Nogak (노각), or old cucumber, is a cucumber that is aged on the vine until it develops a thick, golden skin and crunchy flesh.
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Recipe: Ssuk gae-tteok, mugwort rice cake
Gae-tteok (개떡) is an easy rice cake made with fragrant green herbs.
Recipe: Seomcho muchim, winter spinach banchan
Seomcho (섬초, also called pohangcho, 포항초) is a wonderfully sweet, delicious winter spinach.
Recipe: Yeongeun jorim, soy sauce braised lotus root
When I was working for Michelin-starred restaurants in New York City, I used to slice and deep fry lotus roots to be used as garnishes. Whenever I made these I couldn’t stop thinking about the salty and sweet soy sauce braised lotus root banchan in Korea.
Recipe: Yeolmu kimchi, young radish greens kimchi
Go to any restaurant in Korea during our hot and sweaty summers, and you’re likely to find these lovely greens stems of kimchi on your table.
Recipe: Dureup sukhoe, blanched Aralia shoots
A simple and delicious way to eat dureup (두릅, Aralia shoots) is sukhoe (숙회, blanching or parboiling, pronounced “sook-hwae”).
Recipe: Minari ganghoe (blanched water dropwort)
Ganghoe (강회, pronounced “gahng-hwae”) is a term for lightly parboiled vegetables like minari or fresh young spring onions, both of which have an unmistakable aroma particularly in the spring.
Recipe: Dallae ganjang (wild chive soy sauce)
One of the common ways to eat dallae (달래, Korean wild chive) is making dallae ganjang (달래간장), a tasty and useful sauce that helps brighten up any meal.
Recipe: Gosari namul (sautéed bracken fiddleheads)
Making gosari namul (고사리 나물) requires soaking for long hours and easily takes a full two days, so make sure to plan ahead, especially if you’re preparing for a special day like Jeongwol Daeboreum.