Tangpyeongchae (Mung Bean Jelly Salad)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Sharp chef's knife
• •Wide slotted spoon or spider
• •Nonstick skillet for thin egg jidan
• •Wide mixing bowl

Instructions

1. 1

   Cut the jelly

   Cut the cheongpomuk into strips about 1/4 inch wide and 2 1/2 to 3 inches long. Keep them as even as you can. This jelly is slippery, so use a sharp knife and a steady board; rough pieces break when tossed and make the salad look tired before it reaches the table.

2. 2

   Season the beef

   Mix the beef with 1 teaspoon soy sauce, 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil, 1/2 teaspoon sugar, the minced garlic, and black pepper. Let it sit 10 minutes while you prepare the rest. The amount is small because the beef is not the main dish; it is one voice in the bowl.

3. 3

   Blanch the jelly

   Bring a pot of water to a gentle boil. Add the mung bean jelly strips and blanch 30 seconds, just until they turn clearer and more supple. Lift them out carefully with a spider or wide slotted spoon and drain well. Do not boil them hard, or the edges fray and the strips start to break.

   If your jelly is freshly made and already clear and tender, you may skip the blanching. Store-bought chilled jelly almost always needs it.
4. 4

   Blanch the minari

   In the same water, add a pinch of salt and blanch the minari for 10 to 15 seconds, only until the stems turn bright and bend. Rinse briefly in cold water, squeeze gently, and season in its own bowl with a tiny pinch of salt and a few drops of sesame oil if you like. Minari should stay clean and green, not taste like the dressing before the salad is even mixed.

5. 5

   Make egg jidan

   Beat the yolks with a pinch of salt in one bowl and the whites with a pinch of salt in another. Lightly oil a nonstick skillet, wipe it almost dry, and cook each into a thin sheet over low heat. Do not brown them. Cool, then slice into fine threads. Yellow and white are separate colors here, so give them their own pans if you can, or cook the white first.

6. 6

   Cook the beef

   Heat the same skillet over medium-high heat with a few drops of oil. Stir-fry the seasoned beef for 1 to 2 minutes, just until cooked through and no longer wet. Spread it on a plate to cool. If it goes into the salad hot, it wilts the minari and softens the jelly.

7. 7

   Mix the dressing

   Stir together 2 tablespoons soy sauce, rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon sesame oil, sugar, maesil-cheong if using, water, minced garlic, and chopped scallion. Taste it. It should be savory first, lightly tart, and only faintly sweet. Tangpyeongchae is not a sugar salad.

8. 8

   Toss and finish

   Put the drained jelly in a wide bowl and toss gently with about two-thirds of the dressing. Add the beef, minari, egg threads, gim, sesame seeds, and red chili if using. Toss with your fingers or wide chopsticks, lifting rather than stirring, so the strips do not break. Taste and add the remaining dressing only if the jelly still tastes flat. Serve soon, before the gim softens completely.

Chef Tips

• •Buy cheongpomuk that feels firm but not rubbery. If it cracks when bent, it is old or too cold; blanching helps, but it will never be as graceful as fresh jelly.
• •Minari is best in spring, when the stems are tender and the flavor is clean. If your market has no good minari, use blanched spinach stems or very young watercress, but write that change down because the dish will taste sharper.
• •Do not add the gim early. It belongs near the end, where it keeps some texture and gives the seaweed fragrance without turning limp and black through the whole bowl.
• •The safe shortcut is store-bought cheongpomuk. The unsafe shortcut is sloppy cutting. 시대가 바뀌면 음식도 바뀌어야 해요. When times change, food must change too, but the knife still has to do its work.

Advance Preparation

• •The beef can be cut and seasoned up to 1 day ahead, then covered and refrigerated. Cook it the day you serve.
• •The egg jidan can be cooked and sliced up to 6 hours ahead. Keep the yellow and white threads covered separately so they stay clean.
• •The dressing can be mixed 1 day ahead and refrigerated. Stir before using, because sesame oil separates.
• •Blanch and toss the mung bean jelly close to serving. Once dressed, it is best within 30 minutes, before the gim softens and the jelly releases water.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 180g)