Everyday Korean Food

This refreshing Korean side dish, called Spicy Korean Cucumber Salad, is crunchy, spicy, sweet, and tangy all at once.
It’s quick to make and perfect with grilled meat, rice bowls, or noodles.

🛒 Ingredients

Vegetables

• 1 cucumber
• 1/6 onion, thinly sliced
• 3 inches green onion, chopped

All-Purpose Spicy Sauce

• 1/2 tbsp minced garlic
• 1 tbsp Korean chili flakes (gochugaru, coarse)
• 2/3 tbsp gochujang (Korean chili paste)
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 2 tbsp vinegar
• 1 tbsp corn syrup
• 1 tbsp sugar

Finish

• 2/3 tbsp sesame oil
• 1/3 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

👩‍🍳 Instructions

1. Slice & salt
Slice the cucumber into 1/4-inch (0.5 cm) rounds.
Add 1/3 tbsp salt and let sit for 15 minutes.

2. Rinse & drain
After 15 minutes, the cucumbers will be very salty.
Rinse them 2–3 times in clean water and squeeze out all excess moisture.

3. Add veggies
Place cucumbers in a bowl. Add onion and green onion.

4. Make it spicy
Add all the sauce ingredients and mix well.

5. Finish
Drizzle in sesame oil and sprinkle sesame seeds.
Toss until evenly coated.

6. Serve
Serve immediately for the best texture and flavor.

🔁 Substitutions

• No corn syrup? → Add 1 more tbsp sugar instead.
• No fish sauce? → Use 1 tbsp soy sauce.
• No green onion? → You can skip it. No need to go buy it just for this recipe.
• Minced garlic → Do NOT replace with garlic powder. Fresh garlic is important for the flavor.
• No Korean chili flakes (gochugaru)? → You can use cayenne pepper, but use much less. Cayenne is very spicy, so start with a small pinch.

📝 General Tips

• Mix with the sauce right before serving for maximum freshness.
• You can slice the cucumber into rounds, or remove the seeds and slice it on a bias.
• Make sure to squeeze out as much water as possible from the cucumber.

⚠️ Beginner’s Mistakes to Avoid

• Skipping the salting step – the salad will turn watery and bland.
• Not rinsing the cucumbers after salting – it will taste too salty.
• Mixing the sauce too early – the cucumbers lose their crunch.