I’m going to share a super simple recipe with you today that’s one of my all time favorites. It’s a spicy Korean cucumber salad side dish called oi-muchim. If you have a nice seedless English cucumber, you can make this delicious banchan in just a few minutes. During my round the world Gapshida trip to meet my readers in 2011, I made this dish almost everywhere I went. Everybody loved it. Who wouldn’t like cold, fresh, crispy, seasoned cucumber? Each bite is succulent and wonderful!
Oi means “cucumber” in English, and muchim means “mixed” or “seasoned,” so many people simply call this dish “seasoned cucumber.” Many Koreans have their own version of it, so you’ll find many variations from family to family. This one is mine, and I’ve been using it for a long time. It’s also one of the dishes in my cookbook.
A major tip for this recipe is to make it and mix it just before serving, which will keep it crisp and fresh and prevent it from getting watery. It’s perfectly for a summertime BBQ – refreshing and just spicy enough to give you a little kick!
Enjoy the recipe! Let me know if you make it!
Ingredients
Serves 4
- 1 English cucumber (or 2 to 3 kirby cucumbers), washed
- ¼ cup thinly sliced onion
- 1 green onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons Korean hot pepper flakes (gochugaru)
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds
- 1 teaspoon sugar (optional)
Directions
- Cut the cucumber lengthwise in half and cut diagonally into thin slices.
- Put the cucumber into a large bowl. Add the onion, green onion, garlic, soy sauce, hot pepper flakes, toasted sesame oil, sesame seeds, and sugar.
- Mix it well with a spoon until the sugar is well dissolved.
- Serve as a side dish for rice, noodles, or BBQ.
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I used to work at a Korean bbq and I miss their food all the time. I live in the Midwest so Korean bbq is very hard and expensive to come by. I’m so glad I’ve found this site to make these recipes. I always get a delight out of the joyful videos as well. These cucumbers are just as delicious as I hoped!
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Your oi-muchim looks so good! I make this side dish all the time, because it’s so easy to make a delicious.
I made this side dish today and it’s so delicious. Love that it’s so easy to make too❤️
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Maangchi, thank you for the delicious recipe! I was stationed in Korea in 1994-1995 (Sanju-ri). One of the things I cherish most from my time living there, aside from the people and culture, is the delicious food!! I sometimes share this experience with my family by finding recipes and making the dishes I enjoyed the most. We have several Korean restaurants in the area, all of which are fantastic but sometimes it is fun to make these wonderful dishes at home. Tonight, I made Galbi, Oi Muchim (your recipe) and rice. This was my first time making Galbi. It turned out really great but was made much better with the side dish made with your recipe! My son (15) loved all of it. Thank you, again!
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Annyeonghaseyo Maangchi
Kamsahamida for the recipe. Yummy delicious bachan.. 오이무침.
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It looks really refreshing and tasty!
I made it today and it‘s the perfect summer dish when served cold right from the fridge
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Yes! It looks so crispy and juicy!
I made this for dinner and lunchboxes soooo easy!
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The kimchi looks so juicy and the oimuchim (seasoned cucumber salad) looks very refreshing. It’s such a great lunch!
This is a wonderful side dish. I will be making this for the rest of my life.
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I loved this just as you made it, but I had leftover Daikon Radish from making Kimchi. I sliced it fine and made small cubes, and added some Gochujang to kick it up a little more. Was fantastic.
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My fave ❤️
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Just made it. It’s so good! Thank you very much! Love all of your videos.
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thank you!
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This is my new favorite way to use cucumbers!
I will be trying this out soon. Looks delish and is very healthy. Am following Maangchi and I’m here in Canada.
Been craving for this since I came back from Korea! Gladly I have been following you even before I went to Korea so I remembered you have lots of recipes. I tried this one and it was amazing! It was easy to follow. Perfect for the hot weather in the Philippines! Mine doesn’t look like yours but I will try again next time to make it look better hahaha
I found this recipe today and decided to make it for dinner. IT WAS AMAZING! My sister and I fought over the last bite. I plan on making this for Father’s Day lunch this weekend. Thank you for another awesome recipe!!
Dear Maangchi
I like this recipe so much and very easy to make.
I made a big portion and kept inside the fridge for a week but the cucumber still very crunchy. Yummy!
Thanks for sharing.
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It looks mouthwatering!
Thank you so much for these recipes. I have lived in Korea since 2010, but it wasn’t until I started dating my husband, I knew that I would have to learn how to cook Korean food. We’ve only been married a couple of months, but these recipes are easy to follow, and so far I haven’t had any kitchen accidents.
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hi..
i was wondering if this cucumber sallad can be put in the fridge for long time?
The taste will be more fermented and “sour” as it progresses, but I know you can keep it in the fridge for at least a week or two (possibly even longer) – as long as you eat it clean; don’t eat it straight from the batch (ie. don’t let your saliva touch it). But I’m not 100% sure if it keeps for months like kim chi. I always prefer my kim chi and Oi-muchim freshly made, maybe 1 or 2 days old tops.
Such a great dish, Maangchi! I like this almost as much as Oi-sobagi. Almost, but Oi-sobagi is my fave!
I also added thinly sliced lobak radish. Yum!
Thank you maangchi! Love the combination of the taste in this simple dish. Will definitely put this in my table frequently.
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I bought some baby cucumbers yesterday and decided to try this dish (since with normal Spanish cucumber it would be impossible). I love it! Simple, aromatic and refreshing. Thanks again for the recipe. ^_^
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Hi Maangchi,
I had a lot of Korean ingredients handy so I decided to make Oi-muchim for my family of 4 with your recipe. Needless to say, the whole thing was devoured within 10 minutes!
Love the refreshing taste of cucumbers with the mix of ingredients and a spicy kick of gochugaru!
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Your oi-muchim looks like mine! : ) yum!
Hi Maangchi !!
Made this fresh spicy cucumber for lunch along with spicy pan fried tofu . But .. OMG .. the cucumber are so yummy , delicious , i can snack on this all day ! I might not have the roasted sesame seed right now , but the flavor was superb !! :D
We can’t get English cucumbers in Nicaragua :(
If I used a regular cucumber, should I remove the seeds?
Assuming the dressing would be delicious no matter what type of cucumber!
Yes, if the cucumber has lots of seeds, scrape them out with a spoon.
We found this recipe from a YouTube notification and tried it last night. It tasted good, but we added 2 teaspoon of lime juice. It helped to balance the heat from the pepper flakes. Thanks for the recipe, we are fairly new to the Korean flavors. Hope to add many more recipes to the family favorites.
Hi, how long can I keep the spicy cucumber in my refrigerator ? Thanks
You can keep it in the fridge up to 2-3 days. It won’t go bad but lots of liquid from the cucumber will be drawn out. Best thing is to make the amount you can finish in one sitting.
My host mom in Seoul fed me this every day. So excited to find it here!
I made this yesterday and love it. It is fast in preparation and delicious in taste.
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It looks juicy and crispy! You make it almost non-spicy version. Yummy!
Yes, it was very juicy and crispy. This was the portion for a friend who does not like spicy but I added hot pepper flakes to mine. I really loved it.
Hi Ginger,
If the ‘hot’ of the spice is an issue I recommend using 1/2 of the spicy pepper powder Maagnchi recommends. Do not eliminate it altogether! I found most people are ok with that reduced level, 1/2 the amount of spiciness with some of Maangchi’s recipes. I do make a lot of her recipes. Maangchi’s recipes are wonderful as they are but sometimes the spiciness can be a challenge for some Western folks that do not normally eat spicy foods – and a total challenge for Japanese people that consider mayonnaise a spicy food. (MAAGNCHI, DO NOT CHANGE THE SPICINESS!) Please note: hot peppers bring far, far more to the flavor profile to a dish than just “hot”. The peppers themselves have a wonderful and unique base flavor that adds to the dish that would be otherwise missed, dimensioned.
This is my favorite side dish and I love that you posted a recipe for it. Thank you!
Maangchi, LOVE this dish. I couldn’t stop eating it while still in the mixing bowl!! I added shredded carrots I had from another dish, and used a left over red onion instead of a white. We’re having it tonight for Mother’s Day dinner with my parents. Thank you again for this delicious dish! Happy Mother’s Day, Maangchi!
yay, awesome!
Can I replace hot pepper flakes with hot pepper paste? cause i don’t have it :(
yes, why not? It will turn out delicious!
it’ll taste the same?
got it, thank you, maangchi! :)
I’m from the Philippines. We are just in Korea for 2 months. I saw it best to cook Korean food which I haven’t cooked before (except for the marinated minced beef in bibimbap). It is obviously practical.
Your recipes have been my guide. It is so helpful. We get the to eat yummy and healthy Korean food.
Your ingredients guide helped me get the ingredients I need here as I don’t understand Korean.
Thank you!
By the way, this spicy cucumber side dish is really yummy!!
Nice meeting you through my website! Good luck with your Korean cooking!
This looks fantastic as usual Maangchi! I would LOVE LOVE LOVE if you could do an updated Bibimbap recipe video. It’s such an iconic Korean dish, I know you’ll make it the traditional way and it’ll taste sensational. I’m particularly interested in Dolsot Bibimbap! Thanks so much Maangchi! :D
ok Tosin. Dolsot bibimbap is one of my new cookbook recipes. I will make a new video for it soon.
Oh yaaaaaaayyyy I can’t wait!!! Thank you so much!! :)
Hello Maangchi!
I made this tonight to go with some doenjang jigae and it was delicious! Thank you for another wonderful recipe!
Doenjang jjigae and oimuchim are good choices! Yummy!
I made it as is – no soaking or pre-prep. Just washed, chopped cucumbers and added seasoning and tossed – OMG SOOOOOOOOO delish and even people who don’t usually like spicy food ate their fingers!! Delicious!! Thanks Maangchi!!
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It looks so fresh and juicy!
hi pp_123 maybe soak 3 to 6 mn in içy 15/20% seasalt solution, test for softening, rinse quickly, and dry it flat on towels without pressing. might retain a good bit of crunch and rigidity. but the secret is given by Maanchi: mix the paste separately ahead if need be, but mix it with the cuke only when you are ready to serve it immediately.
Hi Maangchi~
Do I need to add a little salt to the cucumber and let it sit for some time so as to get rid of the water inside? I always do that when I make dishes with raw cucumbers.
That’s another version of oimuchim. This recipe is like a salad as I described in the recipe.