Korean Recipe- Korean Cucumber salad

KOREAN CUCUMBER SALAD

Everyone loves salad with salad, especially Indians. So here is the Korean Cucumber Salad called 'Oi Muchim' meaning ‘to toss or coat in seasonings/ sauce’ is a very refreshing and tasty Korean side dish which can be enjoyed with rice and other dishes.

The salad is packed with spice and other fresh seasonings of garlic, scallions, and sesame oil and seeds. These can be enjoyed mainly with Bibimbap and with other dishes too, and can also taste good with Indian food too. So here is a wicked recipe of Korean Cucumber Salad. 

INGREDIENTS

 Cucumber

• 1 lb Korean, Japanese, or English cucumbers (any pickling cucumbers are great!)
• 1 1/2 tsp salt

Dressing

• 1 tbsp gochujang
• 1-2 tbsp liquid sweetener or sugar
• 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tsp gochu-garu
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1 tsp sesame seeds
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 scallion chopped optional
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar

1. More sesame seeds for topping

INSTRUCTIONS 

1. Cucumbers should be cut into 1/4 to 3/4-inch thick slices. If you prefer your cucumber slices to be thicker, that is entirely up to you. I cut mine into 1/2-inch thick slices because I enjoy a good bite.
2. Place the cucumber slices in a strainer with a catch basin. Mix in the salt to thoroughly coat the cucumbers. Allow the cucumbers to sit for 30 minutes or more to allow excess liquid to drain.
3. The longer you leave the salted cucumbers, the more liquid it will draw out and release when it sits in the dressing. If you're eating this salad right away, you can leave it to sit for 30 minutes. When preparing ahead of time, I allow the cucumbers to sit for a longer period of time to really draw out the excess water.
4. Meanwhile, combine all of the dressing ingredients in a mixing bowl. Feel free to tweak everything to your liking.
5. Drain any excess water from the cucumber, transfer to a large bowl, pour in the dressing, and mix everything well.
6. Top with more sesame seeds, if desired. This is best enjoyed cold. You can enjoy this as-is, as banchan (side dish) with rice, and even noodles.
7. Storage tip: I simply place mine in an air-tight container in the refrigerator. Can last for 2 weeks or even longer.