10 recipes. Page 1 of 1
As an Amazon Associate, we may earn from qualifying purchases.
In the five-color namul set for Chuseok and Seollal ancestral tables, bellflower root is the white one. The torn root is rubbed hard with salt to draw out its bitterness and rinsed until the cloudy water runs clear, then dressed with gochujang, vinegar, and sugar. Since it is never cooked, it stays crunchy long enough to be made ahead.
Fernbrake, bellflower root and chwi-namul (aster greens) each get their own treatment: the fernbrake turns soft in sesame oil, the bellflower root is salted to draw out bitterness yet stays crisp, and the aster is blanched just until bright green. Cooked separately, they still taste and bite differently after mixing, and the gochujang sauce is served alongside to add a little at a time.
Balloon flower root has a sharp, bitter edge, so the torn strands are rubbed hard with salt and rinsed twice before they meet the pan. The sauce is gochujang sweetened with oligosaccharide syrup and sharpened with chili flakes, cooked only until it clings to each strand in a thin, glossy layer. Brief cooking keeps a firm bite in the root.
Chunks of Asian pear simmer for a long time over low heat with bellflower root (doraji), ginger and jujubes, and the pear juice sweetens the tea with no sugar. The fresh doraji is peeled, then rubbed hard with salt and rinsed two or three times, which keeps a medicinal smell out of the tea. It is a warm drink for the season when the wind turns cold and the air dry, and leftovers can be chilled and poured over ice.
Bellflower root soaks in salt water for ten minutes and blanches for just one, enough to soften its bitterness while keeping its firm crunch. Coated in gochujang, it grills in a pan or over an open flame, and the open flame gives a stronger smoky note.
Bellflower root (doraji) carries a pronounced bitterness, tamed by rubbing the roots hard with salt until sticky foam appears and then rinsing several times. The roots are torn by hand into thin strips; thinner strips take the brine faster, but crumbled pieces lose their chew. Ginger steeps in the hot soy brine for 10 minutes and is lifted out, leaving only its scent. The pickle is ready after 2 days of cold storage and is not meant to sit at room temperature.
Rubbing bellflower root with salt, rinsing it, then blanching it for just 3 minutes takes away bitterness while keeping a firm crunch. Julienned Korean pear brings cool sweetness to a sharp, spicy dressing of gochugaru (Korean chili flakes) and vinegar. A teaspoon of fish sauce gives the seasoning depth, and sesame oil goes in last so its aroma stays on top. The pear loses juice and softens the earlier it goes in, so the root is seasoned first and the pear folded in at the very end. It is best eaten while both are still crisp, when bitter root, sweet pear and sharp dressing shift from one to the next in each bite.
Bitter balloon flower root (doraji), hot ginger, then the sweetness of pear and jujube come through one after another in this simmered tea. Doraji, ginger and jujubes go first for 20 minutes; the pear joins only for the last five, and the heat goes off as it turns slightly translucent.
Bellflower root and chestnuts both come into season in autumn, and this salad puts the lingering bitterness of lightly blanched root next to the soft, crumbly sweetness of cooked chestnut. Julienned Korean pear adds cool juice, and a cider vinegar dressing thickened with plenty of ground perilla seed ties everything together with a nutty, toasty aroma. Quartering the chestnuts lengthwise keeps them in chunky pieces that stand out, yellow against the white root and pear.
Bitter, crunchy doraji (bellflower root) and sweet-tart orange segments meet over squid seared hard on high heat. Scoring the squid body in a crosshatch keeps it from curling as it cooks, and 1 to 2 minutes per side is enough to leave it bouncy. Shredded by hand and soaked in salted water for 5 minutes, the root loses its harsh bitterness and mixes in without tasting raw. After the soak it is rinsed and squeezed dry so it does not water down the dressing. A dressing of yuzu marmalade, vinegar and chili flakes adds floral acidity and a low hum of heat that links the three.