Korean Spicy Cucumber Salad - Oi Muchim
Welcome to your new favourite salad! Korean spicy cucumber salad is the side dish you want at the table - it’s fast, easy and has the perfect balance of sweet and spicy. YUM!
Servings 4 side serves
Calories 60kcal
Cost $5
Ingredients
- 1 cucumber large, around 200 g / 7 oz, sub 2 small Korean cucumbers
- 1 tsp salt
For the dressing
- 1 tbsp Korean hot pepper paste / gochujang
- ½ tbsp Korean hot pepper flakes / gochugaru
- 2 tsp garlic chopped
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- ½ tbsp vinegar can add more to taste
- ½ tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds
For the salad
- ¼ onion red or white onion, sub 1 small shallot, sliced thin
Instructions
For the cucumber
- Wash then slice cucumber on a diagonal and add to a medium bowl. Sprinkle with salt and roughly mix together. Leave to draw out the water (around 5 minutes while you prep the dressing).1 cucumber, 1 tsp salt
For the dressing
- In a large bowl add the gochujang, gochugaru, garlic, sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil and sesame seeds. Mix until combined.1 tbsp Korean hot pepper paste / gochujang, ½ tbsp Korean hot pepper flakes / gochugaru, 2 tsp garlic, 1 tbsp sugar, 1 tbsp soy sauce, ½ tbsp vinegar, ½ tbsp sesame oil, 1 tbsp sesame seeds
For the salad
- Slice onion into thin half moons, then squeeze and drain the cucumber and add both to the dressing bowl.¼ onion
- Toss everything together well and dish out into small side dish bowls, on top of a dish like chicken bibimbap or pop in the fridge in an airtight container.
Notes
- Cucumbers - No need to squeeze the cucumbers after salting. The longer you leave them, the more liquid will be extracted and the less watery the salad will be once served. If your cucumber variety has lots of seeds, it can be a good idea to scoop them out first.
- Spice Level - To amp up the heat, drain the excess liquid from the cucumbers after salting, before adding to the sauce. To tone it down a bit, keep the liquid in. It will mix with the seasonings and mellow it out a bit.
- Colour - You can leave out the soy sauce for a brighter red colour salad.
- Serve Cold - The spicy cucumber slices are extra refreshing straight from the fridge!
- Storage - Store leftovers in the fridge, they’re just as good the next day.
- Extra Veggies - Try adding sliced carrots into the salad, garnished with fresh spring onion / green onion on top.
- Sweeter Sauce - Skip the gochugaru (hot pepper flakes) and add 1 tbsp of plum syrup or mirin instead.
Nutrition
Calories: 60kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 0.4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 852mg | Potassium: 137mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 341IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 36mg | Iron: 1mg