Yeolmu-geotjeori (Young Summer Radish Salad)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Large basin for washing greens
• •Wide mixing bowl
• •Colander
• •Clean kitchen towel

Instructions

1. 1

   Trim the yeolmu

   Trim away any tough root tips and yellow leaves. If the tiny radish roots are firm and clean, split them lengthwise and keep them; they give the salad its bite. Cut the greens into 2 1/2-inch lengths. Wash them in two changes of cold water by lifting the greens out of the bowl, not pouring the grit back over them.

   Young radish greens bruise easily. Handle them with open fingers, not a clenched hand, or the leaves turn dark and slick before they reach the table.
2. 2

   Salt lightly

   Put the washed yeolmu in a wide bowl and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon coarse sea salt. Toss once with your hands, gently, then leave for 20 minutes. Turn the greens once halfway through. This is not full kimchi salting; you are only relaxing the stems so they bend without snapping while keeping the leaf fresh.

3. 3

   Rinse and drain

   Dissolve 1/2 teaspoon salt in 6 cups cold water and rinse the yeolmu briefly in it. Drain in a colander for 10 minutes, then pat away obvious water with a clean towel. Do not squeeze. Squeezing is how a bright salad becomes a tired one.

4. 4

   Mix the seasoning

   In a large bowl, stir together the fish sauce, soup soy sauce, gochugaru, maesil-cheong, rice vinegar, garlic, sesame oil, sesame seeds, and ginger if using. Let it sit 5 minutes so the chili flakes bloom and soften. The seasoning should be salty, lightly sweet, and a little sharp before the greens go in, because the yeolmu will dilute it.

5. 5

   Toss by hand

   Add the drained yeolmu, scallions, and onion to the bowl. Lift and fold with your hands 8 to 10 times, turning from the bottom so the seasoning coats the stems and leaves without crushing them. Taste one stem and one leaf. If it tastes flat, add 1 teaspoon fish sauce. If it feels heavy, add 1 teaspoon vinegar. Write down the adjustment. 손맛 is real; I measure it anyway.

6. 6

   Rest and serve

   Let the geotjeori rest 10 minutes, just long enough for the seasoning to settle onto the greens. Serve it the same day with rice, grilled fish, or a plain pot of doenjang-jjigae. By tomorrow it will still be good, but it will no longer be geotjeori in spirit; it will have started walking toward kimchi.

Chef Tips

• •Buy yeolmu with thin stems, lively leaves, and small white roots. Thick stems can be fibrous, and leaves that already look limp at the market will not recover in your bowl.
• •Do not replace yeolmu with mature radish greens without changing the dish. Older greens need blanching or deeper seasoning. For this fresh salad, tenderness is not decoration; it is the structure.
• •Maesil-cheong gives clean sweetness and a little acidity. If you use sugar instead, keep it to 2 teaspoons. This dish should taste fresh and peppery, not sweet.
• •This is safest and best eaten the day it is made. Refrigerate leftovers in a covered container and finish within 24 hours.

Advance Preparation

• •The yeolmu can be trimmed and washed up to 6 hours ahead. Wrap it in a barely damp towel and refrigerate, then salt and season close to serving.
• •The seasoning paste can be mixed 1 day ahead and refrigerated. Bring it to room temperature for 10 minutes before tossing so it coats the greens evenly.
• •Do not salt the greens ahead for more than 30 minutes. Long salting pulls out too much water and changes the dish from fresh geotjeori into something limp.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 130g)