Here are some delicious Korean dishes you can prepare with fresh seasonal vegetables this spring!
It’s already the end of April, but there are still a lot of wonderful spring vegetables available now in grocery stores and farmers markets. A friend of mine just visited New York City and saw in Union Square fresh greenmarket ramps, young spinach with beautiful purple stems, thin green onions, and even a reed (sock, 쑥)! You may also find dandelion leaves and garlic bodies at the local grocery store or farmers market, and definitely everyone should grab asparagus at this time of year!
Spring vegetables are so delicious that they are sweeter and softer than when they ripen later in the growing season. Eating these delicious greens in the spring also has many health benefits.
In Korea, there are an infinite number of different agricultural vegetables and wild vegetables that reach a peak at this time of year. One of the reasons I like to visit Korea in the spring! As a young kid I grew up in the countryside, not too far from Seoul, with lots of fields and small hills. I have a lot of fond memories of just going out into the field with friends and picking all kinds of wild vegetables like ssuk, (쑥, Magubert), Della (달래, Korean wild chives), Nangi (냉이, Shepherd’s wallet), Etc. We just chose them for fun, but they have become delicious dishes by our mothers.
Over the years, I started growing some different Korean wild vegetables in my backyard. I picked and enjoyed them in many dishes. I hope to share more about them in the future.
To inspire you, here is a summary of some of my favorite recipes you can make to enjoy your spring vegetables!
Spinach
Spinach (siguemchi, 시금치) is available all year round, but extra soft and delicious spring spinach! In Korea, spinach bundles are usually sold with attached roots. Both the leaves and the stems, including the root crowns, are used in cooking, which gives a sweet taste and chewy texture to the dish. So, try to find a young spring spinach with their purple-red root crowns, if you can.
Sigomchi Namul
A simple addition, but very popular! Also try the same methods and spices with baby kale, watercress, snow pea tips, etc.
Sigumchi Duanjang Gok
This spinach soup made with doenjang is a popular soup in Korea, especially in spring. Usually prepared with anchovy soup, the soup is light and refreshing! My mom sometimes used oysters in soup, and that’s how I make it.
Dandelion
Dandelion leaves can be quite bitter, but they are also loaded with nutrients! They have been used in herbal medicine in Korea and other Asian countries. Dandelion vegetables may be available at your Korean markets and even at your local grocery stores in the spring.
Mindeulle Muchim (Dandelion Salad)
This slightly spicy, sweet and vinegared salad turns dandelion leaves into a delicious salad. If you do not find dandelion leaves in your area, this sauce recipe is also great with a mixture of spring, arugula, baby spinach or daisy crown (Sugget, 쑥갓). I also use it to make a salad with dolmenmol (돌나물, stone) I grew up in my backyard.
asparagus
You can also get asparagus all year round, but this vegetable is really best when it is in the spring season. You can use it in many Korean recipes like bibimbap, kimbap, for spring change.
Asparagus with gujjojang sauce
Also, asparagus is as delicious as this bun Spicy gujujang sauce.
Mulcho Kimbap
I used asparagus in this spicy anchovy kimbap, but you can use it in all kimbap recipes.
Ramps
Known as wild garlic or wild leek, they have a delicate onion flavor, and are more garlic than green onions. Each plant has several Leaves flat and broad with a long, reddish stem with a small round tuber. Ramps are very similar (if not identical to) Miyongi Namul (명이 나물) in Korea, which enjoys it in many different ways – fresh, cooked or pickled.
Spring bibimbap with tuna
In this spring bibimbap recipe, I used ramps along with other spring vegetables like asparagus and peas. Sometimes I also add some Korean vegetables like minari, bocho and kanip. Gujjujang sauce is commonly used in traditional bibimbap, but a sauce based on soy sauce works wonderfully with this dish.
Jangajji (vegetable pickles)
The ramp season is short, so you can also preserve your ramps by pickling them with my Zhangji recipe and enjoying throughout the year. Great with Korean barbecue!
Green onion (green onion)
Fa Kimchi
Also, make sure to do it easily Fa Kimchi With this green onion. This kimchi fa blends great with any grilled meat, like smagipsel, or is added to gigi kimchi especially when it gets more sour. This kamchi is also excellent in an instant remnant bowl.
Green onions are tied with shrimp and asparagus
A thin green onion called shilpa (실파) in Korean, which means thin as a thread. You can usually get green onions all year round, but if you can find the thin green onion, this shrimp dish will top this vegetable (and chart your friends!).
Minary
The minaret, known as a drop of water in the US, is a long-stemmed green vegetable with hollow stems and small green leaves with serrated edges. It has a slightly bitter and peppery taste with a sharp and special fresh plant accent. Minari is a popular herb and vegetable in Korea not only because of its taste but because of its many health benefits, including detoxifying effects.
Minari John
A simple salty Korean pancake made from miniar (also known as a drop of water or Korean watercress) is a great way to enjoy the unique fresh plants of the vegetable.
Garlic rolls
Garlic balls (maneuljjong, 마늘쫑) are usually available in late spring and early summer, when the balls are extremely delicate and sweet. Garlic pellets are the curly flowering seeds of garlic plants that are cut down to allow the tubers to grow. They have a finer taste than garlic cloves but still quite garlic. When cooked, the balls become sweeter with a subtle garlic undertone and have a texture similar to that of thin asparagus.
Stir-fried garlic rolls (Maneuljjong Bokkeum)
If you see some rolls of garlic in your grocery store, try this simple sautéed bungee dish.
