262 recipes. Page 4 of 11
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The holes of each lotus root slice show through a thin, crisp batter, so every piece comes out looking like lace. Biting in gives a clean crunch first, then a slightly sticky chew from the root. Slices cut 5 to 6 mm thick keep that crunch while still cooking through in the center.
Thin, even slices of lotus root end up with a thin brown soy glaze outside and a crisp, lacy bite inside. Cutting every slice to the same 0.5 cm is what lets them all cook to the same point in the same time. A quick blanch and a rinse in cold water before braising take off the surface starch and astringency, and skipping it leaves that rough edge under the glaze. A tablespoon of vinegar added with the rice syrup near the end keeps the sweetness light despite all that shine. Cooled completely and refrigerated, the slices keep drawing in seasoning and taste more even the next day.
Crisp stems and tender florets sit side by side in this soy pickle, a contrast that depends on keeping the blanch to 40 seconds and moving the broccoli straight into ice water. Unlike many hot-brine pickles, this one waits until the brine is completely cool, because warm liquid softens the florets. Red bell pepper and onion add sweetness and a flash of red against the green. The crunch is best in the first two days, while the seasoning reaches all the way through after 3 to 4 days. It packs easily into a lunch box and keeps for up to 2 weeks in the fridge.
Tsuyu sharpened with vinegar dresses this cold soba salad and finishes lighter than an oil-based dressing would. Purple shreds of red cabbage, cucumber and lettuce mix in among the brown buckwheat noodles, and nori flakes are scattered on top. Rubbing the noodles under cold water until the slick surface is gone keeps the strands separate and lets the dressing cling. A boiled egg or some chicken breast turns it into a full meal.
Chia seeds soaked in lemon juice and water swell into soft, jelly-coated beads that pop gently through a yuja citrus dressing. Silken tofu gets no seasoning of its own and relies on the dressing's tangy sweetness and touch of soy, which means each spoonful should hold both tofu and dressing. Left in the fridge for about 30 minutes after mixing, the chia dressing turns noticeably chewier.
Slices of raw-grade bai whelk are laid in a single layer between sheets of ma-kombu wiped with vinegar water, pressed with a palm to push out the air, wrapped tight, and left in the fridge overnight. Neither the vinegar nor the kombu kills parasites or bacteria, so the whelk stays at 4°C or below from shelling to serving.
Chonggak radishes are cut into thin diagonal slices, salted briefly and dressed with gochugaru and fish sauce, then eaten crunchy the same day rather than left to ferment. If the tender greens are still attached, they go in too.
Fried chicken thighs get only a thin coat of a sour, spicy sauce made from gochujang, ketchup and vinegar, so the crust is still crisp when it reaches the table. Letting the fried chicken cool and then rewarming it in the oil makes it crunchier still.
Buckwheat jelly is plain on its own, and the cold soy and vinegar broth is mixed a little too salty and sour to make up for it once the jelly goes in. The broth is chilled until a few ice crystals remain, and crumbled laver and sesame oil go on just before serving.
Slices cut a full 1cm thick and cooked covered over low heat give this lotus root dish a chunkier bite than thin soy-glazed versions, with a core that stays crunchy. A soak in vinegared water right after slicing keeps the cut faces from browning. Jocheong, a Korean grain syrup, sweetens the soy instead of sugar and leaves a mellow malty note along with the gloss.
Blanched cabbage is layered with cooked salted trout, carrot, ginger and chili, and each layer gets a splash of amazake and vinegar. In inland Tsugaru, Aomori, fresh seafood was once hard to come by, and through about four months of heavy snow, pickled vegetables and long-keeping salted trout carried households through winter. Families ate the grilled flesh and put the remaining edible parts into pickles or shirani soup. The batch fills an 18L container and stays at 4°C or below from start to finish, so refrigerator space is the first thing to sort out.
Jjolmyeon noodles have a rubbery, teeth-resisting chew, and topping them with tender soy-and-sugar marinated beef sets up a sharp contrast in texture. The gochujang and vinegar sauce adds spicy, sour notes that cut the bulgogi's sweetness. Shredded cabbage and carrot bring crunch, while a halved boiled egg tempers the chili.
Korean garlic chives (buchu) are far sharper and more pungent than Western chives, and this side dish keeps them raw to hold on to that bite. Doenjang, a fermented soybean paste, clings to the flat leaves so every mouthful carries its salty depth, while vinegar lightens the finish and chili flakes leave a gentle heat. A 30-second rinse in cold water is enough, and longer soaking dulls the aroma. It is made right before the meal and belongs next to a bowl of rice.
Each slice shows a dark spiral of kombu wrapped around soaked dried herring, glossy with a sweet soy glaze that reaches between the layers. The rolls come from the Hidaka area of Hokkaido, and because kombu sounds like yorokobu, to rejoice, they appear in New Year osechi boxes and at celebrations.
Both the small bulbs and the leaves of dallae, a Korean wild chive, go in raw, tossed in soy sauce, vinegar, gochugaru and sesame oil. Cleaning takes the longest: soil hides between the bulbs, and the dark core and loose outer skin have to come off.
Lotus root is dense and soybean sprouts are delicate, and cooked for the same length of time one of them gives out. The lotus root gets a head start, and the sprouts go in only once the soy glaze is bubbling, for a short final toss.
The only heat involved is a 20-second dip for the seaweed, which is rinsed in cold water right after so it stops cooking. The broth is never heated either; it is soup soy sauce, vinegar and sugar topped up with cold water.
Lotus root keeps a crisp, almost snappy bite even after braising, which sets it apart from soft soy-braised potatoes or burdock. Once the holes in each round have soaked up the soy sauce and the slices turn a translucent brown, a spoonful of syrup over high heat gives them a quick, glossy finish.
Celery's raw sharpness puts some people off, but a soy pickle softens it into a cool, herbal crunch. Pulling the tough strings off the stalks and blanching for thirty seconds takes away the grassy edge while keeping the scent. Skin-on lemon slices and whole garlic cloves sit between the pieces, adding citrus and a mild bite. It is ready cold from the second day and tastes fuller after four to five days.
Chewy and clear, sweet-potato glass noodles grab the gochujang-soy sauce tightly and bring a vivid sweet-spicy hit with every lift of the chopsticks. The dish comes from street food sold in Busan's markets, and it is quick: boil the noodles, then toss them with briefly stir-fried vegetables, fish cake, and the sauce. Fish cake adds a soft savory note against the springy noodles, while cabbage and carrot, cooked only until just bent, keep some crunch.
Fried thick tofu (atsuage) and toasted white sesame are ground together into a thick dressing that clings to shredded daikon and carrot. The grinding goes on until no flecks of the tofu skin remain, which is what makes the coating smooth enough to wrap the fine shreds. It resembles shiraae, the Japanese tofu-dressed salad, in its nutty richness, but vinegar and Japanese mustard make it tart with a little nasal heat. Wringing the salted daikon and carrot out firmly in two or three goes keeps the coating thick after the vinegar is added and lets the vegetables keep their crunch. Thin diagonal slices of blanched snow peas add green against the white and orange.
Etsu fried crisp in potato starch goes straight into a vinegar-soy marinade while still hot, so the fish absorbs it quickly and the thin-cut vegetables stay crunchy. The fish is caught only during a short season from May to July in the Chikugo area of Fukuoka, and its many fine bones call for closely spaced cuts along the body. Served chilled, it is a summer side dish.
The kelp strips soak in cold water for 10 minutes to lose some salt, then get just 20 seconds in boiling water before going straight into a cold rinse. Tossed with seeded cucumber strips in a gochugaru, vinegar and soy dressing, they chill for at least 10 minutes before serving.
The eggplant is fried and set aside first, then returned to the sauce at the end, which keeps the pieces whole. The sauce starts from the spicy oil released as ground pork and doubanjiang (chili bean paste) fry together, and the sourness is adjusted at the very end with a little vinegar at a time.