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Stir-fried Cucumbers (Oi Bokkeum)
Stir-fried Cucumbers (Oi Bokkeum) is a quick Korean side dish made by salting thinly sliced cucumbers to draw out moisture, then stir-frying them briefly with garlic and finishing with scallion, sesame oil, and crushed sesame seeds. The cucumbers retain slight crunch and freshness, plus a nutty aroma from sesame oil and seeds.
Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Additional Time
10 mins
Servings:
4
Course:
Side Dish
Cuisine:
Korean
Ingredients
- 1 pound cucumber about 4 to 5 short varieties such as Kirby or Persian or 1 English cucumber
- 1.5 teaspoons salt
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil for stir-frying
- 1 teaspoon garlic minced
- 1 scallion finely chopped, small
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1/2 teaspoon sesame seeds preferably crushed
Instructions
- Cut the cucumbers in half lengthwise, and then thinly slice crosswise slightly diagonally. If the cucumbers are thin, you can simply cut into thin rounds.
- Lightly salt the cucumber slices with salt to coat evenly. Let sit for about 10 minutes.
- Tightly squeeze out the water content from the salted cucumber slices. Don’t worry about bruising them. They will bounce back when stir-fried.
- Heat a pan over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of oil to the pan. Quickly stir in the garlic. Add the cucumbers. Stir-fry for a minute until the cucumbers are slightly cooked. Do not overcook. Turn off the heat. Toss well with the scallion, sesame oil, and sesame seeds.
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