Korean Melon Cucumber Perilla Salad
Quick answer
Korean melon, cucumber, and perilla seed salad uses chamae and cucumber as the main ingredients of a refreshing summer side dish.
What makes this special
- Chamae melon juice blends into the perilla dressing during chilling to create a light, natural sauce.
- Chamae juice seeps into the dressing during 10-minute chilling, making a natural sauce
- Perilla powder added last preserves its toasted-nut aroma
Key ingredients
Core cooking flow
- 1 Halve 300 g chamae and scoop out the seeds with a spoon.
- 2 Slice 180 g cucumber diagonally 0.5 cm thick.
- 3 Stack and roll 10 perilla leaves tightly, then chiffonade into 0.3 cm strips.
Korean melon, cucumber, and perilla seed salad uses chamae and cucumber as the main ingredients of a refreshing summer side dish. Chamae is cut into half-moons to expose the pale, sweet flesh, and cucumber is sliced on the diagonal to maximize surface area for the dressing to cling to. Red onion goes into cold water for five minutes before being added to the bowl, which draws out the sharpness while leaving the crunch. Perilla leaves are stacked, rolled tightly, and chiffonaded so their intense fragrance distributes evenly rather than concentrating in one spot. The dressing is ground perilla seed, lemon juice, olive oil, and honey. Adding the ground perilla seed just before serving preserves its toasted, nutty aroma, which fades quickly once it comes into contact with wet ingredients. After ten minutes in the refrigerator, the natural juice released from the chamae blends with the dressing into a light, pooled sauce at the bottom of the bowl. Lemon acidity and the nuttiness of perilla seed draw out the melon's clean sweetness without masking it. The salad works as a standalone side or alongside grilled meat to cut through the fat.
Instructions
Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.
- 1Prep
Halve 300 g chamae and scoop out the seeds with a spoon.
Slice into 1 cm half-moon pieces.
- 2Control
Slice 180 g cucumber diagonally 0.5 cm thick.
Slice 60 g red onion as thin as possible and soak in cold water for 5 minutes to reduce sharpness. Drain well.
- 3Step
Stack and roll 10 perilla leaves tightly, then chiffonade into 0.3 cm strips.
Place chamae, cucumber, and drained onion in a large bowl and toss lightly.
- 4Season
Whisk 1.5 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp honey, 1/4 tsp salt, a pinch of pepper, and 1.5 tbsp ground perilla into a thick, creamy dressing.
- 5Finish
Toss the vegetables with the dressing, then add the chiffonade perilla and fold once more.
Adding perilla last preserves its fresh fragrance.
- 6Finish
Chill in the refrigerator for 10 minutes and serve immediately.
The chamae sweetness comes through more clearly when cold.
After the steps
Pick a recipe that fits this dish.
Continue with shared ingredients, meal pairings, or a similar method.
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