Juicy Musaengchae (Spicy Radish Salad)
An ultra-simple side dish of unpickled Korean radish tinted with chili flakes and tossed until juicy.
Translated from Korean by AI and not yet checked by a native speaker. Amounts and numbers are taken directly from the original recipe. Read the Korean original →
Tossing the unpickled julienned radish with gochugaru first to coat it in color and capture moisture is the key. Made simply with Korean radish and large green onion, this spicy, refreshing salad makes a great side dish or topping for bibimbap.
- Servings
- about 5–6 servings
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Spiciness
- Mildly spicy
Ingredients
Ingredients
- Korean radish (mu)800 g
- White part of large green onion (daepa)
Seasoning
- Gochugaru (Korean chili flakes)4 tbsp
- Sand lance fish sauce (or dried anchovies)2 tbsp
- Minced garlic2 tbsp
- Vinegar3 tbsp
- Sugar (or green plum syrup (maesil-cheong))1 tbsp
- Salt1/2 tsp
- Toasted sesame oil2 tbsp
- Toasted sesame seeds2 tbsp
- To serve 3 to 4 people for a single meal, you can halve the recipe.
Steps
Prepare the ingredients
The ingredients are truly simple. All you need are Korean radish and large green onion.
To serve 3 to 4 people for a single meal, you can halve the recipe.
Slice the ingredients
Julienne the radish into strips about 0.4 cm thick, not too thin.
Finely chop the large green onion to get about 6 tbsp.
Tint with chili flakes
Add 4 tbsp of gochugaru to the julienned radish, mix evenly, and let it sit for 30 minutes to 1 hour so the chili color absorbs.
Tinting it in advance like this makes the color prettier and removes the raw aroma of the gochugaru.
Season
Once the radish is moist and nicely tinted by its own juices, add 2 tbsp of fish sauce, 2 tbsp of minced garlic, 3 tbsp of vinegar, 1 tbsp of sugar (or green plum syrup), and the minced green onion, then mix evenly.
Taste it, add 1/2 tsp of salt to adjust the seasoning if it is bland, and finish by adding 2 tbsp of toasted sesame oil and 2 tbsp of toasted sesame seeds.
You can adjust the amounts of vinegar and sugar to your taste.
Finish
Whenever I make musaengchae, I want to mix it with rice right away.
After 30 minutes, the moisture from the seasoning and the radish makes it even juicier and more tender.
Because you do not salt it and instead tint it with gochugaru first, it captures the moisture early on and does not end up swimming in excess liquid.
Ppunwife's tips
- Tinting it in advance like this makes the color prettier and removes the raw aroma of the gochugaru.
- Because you do not salt it and instead tint it with gochugaru first, it captures the moisture early on and does not end up swimming in excess liquid.
FAQ
Do you season the radish directly without salting it first?
If you tint the radish with gochugaru first without salting it, it locks in the moisture of the radish so it stays pleasantly juicy without becoming watery.
Can I mix in the other seasonings right after adding the gochugaru?
Leaving it for 30 minutes to 1 hour after adding the gochugaru produces a vibrant color and reduces the raw smell of the chili flakes.
Can I use a different fish sauce instead of sand lance fish sauce?
You can substitute anchovy fish sauce instead.
How do I adjust the amount to make a smaller batch for a single meal?
If 3 to 4 people are eating lightly for one meal, it is just right to cut all the recipe ingredients in half.
