MIYEOK MUCHIM (KOREAN SEAWEED SALAD)

SOURCE: HOONI KIM AND AKI KAMOZAWA. MY KOREA: TRADITIONAL FLAVORS, MODERN RECIPES.

Like their Chinese and Japanese neighbors across their peninsula, Koreans also harvest wakame or sea mustard, locally called miyeok, for food. Pregnant and nursing mothers drink a bowl of seaweed soup to pass on its nutrients to their developing fetuses and newborns. Miyeok even shows up on birthdays as a semantic and symbolic reminder of its primeval role in human nourishment. When Koreans serve an appetite-whetting salad of miyeok, they drizzle with Chojang, a sweet and spicy vinaigrette of toasted sesame oil and rice vinegar, for a lingering flavor that fits well with the soft, smooth, and silky texture of the hydrated seaweed.

Ingredients

2 1/2 ounces/70 grams dried miyeok OR wakame

1 1/2 teaspoons/8 mL matsool OR mirin

1 tablespoon/18 grams gochujang or Korean red chili paste, preferably artisan brands or slightly hot commercial brands

1 1/2 teaspoons/8 mL toasted sesame oil

1/2 teaspoon/2 grams sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons/8 mL rice vinegar, preferably Korean

A pinch of minced ginger

1/2 teaspoon/2 grams minced garlic

Toasted sesame seeds

Specific Equipment

Large bowl

Whisk

Small bowl

Colander

Serves 4

Instructions

1. Soak the miyeok or wakame in a large bowl of water, completely covering the seaweed with water, for 1 hour or until the miyeok or wakame has swollen and rehydrated.

2. Whisk the matsool or mirin, gochujang, sesame oil, sugar, rice vinegar, ginger, and garlic in a small bowl until well-blended. Set the dressing aside.

3. Drain the rehydrated wakame through a colander and rinse the seaweed thoroughly with cold water. Cut the wakame into 2-inch/5-cm strips, if desired.

4. Pile the wakame in a deep-bottomed serving bowl. Drizzle the dressing over the wakame and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds. Toss altogether until well-blended, if desired. Chill until ready to serve.