Oi Namul (Cucumber Namul – 오이나물)

Namul is the Korean macrobiotic way of using minimal spices and sauces to create yummy dishes with vegetables and weeds that grow in the fields. Namul dishes use very gentle seasoning, trying to appreciate the main ingredient’s natural flavor. Koreans make namul with literally everything, including spinach, radish, cucumber, bean sprouts, fern-bracken, perilla leaves… etc. You can read more about namul at my Chwi namul recipe post!

This is another one of the namul series – I’ve posted nine namul recipes so far, and this is the tenth namul post. Really, namul is probably the most “traditional Korean” dish that you can make! Korean cuisine make namul with literally everything. It’s summer and it’s easy to get good cucumber – so it’s time for some cucumber namul! Cucumber namul is always served at mountain restaurants that are close by to temples, as it is a very common temple side dish.

It’s soooo easy and yummy – satisfying with rice and other Korean food. And again, it’s always good in bibimbap as well!

Oi Namul (오이나물) Recipe! 

Ingredients:

2-3 cucumbers, cut into matchsticks
2 tsp canola oil
2 tsp sesame oil
2 tsp perilla oil (or more to taste)
salt to taste
generous amount of sesame seeds

Directions:

1. Wash and match stick the cucumbers.
2. Mix the three oils and add to medium high heat pan.
3. Stir fry until the cucumber gets fairly translucent. Don’t fry it too long as it will get mushy!
4. Season with salt and add more perrilla oil to taste.
5. Sprinkle a generous amount of sesames seeds , mix it well and enjoy!

Match stick the cucumber!

Mix the three oils. I like to have a generous amount of perilla oil.

Stir fry it in medium high heat!

Be generous with sesame seeds – a good source of calcium too! 😉

Enjoy by mixing in the sesame seeds in well! So yummy and satisfying. And most of all, so easy and quick!!