Korean Banchan: Oi Muchim（Seasoned Cucumbers）

My Brief Food Journey

I was born and raised in New York City to South Korean parents. I have a link to Japan: My father was a Korean resident born and raised in Osaka. My mother grew up on the southwest coast of Korea. Both my parents cooked well and with enthusiasm. Their cooking helped cultivate my taste for international cuisine.

When dining out, my father had an informal rule: we had to try food that we didn’t make at home. In the 1970s, this meant my brothers and I were introduced to fares that New Yorkers considered strange and exotic: sauteed sea cucumbers, pig ears and tuna sashimi, for example. (Tuna sashimi was not widely available back then.) I took to tuna sashimi right away. It was so tasty that it instantly became my favorite!

Once I was old enough to hold a knife steadily around age eight, I started helping my parents in the kitchen when they cooked at home. They taught me the basics and how to make simple banchan, the side dishes that accompanied our family meals.

Here is one of those banchan dishes that I have been making since childhood. This Oi Muchim recipe will yield a refreshing cucumber banchan that is quick to make and goes well with meat, fish and plain rice. It makes about 6 servings.

Ingredients

• 1.5 pounds (about 680g) of Persian or pickling cucumbers, preferably thin-skinned organic ones
• 1.5 to 2 tablespoons (14 – 18g) of Kosher or other coarse salt
• 2 teaspoons (8g) of sugar, brown or white
• 1 tablespoon (15g or 15ml) of rice vinegar
• 2 teaspoons (4g) of red pepper flakes (you can omit this or add to your taste)
• 1 teaspoon (4.5g or 5 ml) of sesame oil
• 1 clove of garlic (or to your taste)

Instructions

1. If you can find organic cucumbers, use them. It isn’t mandatory but it makes the dish look prettier. Wash the cucumbers but do not peel them. Trim the ends and then slice them into thin rounds. Put the slices in a sieve and let it sit on top of a medium mixing bowl. Sprinkle the Kosher or coarse salt on them and mix thoroughly with your hands. Leave the slices for about 20 minutes. This draws out the excess water from them and intensifies the flavor of the muchim.
2. Pour out the accumulated water in the bowl. Remove the excess water from the slices either by 1) wringing them through cheesecloth or 2) pressing the slices through the sieve with a heavy weight. Discard this water too.
3. Mix the rice vinegar, sugar, crushed garlic, sesame oil and, if using, the red pepper flakes in a separate bowl. Add the dressing to the strained slices and toss thoroughly with your hands. Let it sit for about 10 minutes. Serve the banchan at room temperature or chilled.