Slightly sweet, salty and vinegary Korean Lettuce Salad that’s served with Korean BBQ or used as filling in wraps, sandwiches or burgers. Even the kids can’t get enough of this salad!
Over the weekend, I was busy troubleshooting some technical issues of this site and prepping for the 2 Weeks Spring Cleanse starting today. Initiated by Dr John Cassone on G+, it will be 2 Weeks of Fruits and Veggies only. It’s that simple. Eat as much as you want and when you want; smoothies, cooked, or raw. Nothing else allowed. I’m looking forward to increase in energy and feeling better. Look out for my daily meals on G+ and Instagram. The posts for these 2 weeks will coincide with the vegetarian theme.
A while back, we had a celebratory meal at a Korean Barbecue restaurant. If you had a Korean barbecue feast before, you will know not to arrange any after-dinner plans with the smell of grill surrounding every inch of your body. And of course it’s worth it. It was supposed to be a meaty affair but by the end of the meal, we have asked for more than 5 refills of lettuce side dish. We couldn’t stop eating the salad dotted with Korean chili flakes. It’s slightly salty, sweet and vinegary flavours that complements Bulgogi and Galbi perfectly. We were satisfied that it was not just a meaty affair.
The Salad kept cropping up in my thoughts and thanks to the wonderful world of blogging, I found the name and recipe from Gomo of ChowDivine.com (the wonderful Gomo who guestpostted her Bulgogi recipe here). Sangchu Geotjeori (Korean Lettuce Salad) is commonly served with Korean Barbecue at Korean restaurants.
This salad is usually served as a side dish or appetizer, it also goes great with sandwiches, wraps and burgers. I use just green leaf lettuce for this post and serve it as a side dish (banchan) with Japchae. You can also use romaine and red leaf lettuce mix, just as Gomo prefers. Green leaf lettuce wilt easily after it is mixed with the seasoning, so mix the salad just before serving.
I am submitting this post to Asian Food Fest: Korea, hosted by Sharon of Feats of Feasts.
- 1 head Green Leaf lettuce
- 2 Green Onion
- 2 small clove Garlic - minced or grated
- 2 tablespoon light Soy Sauce (or Tamari for gluten free option)
- 1½ tablespoon Rice Vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Sesame Oil
- 1 tablespoon Honey (or preferred sweetener)
- 1 teaspoon Gochugaru (Korean Red Chili Pepper Flakes)
- 1 tablespoon White Sesame Seeds
- Toast sesame seeds in a pan over medium heat for 1-2 minutes, swirl it around until they turn light brown. Transfer and lightly crush with pestle and mortar.
- Combine the ingredients for the dressing: crushed sesame seeds, garlic, rice vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, honey and chili flakes in a small bowl.
- Cut the green onions thinly lengthwise into long shredded pieces. Cut the lettuce into bite-sized pieces or ribbons. Add them together in a large bowl. Pour the dressing from step 2 to the greens. Toss lightly until the dressing is distributed evenly. Garnish with toasted whole sesame seeds and chili flakes. Serve immediately.
- White sesame seeds are normally used in the recipe, I prefer using a mix of white and black.
- Optional salad leaves: romaine or red leaf lettuce mix.
- Green leaf lettuce wilt easily after it is mixed with the seasoning, so mix the salad just before serving.
- Adjust the seasoning in accordance to your preference.
13 Comments
Leave a reply →