Gosari-namul (Seasoned Bracken Fern)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Large soaking bowl
• •Medium pot with lid
• •Colander
• •10-inch skillet
• •Mixing bowl

Instructions

1. 1

   Soak the gosari

   Rinse the dried gosari under cool water, rubbing away any grit, then put it in a large bowl with at least 6 cups cool water. Soak 12 to 18 hours, changing the water 2 or 3 times. This is not politeness toward the ingredient. It draws out bitterness and gives the tough stems a chance to soften before heat ever touches them.

   If a package says the gosari is already boiled, start with 300g drained bracken and skip to cutting and seasoning. Still rinse it well and taste a stem. Packaged convenience is allowed; tough bracken is not.
2. 2

   Simmer until tender

   Drain the soaked gosari and put it in a pot with 6 cups fresh water. Bring to a boil, then lower to a steady simmer and cook 35 to 45 minutes, until the thick end bends easily and can be pinched with slight resistance. Turn off the heat and let it sit in the cooking water 30 minutes. That rest finishes the softening without beating the stems to mush.

3. 3

   Rinse and cut

   Drain and discard the cooking water, then rinse the gosari twice in fresh water. Squeeze it gently but firmly, enough to remove excess water without crushing the strands. Cut into 2-inch lengths. If the stem still feels woody, put it back in fresh water and simmer 15 minutes more. The skillet cannot fix what the pot did not finish.

4. 4

   Season by hand

   Put the cut gosari in a bowl and add the soup soy sauce, regular soy sauce, garlic, scallion, and perilla oil. Toss and rub lightly with your fingers so the seasoning reaches the curled stems. Each namul is seasoned alone, in its own bowl, because bracken wants more soy and oil than spinach does. For jesa, omit the garlic and scallion and keep the seasoning quiet.

5. 5

   Saute and braise

   Set a 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Add the seasoned gosari and stir for 2 minutes, until the oil coats the pan and the soy darkens the strands evenly. Add 3 tablespoons water or mild anchovy-kelp broth, cover, and cook 5 to 6 minutes, stirring once. The small amount of liquid lets the seasoning enter the fiber instead of sitting on the outside.

6. 6

   Finish and rest

   Uncover and stir until the pan is nearly dry and the gosari looks glossy, not wet. Taste one thick stem. Add up to 1/8 teaspoon salt only if it tastes flat, then turn off the heat and fold in the toasted sesame oil, sesame seeds, and black pepper if using. Let it rest 10 minutes before serving. Gosari-namul is best warm or at room temperature, with rice, in bibimbap, or beside the other holiday namul.

Chef Tips

• •Do not eat bracken raw or barely cooked. Soak it, simmer it, discard the soaking and cooking water, and rinse it well. This is both taste and safety, not fussiness.
• •Good dried gosari should smell earthy, not musty, and the stems should be brown with some thickness. Very thin broken strands cook unevenly and disappear in the pan.
• •Perilla oil suits gosari especially well because its nuttiness matches the mountain-green flavor. If you only have toasted sesame oil, use 2 teaspoons for sauteing and 1 teaspoon at the end.
• •For jesa, many households avoid strong aromatics, so omit garlic and scallion. For a family banchan, they belong. 시대가 바뀌면 음식도 바뀌어야 해요. When times change, food must change too, but name the table you are cooking for.
• •Finished gosari-namul keeps 3 days in the refrigerator. Let it come close to room temperature before serving, because cold oil dulls the seasoning.

Advance Preparation

• •The gosari can be soaked, simmered, rinsed, and cut up to 2 days ahead. Keep it refrigerated in fresh water, change the water daily, and squeeze it dry before seasoning.
• •The finished namul can be made 1 day ahead. It often tastes rounder after resting, but add the final sesame seeds just before serving so their flavor stays clear.
• •Do not freeze finished gosari-namul. The fibers turn stringy and the oil separates.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 80g)