Sautéed Korean cucumber side dish is easy, simple, crunchy and delicious stir-fried Korean cucumber salad. It’s mildly flavored and covered with nutty sesame aroma!
Today I’m sharing a super easy Sautéed Korean Cucumber Side Dish (Oi Namul, 오이나물 or Oi Bokkeum, 오이볶음) recipe.
The cucumbers are initially pickled in some fine sea salt to drain the water out, then squeezed. Soon after that, it is stir-fried briefly in a pan then it is coated with sesame seeds and sesame oil. Voilà!
So simple! I don’t think I need to write further instructions here. 😉 (But I will! Plus I will include the video instruction as well.)
As you can imagine, the flavor is very nutty from the sesame seeds and sesame oil. Your whole kitchen, maybe even your whole house might smell like sesame oil for a few hours after making it. I quite liked the smell in my house. It’s winter here, so it makes the whole ambience warm.
This sautéed cucumber side dish is a good alternative dish if you (or your kids) are not into spicy cucumber dishes (e.g. Spicy Korean cucumber salad). I have to say, my little girl loves it! She literally gobbles these munchy cucumbers down within a few seconds with her little fingers and watching her gives me a big smile (& laugh).
Also, did I mention that these cucumbers are crunchy? The key point to the crunchiness is cooking the cucumbers on mid-high to high temperature for a short while only. This side dish will also make a good addition to a Bibimbap (Korean rice bowl) as well. I hope you give this savoury crunchy goodness a try soon!
P.S. Don’t forget to check out my super easy cucumber kimchi recipe too!
Watch (Video Demo)
Ingredients for Korean Cucumber Side Dish (4 servings)
- 2 Lebanese cucumbers (300g, 0.7 pounds) or English cucumber
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- 1/2 Tbsp roasted sesame seeds
- 1 Tbsp sesame oil
- Some cooking oil – I used rice bran oil
*1 Tbsp = 15 ml
** If you’re unsure of the above Korean cooking ingredients, find out more about them from my other post “30 Essential Korean cooking ingredients“.
How to Make Korean Cucumber Side Dish
1. Rinse the cucumber well. (You can peel the skin off if you like.) Thinly slice the cucumber and put them into a medium-sized mixing bowl.
2. Add the salt and mix them evenly. Leave it for 20 mins on the kitchen bench.
3. Squeeze the water out from the cucumber. (Do this in small batches.) Set aside.
4. Heat the frying pan on mid-high temperature. Once it is heated, add some cooking oil and spread it throughout the pan. Add the cucumber and stir-fry it for 30 seconds on mid-high temperature. Add the sesame seeds and sesame oil and stir evenly for another 30 seconds. Remove it from the heat and cool down for 15 to 30 mins. Serve.
Tips
It can be served cold or warm. I personally prefer serving it cold. I think you can appreciate the crunchiness more when it’s served cold. So after cooling it down 30 mins on my kitchen bench, I move it to the fridge for about 1 to 2 hours to chill before serving.
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Sautéed Korean Cucumber Side Dish
Ingredients
- 2 Lebanese cucumbers or English cucumber, (300 g / 0.7 pounds)
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- 1/2 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds
- 1 Tbsp sesame oil
- Some cooking oil – I used rice bran oil
Instructions
- Rinse the cucumber well. (You can peel the skin off if you like.) Thinly slice the cucumber and put them into a medium sized mixing bowl.
- Add the salt and mix them evenly. Leave it for 20 mins on the kitchen bench.
- Squeeze the water out from the cucumber. (Do this in small batches.) Set aside.
- Heat the frying pan on mid high temperature. Once it is heated, add some cooking oil and spread it throughout the pan. Add the cucumber and stir fry it for 30 seconds on mid high temperature. Add the sesame seeds and sesame oil and stir evenly for another 30 seconds. Remove it from the heat and cool down for 15 to 30 mins. Serve.
Nutrition Info (per serving)
The nutrition information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
