Salad Banchans. I have two for you today! The first is a Bulgogi Salad with Whole Mustard Soy Sauce. The second is a Tofu Mushroom Stack with a Soy Sauce Vinaigrette Topping.
I got this idea after visiting Ewha Women's University recently. Ewha is a famous women's university in Seoul - currently the world's largest female educational institute. As such, there are many good eateries in the area. We ended up in a farm-to-table-type of dining cafe. And oh my - the salads were amazing! They were not the wimpy airport-type salads. But big salads, with an eclectic mix of greens and proteins. They even had a self-serve corner where you could get complementary white rice and soup as well.
I felt full but light. Loved it and was inspired to share some salad banchans.
Both salad banchans use soy sauce dressings. One is more imaginative, using whole-grain mustard. The other is a classic Korean-style soy sauce vinaigrette. Both rock!
Throw in your favorite greens and try it out. If you are hungry, eat with rice ☺
2 Salad Banchan Recipes: Bulgogi Salad + Tofu-Mushroom Stack
Ingredients
Bulgogi Salad
- Thinly sliced beef Shabu-Shabu Cuts - 250 grams
- Mixed salad greens - handful
- Baby greens - handful
- Cherry tomatoes - 3-4
Simple Bulgogi Marinade
- Soy sauce - 2 Tablespoons
- Sugar - 2 Tablespoons
- Sesame oil - 1 Tablespoon
Mustard Soy Sauce Dressing
- Whole grain mustard - 1 Tablespoon
- Soy sauce - 1 Tablespoon
- Vinegar - 2 Tablespoons
- Sugar - 2 Tablespoons
- Olive oil - 2 Tablespoons
- Minced garlic - ½ Tablespoon
Tofu-Mushroom Stack Salad
- Tofu - 1 pack
- Oyster mushrooms - a handful 150 grams
- Salt - few shakes
- Baby greens - a handful
Soy Sauce Vinaigrette Sauce
- Sugar - 1 Tablespoon
- Vinegar - 1 Tablespoon
- Soy sauce - 2 Tablespoons
- Minced garlic - ½ Tablespoon
- Spring onion - 2 Tablespoons
- Sesame oil - 1 Tablespoon
- Sesame seeds - 1 Tablespoon
- Black pepper - few pinches
Instructions
Bulgogi Salad
- Take out a mixing bowl and make Bulgogi Marinade: Mix soy sauce, sugar and sesame oil together
- Place the beef pieces into this marinade. Let it sit in it for 20 minutes.
- Take out another mixing bowl and make Salad Dressing: Mix all ingredients listed under Mustard Soy Sauce Dressing.
- Then, take out a frying pan. Place it on a medium-high heat. Grill the meat pieces.
- To plate: Place a layer of baby greens on the plate. Then place some mixed salad greens on top. Throw in a few cherry tomatoes as well. Then add the grilled bulgogi on top. Pour salad dressing when you are ready to eat.
Tofu-Mushroom Stack
- Open tofu package and empty out the water. Take out the tofu block. Place a few paper towels onto the cutting board. Split the tofu block in half (reference video). Use a few more paper towels to pat-down the tofu block. Then cut each tofu block into length-wise pieces.
- Cut the stem off the oyster mushrooms. Split each mushroom off from the bundle. Give a quick rinse. Let it drip-off excess water.
- Take out a mixing bowl and make Salad Dressing: Mix everything listed under Soy Sauce Vinaigrette Sauce.
- Take out a large frying pan. Put it on a medium-high heat. Put good amount of oil in. Once hot, place all of the tofu pieces in. Season the tofu with a few shakes of salt. Grill each side until they get crispy. This will take some time - so be patient. Once crispy, take out the tofu pieces.
- Wipe-out the frying pan with a paper towel. Then add in the mushrooms - don't add any oil. Season the mushroom with a few shakes of salt as well. Once they get a sear, take them out.
- Plate the salad: Place tofu piece at the bottom. Place a handful of baby greens on top. Then add your grilled oyster mushrooms on top. Pour salad dressing over the top. Bon Appetit!
Notes
- Each salad should be enough for 2 people
- For the Tofu-Mushroom Stack, remember to salt both the tofu and mushrooms when you pan-fry them.
- See video below for more details
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