In Nepal, mulaa ko achaar is a spicy radish salad, whereas Koreans call it musaengchae (“mu” is radish and “saengchae” salad-like dishes with uncooked vegetables). My family has been addicted to K-drama (that’s another post), and we have been trying a few Korean dishes at home. Being from Nepal, where we have a similar sidedish, making “mulaa ko achaar” (I loved this recipe of typical Nepali mulaa ko achaar and you can see the differences between Nepali and Korean radish salad) Korean style made perfect sense. Here’s my attempt at spicy radish salad Korean-style. I found this super-duper easy and does not involve any surprises.
Ingredients:
- 1 pound (1/2 kg) white radish cleaned and (julienned)
- 2 spring onions (thinly chopped, approx 1/2 cup)
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp gochugaru (Korean chilli flakes… This is what gives salad and khimchi the red vibrant colour and I think it’s worth investing in this)
- 2 tbsp finely chopped garlic
- 1/2 tbsp finely chopped ginger
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp sesame seeds
Instructions:
- Sprinkle salt over radish and mix well to coat evenly. Leave it for 20 mins and drain out excess water. Make sure you do not rinse… No need to add extra water and get rid salt
- Add all remaining ingredients, except spring onions and sesame seeds. And mix well. Hand is the best (but make sure you have gloves).
- Finally, add spring onions and sesame seeds, toss the salad.
- You can now serve this as side dish with rice or fish.
Thinking Out Loud 