[Taste of Hansik] Add a hint of Korean to any meal with easy, homemade geotjeori

Similar to how American cheese can be added atop the traditional Korean dish of kimchi fried rice, traditional Korean meal elements can also be easily incorporated into otherwise very Western-style meals.

Chef Yoon Nam-no of Deepin in central Seoul suggests adding geotjeori, a type of fresh salad, to your everyday dining table repertoire to casually include something Korean.

Geotjeori is a term often used to refer to fresh-made kimchi. On the day of kimchi-making, instead of putting all the marinated Napa cabbages into a container to ferment for months or even years, some take a couple of cabbages aside to eat sans fermentation with steamed pork. Stemming from this, some use the term to refer to any fresh vegetable dish.

A variety of vegetables can be used to make geotjeori. Commonly included as a dressing is gochugaru (red pepper flakes), a key to giving the dish its Korean taste. To balance out the spiciness, something sweet such as corn syrup or honey is also usually added.

Try serving geotgeori with grilled meat, or any dish made with lots of oils or cheese, as it helps refresh the palate after each bite. It can also be added to sandwiches for an eclectic, Korean-style twist.

Ingredients:
100 grams of onion, 100 grams of buchu (chive), 8 grams of honey or corn syrup, 8 grams of fish sauce, a drizzle of sesame oil, a spoonful of gochugaru, a spoonful of sesame seeds, a pinch of salt

Directions:

Cut the onions into thin slices.

Cut the chives about as long as an index finger.

Put the onions and chives into a bowl of cold water for about 10 minutes to soften the flavor. Drain the water.

Mix the onions and chives. Add all the other ingredients together and mix well. Add any amount of gochugaru or sesame seeds: for something spicier, add more gochugaru; for more of a sesame flavor, add more seeds and oil. Olive oil can be substituted for sesame oil if needed.

Mix well and serve.

BY LEE SUN-MIN [lee.sunmin@joongang.co.kr]