Spicy Korean Cucumber Salad (Oi Muchim)

Ingredients

• 10 cocktail cucumbers - - chopped into ½ inch rounds (about 2¾ cups of chopped cucumbers)
• 1 Tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 1 ½ teaspoons sea salt

Dressing

• 2 Tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 2 teaspoons Korean red pepper powder
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 2 cloves garlic - - minced
• 2 teaspoons toasted white sesame seeds
• 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil

Directions

1. Cut the cocktail cucumbers into ½ inch rounds. They will shrink a bit during the brine so avoid cutting them too thin. (Photo 1)
2. Marinate the cucumbers with sea salt and rice wine vinegar. This ‘quick pickling’ allows them to absorb the salt and vinegar and draws out some of their liquid. This helps them keep their crunchy texture. (Photo 2)
3. After 30 minutes, the cucumbers will have released some of their liquid and absorbed the marinade flavors. Rinse the cucumbers under running water twice and taste one cucumber piece. Depending on your taste, you may need to rinse them one more time. (Photos 3 and 4)
4. Mix the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and add it to the cucumbers. Toss it gently and serve immediately. (Photos 5 - 6)
5. Add the cucumber rounds in a large bowl and add the sea salt and 1 Tablespoon of rice wine vinegar. Mix it together and let it marinate for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, add all the ingredients for the dressing in a small bowl and set it aside.
6. After 30 minutes, drain out the excess liquid from the marinated cucumbers and rinse them under water twice. Taste a cucumber to see if it’s too salty and give it another rinse if needed.
7. Add the dressing to the pickled cucumbers and serve immediately.

Nutrition

Calories: 75kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 873mg | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 3mg