Smack dab in the middle of spring, we find huge bundles of beautiful bright green garlic scapes in the markets. You can pickle them in soy sauce but if you want to enjoy some right away, sautée and serve them as a banchan.
Tagvegetables
Recipe: Nogak muchim (old cucumber salad)
Nogak (노각), or old cucumber, is a cucumber that is aged on the vine until it develops a thick, golden skin and crunchy flesh.
Recipe: Seomcho muchim, winter spinach banchan
Seomcho (섬초, also called pohangcho, 포항초) is a wonderfully sweet, delicious winter spinach.
Yeongeun: Lotus root
The lotus is a lovely plant, and in Korea every single part of it has a purpose.
Korean chilies 101
Korean food isn’t always spicy—there are plenty of mild, savory dishes without that well-known spicy kick. But spicy flavors are popular, and we have the gochu (고추, chili) to thank for that.
Hamcho: Samphire, glasswort, sea asparagus
Travel along the southwest coast in summer and you may come across a bright green, succulent-like plant stretching upwards like a tiny tree from the mudflat. This is hamcho (함초, samphire or glasswort, Salicornia herbacea),
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.
Dureup, the king of spring: Aralia elata shoots
One of the last spring greens to grace the markets each year is dureup (두릅, Aralia elata shoots), a mildly bitter and fragrant vegetable.
10 Korean spring greens you should know
For those of us who’ve grown up abroad, shopping at Korean grocery stores can be both a beautiful and bewildering experience. What is this root? This tangle of leaves? How can I make it delicious?