If you enjoy pickling or preserving (homegrown) veggies, you’re sure to like this Spicy Korean Radish Salad (Mue Saeng Chae). While you don’t *have* to let it sit for days before eating it, leaving it in the fridge for some time certainly doesn’t hurt. In fact, it gets even better each day – and healthier with each passing day, thanks to the fermentation process.
Koreans tend to like food a bit spicier. Spicy salads like this radish dish, Tteokbokki, or Buldak aka. Fire Chicken are just a few examples. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to visited South Korea yet. We actually had a big trip to the land of K-Pop all planned out and booked (including flights, hotels, and everything else), but COVID-19 put a stop to those plans quite abruptly. Shit happens. That doesn’t mean we haven’t eaten or cooked plenty of Korean dishes here at home. Just saying.
Maybe the trip will happen someday after all – hope springs eternal. But let’s not dwell on that right now. Put it this way: you don’t necessarily have to travel to a country to taste its delicious cuisine. Especially in a city like Berlin, there are endless opportunities to try dishes from every corner of the globe.
Well… you can also just make things yourself and experiment a bit. That’s certainly how we do things here. For instance, I prepared Korean Kimchi for the first time in a workshop – it has since become an absolute favorite of ours, and I regularly pack it into jars at home. This spicy pickled cabbage is perfect for so many things – as a side dish, to jazz up sandwiches, pizza, pasta, and more.
This spicy radish salad might not be quite as well known or versatile as kimchi, but it still makes a great side dish for many occasions… or simply a quick snack. For us, this salad is part of our »Korean tapas« repertoire. Of course, that’s not really a real thing, but we love preparing small dishes. Stuff like this spicy radish salad, cucumber salad, spicy meatballs, or gyoza – and serving them in small bowls so everyone can help themselves. Just like with Spanish tapas…
Daikon radish is the go-to choice for this salad. If you can’t get your hands on this radish variety, a standard white radish works as a substitute. Just be a little careful with white radishes you can get in German supermarkets, though. Depending on the variety, those can be quite spicy – whereas Daikon is a bit milder. A bit of heat isn’t a bad thing for this salad, but you might want to adjust the seasoning if you end up with a particularly spicy radish – you don’t want to overdo it with the heat, right?!
Otherwise, there isn’t much to say about preparing the salad. Simply cut the radish, pear, and veggies into shape (thick matchsticks work well here), season generously, and let it sit for a while to marinate. The salad is ready to eat after just 20–30 minutes, though it also keeps well in the fridge for a few days. The longer the salad has to marinate, the better the ingredients meld together and the more flavor develops.
Delicious radish salad isn’t exclusive to Korea. Here in Germany we love preparing salads with (usually) white radishes too. A prime example is a quick and simple Apple Radish Salad, the kind often served in the south of Germany (aka. Bavaria). After all, I’ve been told that a Brotzeit (a traditional German snack platter) without »Radi« is good, but not perfect.
Alternatively, how about a Thai-style Kohlrabi Salad? It makes a great side dish but also works perfectly as a main course when accompanied by a few small extras and some bread. In summer, a salad like this is incredibly refreshing! We love to make it when firing up the grill for a little bbq.
INGREDIENTS / ZUTATEN
(4 servings)
17.6 oz. (500g) Daikon radish (or white radish), julienned
1 tsp. salt
1/2 pear, julienned
3 spring onions, in strips
3-4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 small piece of ginger, grated
1 tbsp. Gochugaru*
1 tbsp. fish sauce*
1 tbsp. rice vinegar*
1 tbsp. toasted sesame oil*
1 tbsp. coconut blossom sugar*
1 tbsp. toasted sesame seeds*
(4 Personen)
500g Daikon Rettich (oder weißer Rettich), gestiftelt
1 TL Salz
1/2 Birne, gestiftelt
3 Frühlingszwiebeln, in Spalten
3-4 Knoblauchzehen, fein gehackt
1 kl. Stück Ingwer, gerieben
1 EL Gochugaru*
1 EL Fischsauce*
1 EL Reisessig*
1 EL geröstetes Sesamöl*
1 EL Kokosblütenzucker*
1 EL Sesam (geröstet)*
DIRECTIONS / ZUBEREITUNG
1. Peel the radish and cut it into thin sticks. Mix with the salt in a bowl and let it sit for about 20 minutes.
2. Cut the pear into thin sticks as well (the skin can stay on). Clean the spring onions, half or quarter them lengthwise, and cut them into 3cm pieces. Peel and finely chop the garlic. Peel and finely grate the ginger. Mix everything in a bowl with Gochugaru, fish sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, coconut blossom sugar, and the toasted sesame seeds.
3. The radish will have released some water – discard this water and then add the radish to the bowl with the other ingredients and mix well. The salad is now ready to serve as a side dish.
4. You can let the salad marinate for longer if needed (it gets even better with time). It will stay fresh for up to 7 days when cooled properly in the fridge.
1. Den Rettich schälen und in dünne Stifte schneiden. Mit dem Salz in einer Schüssel vermischen und etwa 20 Minuten ziehen lassen.
2. Die Birne in dünne Stifte schneiden (Schale kann dranbleiben). Die Frühlingszwiebeln säubern, längs halbieren oder vierteln und dann in 3cm lange Stücke schneiden. Den Knoblauch schälen und fein hacken. Den Ingwer schälen und fein reiben. Alles zusammen mit Gochugaru, Fischsauce, Reisessig, Sesamöl, Kokosblütenzucker und geröstetem Sesam in einer Schüssel vermengen.
3. Der Rettich wird etwas Wasser abgegeben haben – dieses Wasser wegschütten und den Rettich dann zur Schüssel mit den restlichen Zutaten dazugeben und alles gut vermengen. Der Salat kann jetzt als Beilage serviert werden.
4. Man kann den Salat auch noch eine Weile im Kühlschrank ziehen lassen und erst später servieren (wird jeden Tag etwas besser). Der Salat kann bis zu 7 Tage gut gekühlt gelagert werden.
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Here is a version of the recipe you can print easily.
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Spicy Korean Radish Salad (Mue Saeng Chae)
- Prep Time: 00:20
- Cook Time: 00:00
- Total Time: 00:25
- Yield: 1 1x
- Category: Salad
- Method: -
- Cuisine: Korea
Description
We love it spicy, that’s why we make this Spicy Radish Salad (Mue Saeng Chae) quite often. Perfect as a side or to snack on when you crave something savory.
Ingredients
17.6 oz. (500g) Daikon radish (or white radish), julienned
1 tsp. salt
1/2 pear, julienned
3 spring onions, in strips
3-4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 small piece of ginger, grated
1 tbsp. Gochugaru*
1 tbsp. fish sauce*
1 tbsp. rice vinegar*
1 tbsp. toasted sesame oil*
1 tbsp. coconut blossom sugar*
1 tbsp. toasted sesame seeds*
Instructions
1. Peel the radish and cut it into thin sticks. Mix with the salt in a bowl and let it sit for about 20 minutes.
2. Cut the pear into thin sticks as well (the skin can stay on). Clean the spring onions, half or quarter them lengthwise, and cut them into 3cm pieces. Peel and finely chop the garlic. Peel and finely grate the ginger. Mix everything in a bowl with Gochugaru, fish sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, coconut blossom sugar, and the toasted sesame seeds.
3. The radish will have released some water – discard this water and then add the radish to the bowl with the other ingredients and mix well. The salad is now ready to serve as a side dish.
4. You can let the salad marinate for longer if needed (it gets even better with time). It will stay fresh for up to 7 days when cooled properly in the fridge.
Notes
Make something amazing in the kitchen!
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