Oiji Muchim (Korean Spicy Seasoned Pickles) | 오이지 무침
pronounced: Oh-eee-jee moo-cheem
What: This is my mom’s recipe that shows you how to season Korean pickles into a delicious side dish that is eaten like kimchi. You simply season Korean pickles (Oiji, recipe here) mix it up, and make some good Korean Oiji Muchim.
Taste: Crunchy, thin discs of pickles that is salty and savory from seasonings with hints of sweetness.
How It’s Made: Just slice it up and season it in one bowl. It’s very simple!
Notes & Tips:
I recommend making Korean pickles at home. It’s much more fresh, crunchy, and lasts a LONG time. You simply keep it in your fridge and whip it out whenever you are craving this recipe (Oiji Muchim, Korean Spicy Seasoned Pickles).
But yes, you can buy Korean pickles at the Korean Grocery Market, but it’s significantly not as good as home-made; less crunchy and not fresh.
The pickles are salty. Don’t let that scare you. That’s why we don’t add additional salt to the seasoning mix. It’s meant to be eaten with rice so the saltiness is balanced out!
Oiji Muchim (Korean Spicy Seasoned Pickles) | 오이지 무침
Ingredients:
- 6 Korean pickles (Oiji, recipe here)* (see notes)
- 2 green onions, chopped
- 1 Tbsp sesame seeds, roasted
- 1 Tbsp Korean red pepper flakes
- 1/2 Tbsp + 1/2 tsp white sugar
- 1/2 Tbsp + 1/2 tsp garlic, minced
- 1/2 Tbsp + 1/2 tsp sesame oil
Instructions:
- Rinse Korean pickles under running water. Chop the ends off the pickles, and slice into thin discs, about 0.5 cm thick. Taste test a sliced pickle, and gauge how salty it is. Mind you, it's a pickle so it will be very salty, so we will take out a bit of that saltiness in the next step.
- Submerge sliced pickles in a bowl of filtered water for 10 minutes (Do NOT exceed 10 minutes!). This is to take out just a little bit of the saltiness, but only do it in increments of 10 minutes because you do not want to lose the sweet, salty vinegar flavor of the pickle. Taste test a sliced pickle after 10 minutes; at this point, it should be OK to move onto the next step. It should still be salty.
- Strain sliced pickles and then gently squeeze out the excess water out of the pickles by clenching the pickles in-between two hands. Do NOT squeeze out too much!
- In the medium bowl with the pickles, add all the ingredients: 2 green onions, chopped, 1 Tbsp sesame seeds, roasted, 1 Tbsp Korean red pepper flakes, 1/2 Tbsp + 1/2 tsp white sugar, 1/2 Tbsp + 1/2 tsp garlic, minced, 1/2 Tbsp + 1/2 tsp sesame oil. Adjust where it's needed... and enjoy!
- Store in an airtight container and refrigerate any leftovers.
Notes:
1. Rinse Korean pickles under running water. Chop the ends off the pickles, and slice into thin discs, about 0.5 cm thick (see picture below). Taste test a sliced pickle, and gauge how salty it is. Mind you, it's a pickle so it will be very salty, so we will take out a bit of that saltiness in the next step.
2. Submerge sliced pickles in a bowl of filtered water for 10 minutes (Do NOT exceed 10 minutes!). This is to take out just a little bit of the saltiness, but only do it in increments of 10 minutes because you do not want to lose the sweet, salty vinegar flavor of the pickle. Taste test a sliced pickle after 10 minutes; at this point, it should be OK to move onto the next step. It should still be salty.
3. Strain sliced pickles and then gently squeeze out the excess water out of the pickles by clenching the pickles in-between two hands. Do NOT squeeze out too much! Discard excess liquids, and set aside the squeezed, sliced pickles in a medium bowl.
4. In the medium bowl with the pickles, add all the ingredients:
2 green onions, chopped
1 Tbsp sesame seeds, roasted
1 Tbsp Korean red pepper flakes
1/2 Tbsp + 1/2 tsp white sugar
1/2 Tbsp + 1/2 tsp garlic, minced
1/2 Tbsp + 1/2 tsp sesame oil.
Adjust where it's needed... and enjoy!
Store in an airtight container and refrigerate any leftovers.
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