← Nouns Cooking · Korean

Ingredients

• 300 g spinach (bunched, with stems)
• 1 clove Garlic, finely minced
• 1 Spring onion, finely chopped
• ½ tsp Salt, plus more for the water
• 2 tsp Toasted sesame oil
• 1 tsp Sesame seeds, lightly crushed

Method

1. Trim the roots off the spinach but keep the bunches whole if you can; wash well in several changes of water to remove grit.
2. Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Add the spinach and blanch for 30 seconds, just until it wilts and turns bright green.
3. Drain and plunge it straight into cold water to stop the cooking. Gather it into a ball and squeeze out as much water as you can.
4. Cut the spinach into 5 cm lengths and loosen it in a bowl. Add the garlic, spring onion, salt and sesame oil and mix gently with your fingers so every strand is seasoned.
5. Sprinkle with sesame seeds, taste for salt and serve at room temperature.

Tips

• Squeezing well is everything: watery spinach dilutes the seasoning.
• Korean soup soy sauce (gukganjang) instead of salt is traditional, but it contains wheat in some brands.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Korean Bapsang Kimchimari Beyond Kimchee