Kolabi-saengchae (Kohlrabi Salad)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Sharp chef's knife or mandoline with 1/8-inch julienne blade and hand guard
• •Large 3-quart stainless or glass mixing bowl
• •Kitchen scale
• •Measuring spoons

Instructions

1. 1

   Trim and peel

   Cut off the stems and any tough root end. Peel with a knife, not only a vegetable peeler, until every fibrous green layer is gone and the flesh underneath is pale and clean. Kohlrabi hides tough skin under a pretty surface; leave it on and no amount of seasoning fixes the chew. Cut the peeled bulb into 1/8-inch slabs, stack them, then cut 1/8-inch matchsticks about 2 to 3 inches long.

   If the leaves are young and tender, save them for soup or a quick stir-fry. Do not mix tough leaves into this saengchae, because they will fight the clean crunch of the kohlrabi.
2. 2

   Salt the kohlrabi

   Put the matchsticks in a wide bowl and toss with 1 teaspoon salt for about 30 seconds, lifting from the bottom so the salt scatters evenly. Rest 12 to 15 minutes, turning once. You are not pickling it; you are pulling out the first water so the dressing clings instead of puddling. Drain off the liquid and press the kohlrabi gently with clean hands. Do not rinse unless you oversalted it; if you must rinse, pat it dry very well.

3. 3

   Color with chili

   Sprinkle the gochugaru over the drained kohlrabi and rub it through by hand for 1 minute, until the matchsticks are evenly stained red. Let it sit 2 minutes. Chili goes in before the wet seasonings because dry flakes cling to the cut surface; add liquid first and the color streaks instead of coating.

4. 4

   Season by hand

   Add the fish sauce, rice vinegar, maesil-cheong or sugar if using, and minced garlic. Toss by hand for 1 minute, lightly squeezing and releasing so the seasoning enters the cuts without bruising them. Taste one matchstick. It should be crisp, lightly salty, a little sharp, and still plainly kohlrabi. If it tastes flat, add 1/2 teaspoon more fish sauce. If it tastes heavy, add 1 teaspoon more rice vinegar. Do not add gochujang; it turns this clean dish into sauce.

   Fish sauces vary. The first tablespoon is the measure; the correction is in 1/2-teaspoon steps. Write that number down. Memory is a borrowed bowl.
5. 5

   Finish and rest

   Add the scallion, crushed sesame seeds, and sesame oil if you are serving the salad the same day. Toss lightly, then let it rest 10 minutes at cool room temperature so the seasoning settles into the kohlrabi. Serve as banchan with rice. If it is not going to the table within 2 hours, refrigerate it in a clean covered container.

Chef Tips

• •Choose small to medium winter kohlrabi that feels heavy for its size, with skin that is taut and unwrinkled. Very large bulbs can be woody at the core; if your knife meets a hard ring, cut that part away without regret.
• •A mandoline with a 1/8-inch julienne blade is the honest modern shortcut, as long as you use the hand guard. A box grater is not the same shortcut. It tears the kohlrabi, releases too much water, and makes the salad limp.
• •For a vegetarian version, replace the fish sauce with 2 teaspoons guk-ganjang (Korean soup soy sauce) plus 1/4 teaspoon salt. The dish will taste cleaner and less rounded, which is an honest change, not a failure.
• •Sesame oil is pleasant only when the salad is eaten soon. For storage, leave it out and add a few drops just before serving, or the clean winter bite of the kohlrabi turns dull.

Advance Preparation

• •The kohlrabi can be peeled and cut up to 12 hours ahead. Keep the matchsticks in an airtight container with a barely damp towel over them, then salt only before serving.
• •The seasoning mixture, without scallion, sesame seeds, or sesame oil, can be mixed 2 days ahead and refrigerated. Stir it before using because the gochugaru settles.
• •Finished kolabi-saengchae keeps 2 days refrigerated, but it is crispest in the first 6 hours. If liquid gathers at the bottom, drain off a spoonful and refresh with 1/2 teaspoon rice vinegar and a pinch of sesame seeds.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 110g)