262 recipes. Page 10 of 11
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Leek-like daepa scallions are shredded into fine threads along the grain and soaked in cold water, which takes off the harsh bite and makes the strands curl lightly. The mellowed shreds are heaped beside grilled meat and picked up together with each slice.
Crunchy seaweed stems carry a layer of salty soy and sharp vinegar over a faint taste of the sea. The stems are blanched for only about 20 seconds and squeezed dry right away; that brief dip is what keeps their snappy chew. Onion lends the brine a natural sweetness and cheongyang chile a hot finish. Salted stems vary in saltiness, so the soaking time is adjusted by tasting a strand.
Cold soba, rinsed until the strands feel clean, gets a light coat of soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and sesame seeds. Cutting cucumber, carrot, and red cabbage as thin as the noodles lets each mouthful pick up vegetables and buckwheat together instead of leaving the cabbage in a heap at the bottom of the bowl. The salad tastes best the moment it is tossed; left sitting in the dressing, the noodles go soft and the flavor turns watery.
Coarse, soft lumps of tofu sit between thin strips of red and yellow pepper and cucumber, and each bite alternates between creamy and crisp. The soy and vinegar dressing is a small amount, and any water left on the tofu or vegetables thins it quickly and pools at the bottom of the bowl.
Cubes cut to an even 1.5 cm take in the hot soy brine at the same pace, and after three days in the fridge they turn slightly translucent and salty-sweet to the center. The brine goes into the jar right after it comes to a full boil, because longer boiling drives off the sharpness of the vinegar. A single dried chile tucked among the cubes adds a gentle warmth. It sits comfortably beside gimbap, bibimbap or a bowl of gukbap.
The only cooking in this salad is poaching a chicken breast, since soy protein noodles are ready once drained of their packing water and rinsed. The dressing of soy sauce, vinegar and olive oil gets its sweetness from allulose instead of sugar, which keeps it sharp and light. Baby greens go on last and stay perky as long as they are not tossed in early.
Briny clams and the clear sweetness of persimmon come together cold in a hot-mustard dressing, a Korean naengchae, or chilled salad. The clams are blanched briefly and moved straight into ice water so residual heat does not keep cooking them. Minari (water parsley) adds a grassy bitterness that balances sweet and salty, and red cabbage contributes crunch and purple color. Fine strips of Korean pear release juice that spreads the dressing through the bowl. Firm persimmon works better than soft, holding its bite even when sliced thin. Vinegar and hot mustard paste leave a sharp, clean finish, so it suits a seasonal starter for guests.
Drying concentrates the radish's sweetness, and the rehydrated strips keep a chew that sets them apart from fresh radish pickles, as long as the soak in lukewarm water stops at 20 minutes, when the centers bend but before they turn floppy. The chili flakes are stirred into the brine after it has cooled completely, so the color spreads evenly through the jar.
Crown daisy, the herb sold as ssukgat in Korean markets, brings a grassy, faintly bitter note that the sweet-sour dressing of soy sauce, vinegar, and plum syrup balances. Mung bean glass noodles should come out translucent but still a little chewy; softer than that and they clump into a sticky mass once dressed. Cucumber and crown daisy shed water as they sit, so the salad gets tossed right before it reaches the table.
Sumac, a tangy red spice, stacks another layer of sourness on the lemon and vinegar and turns mild white beans bright. Thin red onion and coarsely chopped parsley add crunch and a grassy note among the soft beans. The onion spends about 5 minutes in cold water to tame its bite and is drained well so it does not thin the dressing. The beans are already cooked, so rough stirring mashes them quickly. Sumac is scattered evenly over everything at the end so no spoonful is all sourness, and the salad rests for about 10 minutes at room temperature. As in Turkey, it is served alongside bread or grilled meat.
Between bites of greasy fried chicken or pork cutlet, a cube of this sweet-sour radish resets the palate. The balance comes down to vinegar against sugar: more vinegar and the sourness takes over, more sugar and it starts tasting like candied fruit. It is ready to eat 30 minutes after the hot brine is poured over, but the flavor only reaches the center after a night in the fridge. Leaving the turmeric out changes only the color, since the bright yellow of chicken-shop radish comes from gardenia or turmeric. Thin slices turn soft, while evenly chunky pieces, sealed and chilled, stay crisp for more than two weeks.
The slightly bitter scent of crown daisy, ssukgat, cuts through the nutty weight of perilla seed powder and keeps this soy-dressed somyeon lively without any chili heat. Plum syrup and vinegar add a light sweet-sour lift, and cold cucumber strips crunch between the thin noodles. Holding back part of the sauce before tossing leaves room to adjust once you see how much water the noodles carry.
Torn lettuce gets a thin, glossy coat of red chili dressing seconds before it reaches the table, usually beside grilled pork belly or other grilled meat. The dressing rests for about a minute first, long enough for the chili flakes to soften and lose their dusty taste. Geotjeori is a fresh, unaged kimchi-style salad, and it does not hold: left to sit, the leaves wilt and liquid gathers in the bowl. When the dressing tastes thin, drying the lettuce matters more than adjusting the sauce: the usual cause is water trapped between the leaves rather than too little seasoning. Thin slices of onion add a sharp edge against the mild bitterness of the leaves. Plum syrup gives a fruitier, subtler sweetness than sugar, and vinegar tempers the chili heat.
Radish sprouts are so thin that any pressure squeezes out water and a grassy smell, which keeps the tossing down to about 20 seconds with the fingertips, and the vinegar is added last for a brighter tang. Eaten right away, before the sprouts wilt, it is light and crisp; leftovers keep, chilled and sealed, for a day or two.
Young radish kimchi, yeolmu, and some of its brine are mixed into a tangy gochujang dressing for cold somyeon, letting the kimchi flavor lead rather than plain chili sweetness. Only half the kimchi is tossed with the noodles, and the rest sits on top so the stems stay crisp. Noodles that are not drained well leave the sauce pooling like water at the bottom of the bowl.
Glasswort grows near tidal flats and its thin stems already taste salty, which leaves the seasoning to chili flakes, vinegar, plum syrup and sesame oil with no added salt. The stems pop when bitten, and keeping that snap explains the 10-second blanch and the plunge into cold water right after. Mixing it for too long makes the stems go limp and leaves water on the plate. For that reason the chili flakes are soaked in the vinegar and plum syrup first, and a quick toss then coats the greens. Paper-thin onion adds a little sweetness, and the fruity plum syrup rounds off the vinegar's sharpness.
Brine poured after only three minutes off the boil lightly blanches the surface of the alpine leek leaves, keeping them bright green while the inside stays raw and garlicky. With soy sauce and vinegar at equal volumes, neither salt nor sourness dominates once the leaves soak through. Each leaf is washed front and back and dried flat, since grit left on a single one turns the whole jar bitter. The finished leaves are mostly used to wrap grilled meat.
The chilled broth comes from young radish kimchi brine, sharpened with vinegar and a touch of hot mustard that lingers after the sourness. Because the soup is meant to be drunk, temperature matters as much as seasoning, and even the toppings wait in the fridge. Thin somyeon absorbs the broth quickly, so bowls are filled right before they go to the table.
A brief dip in boiling water firms the surface of acorn jelly, which helps the soft slices survive being tossed in a soy, vinegar and chili dressing. Mixing them takes a few gentle lifts from the bottom rather than stirring, as they still break easily.
Hot soy brine sets only the outer surface of the cucumber while the center stays crisp even after several days of chilling. Whole garlic cloves slowly release their aroma into the liquid and hot green chilies leave a faint heat at the end of each bite, giving more depth than plain soy pickles. Because the half-moons are cut a thick 1 cm, they need about two days of chilling before the soy and vinegar reach the middle. The first pour is hot, but when the brine is drained and boiled again to keep the slices crisp for longer, it goes back on only after cooling. Serve it over rice or next to gukbap, a Korean rice and soup dish.
Chicken breast and radish simmer gently into a clear stock, and yuja (citron) syrup stirred in once it is cold lays a sweet, fragrant citrus note over the savory chicken. The pot stays below a rolling boil for 15 minutes so the broth comes out clear, and nothing oily goes into it. The same chicken then gets shredded for the topping, making one ingredient do double duty as broth and garnish. Because the stock has to cool completely and chill, it gets started well before the noodles. The yuja syrup needs to dissolve fully in the cold broth, or its sweetness collects in one spot. Freezing part of the broth into ice cubes keeps the bowl cold without watering it down.
Searing smoked duck briefly renders the surface fat, and what richness remains gets cut by the nose-tingling heat of mustard and a splash of vinegar. Korean chives, cabbage, and bell pepper give it crunch and a garlicky green aroma, while honey and sesame oil round off the soy dressing. Toss the duck with the vegetables while it is still warm, when the meat feels most tender.
Unlike soy-based Korean jangajji, this Western-style pickle of vinegar, sugar, bay leaf and black peppercorns leans sweet and sour. A 10-minute salting draws water from the 1 cm rounds before they meet the brine, keeping the liquid strong, and its sharp first acidity mellows into the sweetness as the jar chills.
Every bite mixes two temperatures: warm, savory slices of egg-battered beef on top of cold, sweet-sour gochujang noodles. If the thin beef is floured while still damp, the egg coating lifts and slides off in the pan.