This is Oi Muchim 오이무침. It's not cucumber kimchi. There is no fermentation because I prefer to eat it fresh. There might be a judgmental tone in this writing, but know it's all towards myself. I was the one that used to call this cucumber kimchi because it was easier than explaining what a muchim was. Frankly, I didn’t really understand that until I was a grown adult. And that's how we get food that's misrepresented over and over again because it's misnamed over and over again for convenience.

Muchim is usually translated into "salad" because it won't be fermented, but really it's a banchan that will be served in smaller portions than American side dishes. Most muchim recipes I've seen, and ones I've made myself, could turn into one of the hundreds of kimchi versions with time to ferment. The fresh characteristics of muchims are why most start favoring those before the fermented cousin that has a delicious funk that won’t quit. Totally understandable. One should understand the power of kimchi before entering her lair. Oi muchim is a great start.

Oi Muchim 오이무침 Spicy Cucumber Salad

Ingredients

5 Korean cucumbers, sliced into 1/4" pieces
1 Small white onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 Jalapeno, quartered and sliced
1 Medium carrot, cut into matchsticks
3 Garlic cloves, minced
2 TBSP Gochugaru
2 TBSP sesame seed oil
1 TBSP salt
1 TBSP rice vinegar
1 TBSP fish sauce
1 tsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp sesame seeds

Steps

1. Slice cucumbers to about 1/4" pieces. In a strainer, coat the pieces in salt. Put the strainer in a bowl, to catch the excess water being pulled out. Set aside in the fridge for at least 30 min up to 2 hours.

2. After some liquid is pulled out from the cucumbers, rinse the cucumber pieces to wash off the salt. Pat dry with a paper towel.

3. Prepare the rest of the vegetables by halving and thinly slicing the white onion, quartering and slicing the jalapeno, cutting the carrot into matchsticks, and mincing the garlic. 

4. In a large mixing bowl, add all of the chopped veggies with the cucumber. Add the gochugaru, sesame seed oil, rice vinegar, fish sauce, and brown sugar. Mix well, evenly coating the vegetables. Garnish with sesame seeds.