Spicy Cucumber Banchan. This will release the excess water, but it is not. Brine cucumbers: Use a mandoline or a sharp knife to cut the cucumbers into ⅓-inch rounds. Place in a colander fitted over a bowl and add salt; mix well to ensure the cucumbers are evenly salted.

Oi-muchim or spicy Korean cucumber salad is one of the quickest and tastiest banchan (Korean side dishes) you can make. Some people even call this cucumber kimchi (I used to), but technically it is not kimchi. Since it is quickly prepared and not fermented and can be eaten fresh, it's not kimchi. You can cook Spicy Cucumber Banchan using 7 ingredients and 4 steps. Here is how you cook it.

Ingredients of Spicy Cucumber Banchan

Prepare 1.5 pounds of Persian or Kirby or English/Hothouse Cucumbers, sliced into 1/8-inch thick slices.
It's 1 Tablespoon of kosher salt.
You need 2 of small cloves garlic, very finely minced or grated.
Prepare 1.5 of green onions, finely chopped, including the whites.
You need 1.5 Tablespoons of sugar.
It's 3.5 Tablespoons of distilled white vinegar.
It's 1.5 Tbsp of gochugaru(Korean dried chili flakes) or 2.5 tsp of crushed red chili flakes (like the kind you get with your pizza).

Crispy cucumbers, spicy pepper flakes, and nutty sesame oil…it's a good combo. Here's everything you'll need: an English cucumber, green onion, garlic, gochugaru, toasted sesame seeds, sugar, toasted sesame oil, and soy sauce. In a medium-sized bowl, combine sesame oil, gochujang, gochugaru, salt, and sugar and whisk until incorporated. I had a sudden craving for crunchy pickles and decided to make this late at night.

Spicy Cucumber Banchan step by step

In a large mixing bowl, toss the cucumbers with the salt and let them sit for 20 to 25 minutes while they extrude excess liquid, re-tossing once halfway just to make sure the salt does its job on all the pieces. This process helps the cucumbers retain a pickled crunch..
Squeeze the cucumber in fistfuls to get rid of the excess liquid (discard the liquid)..
Toss the cucumbers with the rest of the ingredients..
Enjoy!.

This delicious, crunchy, and spicy dish is usually served as a side dish or banchan (반찬) at a Korean restaurant. If you have been to a Korean restaurant, you have probably seen the delightful, small, colorful dishes that are usually served at the beginning of a meal. When prepared really fresh, one of the tastiest banchan is a Spicy Korean Cucumber Salad called Oi-Muchim. Spicy, sweet, and refreshingly crunchy, this Spicy Korean Cucumber Salad (Oi-Muchim) has been a go-to starter or side dish at our BBQs, or for any meal when we need a nice tangy flavor to contrast a meaty dish. Cucumber slices for Oi Muchim (Korean cucumber salad or side dish) Mix soy sauce, vinegar and sugar in a bowl.