Buchu-muchim (Garlic Chive Salad)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Large mixing bowl
• •Salad spinner or clean kitchen towels
• •Sharp knife

Instructions

1. 1

   Wash and dry

   Rinse the buchu in a wide bowl of cold water, lifting it out so any grit stays behind. Dry it very well in a salad spinner or between clean kitchen towels. Water clinging to the chives thins the seasoning and makes the salad slump before it reaches the table.

   Trim only the tired ends. If the root ends are firm and clean, keep them. They carry the strongest garlic-chive flavor.
2. 2

   Cut evenly

   Cut the buchu into 2-inch lengths. Slice the onion as thinly as you can, then soak it in cold water for 5 minutes and drain hard if it tastes harsh. The chives and onion should lift together with chopsticks, not hang in long strands or fall apart in tiny pieces.

3. 3

   Mix seasoning

   In a large mixing bowl, stir together the soy sauce, fish sauce, rice vinegar, gochugaru, sugar, maesil-cheong if using, sesame oil, sesame seeds, and grated garlic. Mix this before the chives go in, because raw buchu bruises when you fuss with it. Taste the seasoning on the tip of a chive. It should be salty, lightly sweet, a little sharp, and not muddy.

4. 4

   Toss gently

   Add the buchu and onion to the bowl. Lift and turn with your fingers or chopsticks 8 to 10 times, just until every strand is lightly coated. Do not squeeze. Do not knead. Garlic chives are not cabbage kimchi; salting and pressing them only steals their snap.

5. 5

   Taste and serve

   Taste one full bite with chive and onion together. Add up to 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt only if it tastes flat, and toss once more. Serve immediately, especially with bossam or grilled pork. If the table is not ready, keep the cleaned chives and mixed seasoning separate, then combine them at the last minute.

Chef Tips

• •Buy buchu with firm, flat green blades and pale clean stems. If the tips are yellow, wet, or limp, cook another namul today. This salad has no heat and no long seasoning to hide tired greens.
• •Fish sauce gives the seasoning depth, especially beside pork. If you want a vegetarian bowl, use the extra soy sauce and add 1/2 teaspoon more toasted sesame seeds. It will be cleaner and less savory, but still honest.
• •Do not dress this ahead. You may wash, dry, cut, and refrigerate the chives for half a day, and you may mix the seasoning in advance, but the two meet only when the rice is on the table.

Advance Preparation

• •Wash and dry the buchu up to 6 hours ahead. Wrap it in a dry towel and refrigerate it in a loose bag so it stays crisp.
• •Mix the seasoning up to 1 day ahead and refrigerate it. Bring it back to room temperature and stir before tossing, because sesame oil thickens when cold.
• •Once dressed, buchu-muchim is best eaten within 20 minutes. Leftovers are still edible the next day over rice, but they will be soft and darker.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 80g)