Asian Cucumber Salad
Called “Oi Muchim” in Korean, the name loosely translates to “seasoned cucumbers”; “Oi” meaning cucumber, while “muchim” means “to season or to coat”.
This asian cucumber salad, like our popular Spicy Cucumber Recipe and Creamy Cucumber Salad, is ready in as little as 10 minutes!
Enjoy this Korean Cucumber Salad recipe as a healthy cucumber snack recipe or serve as a side dish to Korean (Banchan) or Sushi Recipes.
Ingredients
Here are the “non-pantry” ingredients you need to make this dish. The full list of ingredients is listed in the recipe card below.
- Cucumbers
- Gochugaru (Korean Chili Flakes)
- Rice Wine Vinegar
- Sesame Oil
If you don’t want to buy Gochugaru, replace it with gochujang (What Is Gochujang), red pepper flakes or Substitutes for Red Pepper Flakes.
Many of these ingredients can be used to make pickled cucumbers (How To Pickle Cucumbers).
Types of Cucumbers
Feel free to use any cucumber you can get your hands on. Here are the best cucumbers to use:
- Korean Cucumber
- Kirby
- Continental
- Persian
- English
How To Make Korean Cucumber Salad
This crunchy asian salad doesn’t require much time to prepare, but it is all hands-on time.
Here’s the general steps you’re looking at, when making. For the full recipe, reference the detailed recipe card below.
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- Prep the Cucumbers – Slice the cucumbers, salt for up to 30 minutes, and rinse.
- Mix – Add all the ingredients to a medium size mixing bowl and mix away!
Marinated Cucumbers
To maximize the flavors, the excess water from the cucumber slices will need to be drawn out.
To do this, place the cucumber slices in a colander, lightly salt and let sit for a minimum of 5 minutes, up to 30 minutes. Rinse, dry and start mixing with the other ingredients.
Serving Ideas
This Korean side dish can be served alongside Korean Chicken Wings and many other Asian recipes. This dish, along with Korean Garlic Bread, are our absolute favorites.
Here are a few of our favorite recipes to serve it with:
- Beef Bulgogi
- Beef Tataki Recipe
- Sous Vide Tri Tip (with Korean Marinade)
- Japchae
- Korean Short Ribs
- Korean Noodles
Variations
Cucumber Onion Salad – To make this a cucumber onion salad recipe, just throw thinly sliced red onions to the mix. No other edits are necessary.
Extra Spicy Korean Salad – As written, it’s a spicy but on the low end of the heat scale. If you’re into super spicy salads, just increase the amount of Korean flakes you add to the mix.
Tips
- While most cucumber recipes are best after marinating for a few hours to develop the flavor, this bad boy is ready to go after mixing.
- Make this salad recipe right before serving to avoid soggy cucumbers.
Korean Cucumber Salad (Oi Muchim)
Ingredients
Instructions
- Thinly slice the cucumbers (1/8") and transfer to a colander (place over a plate to catch the water). Toss with the salt and let sit for 5 minutes (up to 30 minutes) to draw out the excess moisture. Rinse and dry.
- Transfer the cucumber slices to a large mixing bowl and add the green onions
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl, add the dried-out cucumber, scallion or green onion, and garlic. Then add gochugaru (Korean red pepper flakes), rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, sesame seeds and sugar. Gently mix them together until the cucumber is well coated.
- Serve immediately for best texture and flavor.