Do you enjoy eating spicy food in hot weather? I love the refreshing combination of cool cucumbers and hot chile peppers, as in the case of Korean oi muchim. This quick and easy salad makes a great potluck dish, or a fiery alternative to kosher dill or bread and butter pickles alongside sandwiches. And, of course, it's excellent alongside Korean BBQ (meat or tofu).
This spicy cucumber salad contains many of the same ingredients as cucumber kimchi but it isn't fermented, so you can eat it right away. I like to use Kirby or pickling cucumbers, which have a firm, crisp texture, thin skin, and small seeds. Korean, Japanese, and Persian cucumbers may also be used.
The cucumbers are thinly sliced and coated in a zesty blend of vinegar, sesame, and gochugaru (also known as Korean red pepper powder, which I highly recommend keeping as a pantry staple). It takes seconds to prepare, yet it's big on flavor and refreshment. What more could you want on a hot day?!

Oi Muchim (Spicy Korean Cucumber Salad)
Serves 2 to 42 teaspoons rice vinegar
1-2 teaspoons gochugaru
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 scallion, chopped
2 Kirby cucumbers, sliced 1/8-inch thick
Combine all ingredients except cucumbers in a bowl. Taste and adjust seasonings, if desired.
Add cucumber slices and toss to coat (wear gloves and use your hands, or use tongs).
Serve room temperature or chilled.
Related: Cool Recipe: Easy Japanese Pickled Cucumber
(Images: Emily Ho)
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Comments (14)
Just made something similar last night. I've been making it since Monday and I'm totally addicted.
My mom recommends letting the seasoning mixture sit for a while before adding to the cucumbers. She said it would keep the red pepper flakes from floating around in watery sauce, and of course, mom is always right!
yummy...its like a quick Oi kimchi
Nice recipe. This recipe is pretty accurate. Whenever I come across Korean recipes, I find that they tend to have triple the number of ingredients than you really need. I would just add the following suggestions.
If you are unable to purchase gochugaru, crushed red pepper flakes will work as well. Also, sesame seeds and sugar are optional. Only add sugar if you prefer a sweeter taste. Sesame seeds are more decorative rather than a key component of this dish. Actually in most Korean dishes, sesame seeds are really optional and not key, sort of like parsley.
I forgot to add you can use regular vinegar and omit the salt and scallion. I would suggest that if you do use salt and sugar in the mixture, to taste and adjust to your preference.
How long do these last in the fridge?
This looks awesome! Thanks, I can't wait to try it!!
looks like this is what I'll be eating for the next few days. I can eat oi kimchi straight out of the jar.
I really need to get my hands on those Korean red pepper flakes. I've subbed crushed red pepper before and it was too hot for me.
Made it and liked it a lot. Substituted some sambal olek for the chili.
I made this today with sambal oelek instead of chili flakes, garlic scape instead of scallion, and 1 regular cucumber instead of 2 small pickling cukes (all things I already had in the house). It came out GREAT!
could i use sriracha instead of the chili powder?
Trying this out right now. It should be both spicy and cool at the same time which is perfect for this terribly hot day.
@msmaris: I had the same thought about Sriracha. I'm going to give it a try.