Shigumchi Namul (Korean Spinach Salad)......life beyond Pajeon, Part2!!

Shigumchi Namul (Korean Spinach Salad)...bear with me as the housekeeping continues...another old post from here, separated into a new one

Shigumchi Namul (Korean Spinach Salad)

Ingredients:

• Spinach, cleaned, washed and very thick stems removed
• Salt
• Sesame seeds, lightly roasted

Dressing

• Light soy sauce, 1 tsp
• Sesame oil, ½ tsp
• Garlic clove, minced, 1
• Sugar, a pinch

Instructions:

Blanch spinach in salted water until just cooked. Drain and wash in cold water. Squeeze well to take out all excess water. Cut into bite size pieces.  

Combine the soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic and sugar in a small bowl. 

Pour the dressing over the spinach. Mix well and serve topped with sesame seeds

I have it at room temperature when eating with rice and chilled, when eating as a salad.

I also add a few red chili flakes at times.

Notes:

• The dressing amount is given for proportion and of course you can adjust according to taste and quantity.

Enoki Mushroom Salad...with the meal and not instead!!

Enoki Mushroom Salad…a Korean inspired salad which I especially like since no one is expected to swap their meal (read carbs and proteins) and just munch of this one...it is meant to be served as a small portion as an accompaniment to your meal…serve it cold or at room temperature…with grilled meat/chicken/fish/or even Indian Cottage Cheese or with rice

Enoki Mushroom Salad

Ingredients:

• Enoki Mushrooms
• Red Bell pepper
• Yellow Bell pepper
• English Cucumber

For the Dressing:

(amount is given for proportion; adjust to taste and quantity)

• Light Soy Sauce, 1 ½ tbsp
• Vinegar, 1 tbsp
• Sugar, ½ tbsp
• Sesame oil, ½ tsp

Instructions:

Use your own proportions for the veggies, as much or as little as you want.

Chop off the ends of Enoki mushrooms and separate the strands. Rinse under cold water, strain and keep aside.

Remove the seeds and white membranes from the bell peppers and cut into julienne.

Peel, remove the seeds of the cucumbers and cut into julienne.

Combine the soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil and sugar in a small glass/ceramic bowl. 

To serve cold:

Mix all the veggies together in a glass/ceramic bowl; pour the dressing over the veggies. Mix well and refrigerate for an hour or so.

(We like it better served cold)

To serve at room temperature:

Blanch all the veggies in boiling water for about 30 seconds. Immediately rinse with ice cold water and drain well.

Put the veggies in a glass/ceramic bowl; pour the dressing over the veggies. Mix well and serve.

Notes:

• If you don’t have sesame oil or don’t like it, swap with any flavorless oil

Korean Salads...life beyond Pajeon is as easy!!

Sukju Namul (Korean Mung Bean Sprout Salad)...Going on vacation next week so of course trying to eat healthy this week...as if...but hey, at least am trying...right?... OK, so one of my favorite cuisines is Korean...I had it for the first time about 8 years back in the U.S. and was hooked...of course not so easy to find at that time here so learnt a few basic dishes and when I say basic I mean really basic because even the ingredients were hard to come by…now, of course it is a completely different story altogether…from supermarkets to stand alone dedicated stores to one of the finest Korean restaurant…all in the neighborhood J...these are the first two dishes that a Korean colleague of mine had taught me...of course the cleaning of both the sprouts and spinach takes time(read makes you want to pull your hair out) but after that it is a breeze…both of these can be eaten as salads or as sides.

Sukju Namul (Korean Mung Bean Sprout Salad)

Ingredients:

• Mung Bean sprouts, washed, sorted and roots removed
• Spring/Green Onion, chopped
• Sesame seeds, lightly roasted

Dressing:

• Light soy sauce, 1 tsp
• Sesame oil, 1 tsp
• Garlic clove, minced, 1
• Sugar, a pinch

Instructions:

Blanch bean sprouts in boiling water for no more than 30 seconds –they will become translucent. Immediately rinse with cold water and drain well.

Combine the soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic and sugar in a small bowl. 

Mix the spring onions with the sprouts, Pour the dressing over the sprouts. Mix well and serve topped with sesame seeds

I have it at room temperature when eating with rice and chilled, when eating as a salad.

I also add a few red chili flakes at times.

Notes:

• The dressing amount is given for proportion and of course you can adjust according to taste and quantity.

Shigumchi Namul (Korean Spinach Salad)

(recipe moved here)