Spicy Korean Cucumber Salad (Oi muchim) for One

Spicy Korean Cucumber Salad (Oi muchim) is a refreshing banchan that only requires a few ingredients and takes less than 10 minutes to make! It’s super simple, and is a healthy addition to any meal.

One of my favorite things about going to a Korean restaurant is all of the side dishes, or banchan. Before the meal even arrives, you are greeted with a variety of banchan ranging from salads, to pickled veggies, to pancakes. And the best part? They’re simple to make at home too!

The tradition of banchan originates from the Korean Royal Court cuisine of the Joseon Dynasty (1392 to 1910), where a typical meal consisted of twelve dishes plus rice and soup. Nowadays, restaurants simply serve a bunch of side dishes!

A lot of the side dishes will use similar ingredients, so here are some essentials you’ll want to have on hand when you’re making them at home:

• Rice vinegar
• Soy sauce
• Sesame oil
• Gochujang
• Soybean paste
• Roasted sesame seeds
• Korean chili flakes

Of course, you can’t just have one banchan– check out some of our other side dish recipes like the Korean bok choy side dish for one!

For this Spicy Korean Cucumber Salad for One, you’ll need: 

• ½ of a seedless cucumber
• 1 teaspooon of salt
• 2 teaspoon rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon Korean chilli flakes
• A drizzle of sesame oil
• 1 green onion
• Roasted sesame seeds (as garnish)

How to make it:

1. Slice ½ of a seedless cucumber into bite size pieces

2. (optional step) Add salt to the cucumber and wait for it to sweat out the water

3. Make the marinade by mixing the following ingredients:

• 2 teaspoon rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon Korean chilli flakes (I usually add 1 tablespoon to make it extra spicy)
• A drizzle of sesame oil
• 1 green onion

4. Add the cucumbers to the marinade and mix, coating the cucumbers well

5. Top with some extra sesame seeds if you’d like, and enjoy!

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