Wonchuri-namul (Seasoned Daylily Shoots)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Wide 3-quart pot for blanching
• •Colander
• •Medium mixing bowl
• •Kitchen scissors or knife

Instructions

1. 1

   Choose and clean

   Use only young daylily shoots, about 15 to 20cm or shorter, with tender pale bases and fresh green tips. Do not use mature leaves, unknown lilies, roadside plants, or anything sprayed. Trim dry ends, separate any thick clumps, and wash in three changes of cold water until no grit settles at the bottom of the bowl.

   If you did not buy the shoots from a Korean market, identify the plant with an experienced forager. Daylily is not the same as true lily, and this is not a place for guessing.
2. 2

   Blanch well

   Bring 8 cups water to a full boil in a wide pot and add 1 tablespoon coarse salt. Add the wonchuri and press it under the water. Blanch 2 minutes for very thin shoots or 3 minutes for thicker shoots, until the bases bend easily and the sharp raw smell is gone. This is for texture and for safety; too short a blanch is not worth the risk.

3. 3

   Rinse and squeeze

   Drain immediately and discard the blanching water. Rinse the shoots under cold running water, then soak them in a fresh bowl of cold water for 5 minutes and drain again. Gather small bundles and squeeze gently but firmly, leaving them damp rather than dry. If you wring them hard, the seasoning cannot settle into the leaves.

4. 4

   Cut for banchan

   Line the shoots up and cut them into 5cm lengths. This is small banchan, not a tangle. The pieces should lift easily with chopsticks and sit neatly beside rice.

5. 5

   Season by hand

   Put the wonchuri in its own mixing bowl. Add the soup soy sauce, garlic, sesame oil, crushed sesame seeds, and the optional maesil-cheong or sugar. Toss and rub lightly with your fingers for 30 seconds, separating the shoots so the seasoning reaches each piece. Taste one shoot. It should be gently salty, nutty, and still green-sweet, not loud with garlic.

   Start with the measured soy sauce before adding more. Soup soy sauce varies by maker, and wonchuri is too delicate to rescue once it is oversalted.
6. 6

   Rest and serve

   Let the namul rest 5 minutes, then taste again. Add the optional scallion only if you want a sharper finish. Serve in a small banchan dish at room temperature, with rice and a plain soup. Wonchuri is best the day it is made, while the spring taste is still clear.

Chef Tips

• •Buy wonchuri in spring from a Korean market if you can. The shoots should look young and folded, not tall, fibrous, or leathery. Cook the month you're standing in; if the shoots are already mature, make chwinamul or spinach namul instead.
• •Do not skip the blanching and rinsing. Daylily shoots are a traditional edible green, but only when young and properly cooked. Serve modest portions, especially the first time someone eats it.
• •Season this namul in its own bowl, never in a mixed pile with other greens. Spinach, bracken, and wonchuri all drink salt differently. Season them as a crowd and they all become one dull thing.
• •If you cannot find guk-ganjang, use 2 teaspoons regular soy sauce plus a small pinch of salt. It will taste darker and less clean, but it is an honest substitution.

Advance Preparation

• •The shoots can be washed and trimmed up to 1 day ahead, wrapped in a barely damp towel, and refrigerated in a loose bag.
• •Blanch and season wonchuri the day you serve it. Leftovers keep 1 day refrigerated, but the texture softens and the sesame oil becomes heavier.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 70g)