Korean Spicy Cucumber Salad
Quick answer
- Total time
- 15 min
- Level
- Easy
- Servings
- 4 servings
- Ingredients
- 8
About this dish
Sliced paper-thin on the bias, about 0.1cm, the cucumber takes on the dressing quickly and turns tender while keeping its crunch.
Read more
Vinegar brightens the cucumber's cool, watery freshness, and the chili heat follows quietly behind. It shows up constantly on Korean summer tables, on its own with rice or piled onto naengmyeon and bibimbap. It is mixed close to mealtime, since after about 30 minutes the cucumber starts weeping water and goes limp.
Ingredients
Instructions
- 1
Rinse 2 cucumbers and dry them well, then slice them diagonally about 0.1 cm thick with a mandoline or sharp knife.
Keep the slices even so they salt and absorb the dressing at the same pace.
- 2
Sprinkle the cucumber with 1 teaspoon salt and toss lightly, then let it stand for 10 minutes.
It is ready when liquid collects in the bowl and the slices bend slightly without breaking.
- 3
Squeeze the salted cucumber in small handfuls with both hands, then press it once more with a kitchen towel.
Any remaining water will dilute the seasoning and make the crisp texture fade quickly.
- 4
In a large bowl, first mix 1 teaspoon each gochugaru, minced garlic, vinegar, and sesame oil with 0.5 teaspoon sugar.
Stir until the sugar loosens so the heat, acidity, and sesame aroma spread evenly.
- 5
Add the drained cucumber to the seasoning bowl and toss gently with your fingertips.
Do not knead hard, because the slices will wilt; stop when the red seasoning lightly coats each cut surface.
- 6
Sprinkle 1 teaspoon sesame seeds over the salad and transfer it to a serving dish right away.
After about 30 minutes it releases water, so serve it just before eating with rice, naengmyeon, or bibimbap.
Use-up ingredient planner
Turn these ingredients into two more meals
The overlap excludes basic seasonings. Open the next recipe and your selected dishes will stay with you.
Dashima Chae Muchim
cucumber, sesame seeds
Korean Mixed Seaweed Salad
cucumber, sesame seeds
Korean Chilled Seaweed Soup
cucumber, sesame seeds