Cool as a cucumber and twice as spicy! 🌶️🥒 This Korean favourite is the perfect side dish to add some zing to your meal! Try it now! 🤤👌 Oi Muchim is a Korean side dish made with thinly sliced cucumbers in a spicy and tangy sauce made with gochugaru, sesame oil, soy sauce and sugar. Perfect for any meal!
Korean cuisine is renowned for its vibrant flavours and diverse array of dishes, each contributing to the country’s rich culinary heritage. Among the many tantalizing offerings, Oi Muchim, a spicy cucumber salad, stands out as a refreshing and mouth-watering delicacy. This beloved side dish has captivated taste buds around the world with its delightful combination of crunch, heat, and tanginess. In this blog post, we’ll delve into the history of Oi Muchim and explore the reasons behind its popularity. We’ll also highlight the role of my daughter, whose love for Korean cuisine has led to the growth of a remarkable collection of recipes on angsarap.net.
Oi Muchim has a long history rooted in Korean culinary traditions. Cucumbers have been cultivated in Korea for thousands of years, and this versatile vegetable has found its way into various dishes. The origins of Oi Muchim can be traced back to the era of the Three Kingdoms (57 BC – 668 AD), when the dish was believed to have been created as a simple way to preserve cucumbers. By marinating cucumbers in a mixture of spices, Koreans were able to enjoy the vegetable’s refreshing taste throughout the year.
Over time, Oi Muchim evolved into a beloved side dish, often served with rice or as part of a banchan (assortment of side dishes). Its popularity grew as the unique combination of flavours, including the tanginess of vinegar, the spiciness of chili peppers, and the slight sweetness of sugar, made it a crowd favourite. Today, Oi Muchim remains a staple in Korean cuisine, loved for its simplicity, versatility, and ability to balance out richer and spicier dishes.
In the realm of Korean cuisine, inspiration often stems from a personal connection or passion. Our daughter, her love for Korean food has been the driving force behind the expanding collection of Korean recipes on angsarap.net. Her enthusiasm for the cuisine has undoubtedly contributed to the popularity of your blog as well. As a testament to her dedication, our daughter’s passion has led her to explore the depths of Korean culinary traditions, mastering the art of preparing these dishes. While some of the recipes are prepared by her, others are inspired by her love for Korean cuisine, demonstrating her desire to share the flavours and experiences with others.
Now, let’s explore the delightful qualities of Oi Muchim. This refreshing salad begins with fresh cucumbers that are sliced into thin, crisp rounds or cut into strips. The cucumbers are then tossed in a mixture of Korean chili flakes (gochugaru), garlic, soy sauce, sugar, and sesame oil, allowing the flavours to meld and infuse into the cucumber slices. This combination of ingredients creates a harmony of tastes – the spiciness of the chili flakes, the umami of the soy sauce, and the subtle sweetness of the sugar.
The result is a salad that offers a satisfying crunch with each bite, accompanied by a burst of flavours that dance on the palate. Oi Muchim serves as an ideal accompaniment to heartier Korean dishes, as it provides a refreshing and cooling contrast to richer flavours. It is also a fantastic standalone snack, perfect for warm summer days or as a side dish to any meal.
Oi Muchim is a Korean side dish made with thinly sliced cucumbers in a spicy and tangy sauce made with gochugaru, sesame oil, soy sauce and sugar. Perfect for any meal!
Ingredients
Scale
Cucumber
1 Telegraph cucumber, washed and sliced diagonally
I’ve been looking for some new ideas because we’ve got many cucumbers in our backyard this summer. While I’m not a huge fan of spicy food, this dressing sounds indeed interesting. I may just go easier with gochugaru and give it a try! 🙂
That looks almost like kimchi 🙂
I’ve been looking for some new ideas because we’ve got many cucumbers in our backyard this summer. While I’m not a huge fan of spicy food, this dressing sounds indeed interesting. I may just go easier with gochugaru and give it a try! 🙂
★★★★★
Lucky you, here cucumbers are really expensive at the moment
Absolutely love cucumbers in any shape, size or form – shall certainly try this somewhat Korean version soonest – thank you !
Hope you like them
This is fabulous! And so similar to a Chinese recipe I make, but with Tabasco. I love gochugaru!
Another perfect side — love this!
Looks good! I like cucumber raw…or pickled, not cooked.
Love this cucumber salad, Raymund! Such addictive flavors!
★★★★★