Korean Dallae. Here in Seoul, Spring is just around the corner… and I am starting to see a variety of interesting spring greens at the local marts. Today, I would like to introduce you to two of my favorite spring greens: Korean dallae and sedum (stonecrop).
Korean Dallae is one of my (new) favorite Korean ingredients to eat and cook with.
It is a wild chive that grows in Korea – in the same genus (Allium) as onions, shallots and garlic. The long green leaves of Dallae taste mild – even less than spring onions or green onions. The leaves can be eaten raw – making it perfect for marinades or salads. And the best part of Dallae is its small onion bulb. The mini bulbs taste slightly garlick-y with a hint of sweetness.
It’s not wonder that Dallae-jang (the soy-sauce marinade we use today) is recommended when people lose their appetites.
The other wild spring vegetable is Sedum. Sedum Sarmentosum to be exact. In Korea, we call it dol-namul (돌나물). It is high in vitamin C and eaten raw. Koreans like to eat with a spicy and tangy gochujang sauce.
These two veggies are enough to make a delicious bibimbap. There are even more… which I can cover at a later date.
As always, feel free to throw in a few of your own local veggies as well!
2 Spring Bibimbap Recipes - Fresh, Healthy & Delicious!
Ingredients
Spring Dallae Bibimbap
- Cooked rice - 1 cup
- Tofu - 1 block 200-300 grams
- Dolnamul - 1 handful 40 grams
Tofu Crumble Marinade
- Sesame oil 1 Tablespoon
- Sesame seeds 1/2 Tablespoon
- Salt few shakes
Dallae Soy-Sauce
- Dallae - 15-20 stalks 30 grams
- Gochugaru Korean Red Chili flakes - 1.5 Tablespoons
- Honey - 1.5 Tablespoons
- Sesame oil - 1 Tablespoon
- Sesame seeds - 1 Tablespoon
- Minced garlic - 1/2 Tablespoon
Dallae Doenjang Bibimbap
- Dallae - 15-20 stalks 30 grams
- Shiitake mushrooms - 5 whole
- Tofu - 1/2 block 150 grams
- Cheongyang chili pepper - 1 whole or use 1/2 a Jalapeno pepper
- Onion - 1 whole
- Doenjang Paste - 2 Tablespoons
- Anchovy-Kelp Broth - 1 cup 250 ml
- Cooked Rice - 1 cup
Instructions
Spring Dallae Bibimbap
- Take out one handful of dolnamul. Split any long stalks into smaller pieces. Soak them in cold water. Then drain and set aside.
- Crumble the tofu block with your knife. Put in a separate bowl and set aside.
- Wash the dallae thoroughly under a running faucet. Then pinch the brown tips off each onion bulb. And take the outer layer off each onion bulb. This will take some time - ask your sibling/partner to help. Give the prepped dallae one more rinse.
- Then use your knife and gently press down on the white onion bulbs to flatten them. This will help them release their flavors. Then dice the white and green stems into small bite-sized pieces (1-2 cm).
- Next, mix all of the listed ingredients under 'Dallae Soy Sauce'. Add the diced dallae into the sauce.
- Take out a frying pan and put it on a medium heat. Pour in some oil. Once it is hot, place the smashed tofu mixture in. Stir it around until most of the liquid has evaporated. Will take around 5 minutes.
- Then season the tofu with sesame oil, salt and sesame seeds. Turn off the heat. Put into a separate bowl and set aside.
- Take out a serving bowl. Add cooked rice to the bottom. Then add minced tofu over the top. And add dol-namul over the tofu. Finally, a few spoonfuls of the dallae sauce.
- Mix all of it together before eating. (Optional: Top of with a nice sunny-side-up egg)
Dallae Doenjang Bibimbap
- Dice up the onion into bite-sized pieces. Cut chili pepper into small slices. Cut tofu block into small cubes. Dice Shiitake mushrooms into bite-sized pieces. Save the Shiitake stems for stock broth.
- Wash the dallae thoroughly under a running faucet. Then pinch the brown tips off each onion bulb. And take the outer layer off each onion bulb. This will take some time - ask your sibling/partner to help. Give the prepped dallae one more rinse. Then use your knife and gently press down on the white onion bulbs to flatten them. This will help them release their flavors.
- Then cut and separate the white and green parts. Dice both the white and green stems into bite-sized pieces (1-2 cm). Keep the two colors separate from each other.
- Make Anchovy-Kelp Broth. Or if you are feeling lazy, you can make broth with the remaining Shiitake mushroom stems (see notes).
- Take out a pot and place it on a medium-high heat. Add some oil to the pot. Once it is hot, throw in the onions. Stir-around until they turn translucent. Then add-in the mushrooms and chili pepper. Stir it around until most of the water in the pot has evaporated. Then add in the doenjang paste. Keep stirring until the paste is thoroughly mixed in with the other ingredients. Make sure not to burn - take off heat if cooking too fast.
- Then add in the tofu pieces. Mix into the paste as well.
- Finally, pour in 1 cup of the anchovy-kelp broth (or Shiitake mushroom broth). Note: Pour in a little at a time. Mix the stew around. Then add more and repeat until you used 1 cup.
- Then let the pot gently boil until it has reduced down by half. It should look like a runny curry paste. Then, add-in the white parts of the dallae. Take-off heat and set aside.
- Put rice into a bowl. Add in one ladle of the doenjang curry over the rice. Then top-off with the chopped green stalks of dallae. Bon Appetit!
Notes
- Instead of using a anchovy-kelp broth, you can use the leftover Shiitake mushroom stems. Add the 5 stems, and an iPhone-sized-piece of dashima into 3 cups of water.
- See video below for more details
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