cucumber slices to remove the liquid.
Step 2: Toss with the dressing ingredients
- Add the thinly sliced onion, Korean chili flakes, Korean chili paste, vinegar, garlic, sugar, Korean soup soy sauce, sesame oil, toasted sesame seeds.
- Using your fingers and thumb, rub the Korean chili paste to loosen up and mingle with other seasoning ingredients.
- Start tossing the cucumber all together until cucumber slices are well coated with the seasoning. Taste and add more salt if needed
Traditional tossing technique: The age-old Korean technique of tossing vegetable salads by hand, called muchim, is used to create a variety of flavorful side dishes. This traditional technique is showcased in this simple Korean cucumber salad recipe, as well as in other dishes such as Korean spinach and bean sprout side dish.
Best Practices for Storing Your Korean Cucumber Salad
Serve this spicy cucumber salad immediately, or chill it in the refrigerator until ready to serve. You can store this Korean cucumber side dish in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.
Please note that even after salting the cucumbers, they may release more liquid over time, which is normal. However, this doesn’t affect the brightness of the flavors. In fact, the salad may become even more flavorful and delicious the next day!
This recipe was originally posted in June 2010. I’ve updated the recipe with a few changes, new photos, and more information.
More Delicious Cucumber Recipes to Try
If you have an abundance of cucumbers and want to try some new recipes, check out these delicious cucumber dishes!
- Cucumber Kimchi (Oi-Sobagi): A spicy, fermented side dish made with fresh cucumbers and traditional Korean seasonings.
- Beef and Cucumber Stir-Fry: A savory, stir-fried dish that pairs tender beef with crisp cucumbers.
- Korean Chicken Salad (Dak Nangchae): A light and refreshing salad made with tender chicken, crisp cucumbers, and a flavorful dressing.
10-Minute Korean Cucumber Salad (Oi Muchim)
Ingredients
- 1 Korean cucumber, English cucumber, or 2 Kirby pickling cucumbers
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 small onion, thinly sliced, or 1 green onion, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp Korean chili flakes (gochugaru)
- 1/2 tbsp Korean chili paste (gochujang)
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar, or white vinegar
- 1 clove garlic, finely minced
- 2 tsp Korean soup soy sauce (gukganjang), or salt to taste
- 2-3 tsp sugar
- 2 tsp sesame oil, optional
- 1/2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
- Slice cucumbers into thin slices. around 1/8-inch, and put them in a bowl. Toss the cucumber slices with 1 teaspoon of kosher salt. Let it sit for 5-7 minutes. When you see some water being extracted from the cucumber, drain the water off.
- Add the thinly sliced onion, Korean chili flakes, Korean chili paste, vinegar, garlic, Korean soup soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, toasted sesame seeds.
- Using your fingers and thumb, rub the Korean chili paste to loosen up and mingle with other seasoning ingredients and start tossing the cucumber all together until cucumber slices are well coated with the seasoning. Taste and add more salt if needed.
- Serve this cucumber salad right away or chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve. This cucumber salad should always be stored in the fridge up to 5 days.
Notes
- Please note that even after salting the cucumbers, they may release more liquid over time, which is normal. However, this doesn’t affect the brightness of the flavors. In fact, the salad may become even more flavorful and delicious the next day!
Very nice, bright tasting salad for late summer. Glad I found this one. I used the English cuke & the optional sesame oil addition and it tasted great after making so I’ll wait patiently for tomorrows enhanced tasting after the flavors meld together. Thanks Holly, for another great recipe….
Holly, thank you for sharing such a wonderful, yummy recipe! My mother is Korean and my dad is American, so I often just let my mom cook and then I eat all the yummy Korean dishes. This was my first try making cucumber salad all by myself, and it was so easy thanks to your well explained step-by-step method. It turned out delicious and authentic tasting, and I will definitely be making this dish all the time. I am a new subscriber, but can’t wait to make more of your recipes.
Hi Lindsay
It’s so nice to hear from you. My daughter is just like you as well, with parents from both Korea and U.S. She enjoys all the yummy Korean food that I make so far, but someday she will have to make her own. I hope my recipes can be as close as your mother’s dishes. I’m so happy that you liked this cucumber salad. Keep up your Korean cooking and have fun! Thanks.
Great salad! I used a regular cucumber and it was delicious. The recipe says it lasts five days in the fridge, but we ate it in one sitting!
Your version of cucumber salad is great. I didn’t have shallots but kept everything else the same. I had made other versions but yours is the one my husband asked to repeat. I made triple but made a mistake and added more vinegar and sugar because I mistook the t for tablespoon instead of teaspoon. But it still turned out very yummy. I need to wear my glasses all the time now. I’m in denial. Just wanted to tell you this is the one I’ll use for my many, many future cucumber salads.
I can’t find white vinegar in Miryang. Any substitutes?
white vinegar is just the regular vinegar and any grocery store in Miryang should have it. If you can’t find it, look for rice wine vinegar.
I put to much of spicy flakes what should i do?
I you have more cucumbers, add more along with the other ingredients. Otherwise, there not much you can do.
This is my favorite banchan, but every time I make it, the gochugaru has an unpleasant gritty texture. Do you have any tips on what I should do?
Try with fine gochugaru. Some coarse flakes can be gritty.
This cucumber dish was just so gorgeous. With the addition of plum tea,( that I didn’t know even existed) it gave the cucumbers such an exotic sweet taste…
Highly recommended . I have to pass your blog onto my sister who lives in Singapore..she said there doesn’t seem to be too much Korean food there?? and has to wait till she comes to visit back in Sydney…
thanks again!!
Michel
There are many numbers of Korean people living in Singapore so there should be various Korean food available. I used live in Singapore but that was 10 years ago, and there were several Korean restaurants on the east coast side. I am not sure if it is the same now. However, I am sure there would be plenty in Sydney. 🙂
Honestly I am not so familiar with Filipino food, so I can't tell you how I can help. My advise is that you think of any Filipino dishes that can be fused with Korean condiments such as chili flakes or paste. But I believe Filipinos don't eat much spicy food unlike other SE Asians.
Hi! Can you help me with my finals in Asian Cuisne? I need to cook a fusion of Filipino and Korean food. Im thinking of doing this Spicy cucumber salad but my problem is I dont know what to put to make its taste for Filipino and Korean. Hope you can help me. Thank you.
hope you and the little ones are having the best time ever!!!
hugs and kisses
My mom always makes this and when I try to make it it never tastes right… Thanks for putting up the recipe!
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Please don't stay away from your blog for good! I thoroughly enjoy your blog and can't wait to see more of your delicious recipes, read your wonderful writing and enjoy every one of your posts!
Have a wonderful trip and looking forward to your return in August!
Enjoy your trip 🙂
Ooh, this is one of my favorite salads at Korean restaurants–so glad to know how to make it at home!
Have an amazing time!! It sounds like it's going to be a wonderful trip, look forward to seeing photos 😀