Korean Mixed Seaweed Salad
Quick answer
- Total time
- 17 min
- Level
- Easy
- Servings
- 4 servings
- Ingredients
- 8
About this dish
Haecho-muchim gathers several types of ocean seaweed - often including miyeok julgi (seaweed stems), tot (sea mustard), parae (green laver), and kkosiraegi - into one bowl and dresses them in cho-gochujang, a tangy-sweet sauce made by blending gochujang with vinegar and sugar.
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Each strand and leaf brings a different texture: some chewy, some slippery, some with a gentle pop. The seaweed is blanched for no longer than twenty seconds to preserve that textural variety - longer cooking turns everything uniformly soft. Squeezing out all residual water before dressing is critical, otherwise the sauce dilutes into a watery puddle. Julienned cucumber threaded through the seaweed adds a crisp, garden-fresh counterpoint to the briny marine flavors. Served chilled, this low-calorie banchan is especially welcome in hot weather.
Ingredients
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Instructions
Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.
- 1Season
Place 250 g mixed seaweed in cold water and swish it gently by hand to draw out excess salt.
If the soaking water tastes very salty, change the water once and rinse again before blanching.
- 2Control
Bring a pot of water to a full boil over high heat, then add the seaweed and blanch for only 20 seconds.
As soon as the color looks clearer and brighter, lift it out to prevent limp texture.
- 3Heat
Move the seaweed straight into ice water or very cold water to stop the cooking.
Once cold, squeeze it firmly with both hands until almost no droplets fall, so the dressing will not turn watery.
- 4Season
Halve 80 g cucumber lengthwise with the skin on, then slice it thinly on the diagonal.
Sprinkle with a small pinch of salt, rest for 5 minutes, and squeeze out the moisture so it stays crisp.
- 5Season
In a small bowl, mix 1 tbsp gochujang, 2 tbsp vinegar, 1 tbsp sugar, 0.5 tsp minced garlic, and 1 tsp sesame oil.
Stir until no sugar grains remain and the sauce looks glossy.
- 6Finish
Put the seaweed and cucumber in a large bowl, add the dressing in portions, and toss gently so the strands stay intact.
Before the seasoning loosens, sprinkle 1 tsp sesame seeds and serve chilled.
Practical Cooking Checks
The cues that matter most while cooking.
- Key technique
- Wakame, hijiki, sea lettuce, and gracilaria blanched under 20 seconds, tossed in spicy-sour cho-gochujang.
- Finish cue
- Stir until no sugar grains remain and the sauce looks glossy.
- Substitution
- Add the dressing in portions instead of all at once so the seaweed does not clump.
Cooking decision evidence
Calculated Charim data and applicable official cooking and food safety guidance.
This recipe
17min, 8 ingredients
Category median
17min, 7 ingredients
Based on 109 recipes
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