This is considered a dressed or seasoned salad (muchim) in Korean and can be made with different vegetables or fruit. The one shown here is composed of smashed Persian cucumbers, Korean radish, and yellow summer squash, but it is also very good with halved grape tomatoes. I have not tried it yet, but I intend to try it with with plums, grapes, mango, zucchini, daikon, and others. It is best eaten immediately or at least within 24 hours. If you can’t find vegan fish sauce, you can substitute soy sauce or make your own or, if you are not vegetarian, you can use the anchovy-based regular fish sauce. The one shown above I ate with plain white rice. I have also made the tomato version and enjoyed with cheese and grits for breakfast.
There is really no substitute for the Korean chili flakes–gochugaru (GO-choo-GAH-roo). You can find it on Amazon or at any oriental market. The best kind is “sun-dried” or “taekyung” and it can be a bit pricy. It is the signature and critical ingredient in kimchi and most Korean cooking including gochujang, the ubiquitous Korean chili sauce. You can buy a big bag and keep it in the freezer to keep it fresh. I think you can get it in a powdered form, but I prefer the flakes. It is not terribily hot as it is made without the seeds and membranes of the chili where a lot of the heat resides. It is fruity, smoky and has a sweet smell and flavor and should be a bright red. Although there is no single seasoning that can replace gochugaru, a combination of a few may work like crushed red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper, which you can combine with other types of ground chilis such as ancho chili powder, smokey paprika, or chipotle chili powder for the smoky flavor.
Ingredients
1 pound vegetables or fruit, diced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons white distilled vinegar
1/2 teaspoon finely grated or minced garlic
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon gochugaru (Korean chili flakes)
2 teaspoons fish or soy sauce
1 teaspoon maple syrup, honey, or granulated sugar
Coarsely chopped chives, thinly sliced scallions, and/or cilantro or flat-leaf parsley leaves, for garnish
Directions
Sprinkle salt over diced or smashed fruit or vegetables in a drain, collecting the juice. Let drain for about 30 minutes. Mix other ingredients in a bowl. Dry fruit/vegetables with a paper towel and add to bowl. The liquid collected from draining may be added as needed to salt the salad. Sprinkle garnish(es) on top.
This does not keep well.
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