Chewy Dried Onion Salad
Chewy Dried Onion Salad
Dried Onion Salad: Unbelievably Chewy Texture That Doesn’t Taste Like Onions!
Just as autumn radishes are sweet and delicious, this fall we visited apple orchards twice and brought back boxes full of bright red apples to dry into delicious apple jerky. For my mother, I also finely chop and dry various seasonal vegetables to make vegetable jerky, perfect for enjoying with rice. Even though there aren’t many people eating at home, when I buy onions, I always get the 10-pound bag, and before I know it, I have extra onions to dry into dried onion snacks! Sometimes I dry various fruits or make beef jerky, so my dehydrator is always busy. One day, while carefully packing all these dried goods, I realized that I’m truly passionate about dehydrating! I, who starts laundry only after 7 PM to save electricity, am not afraid of daytime electricity costs to dry something for days on end. If I had put this much effort, passion, and diligence into a money-making venture, I probably would have been incredibly wealthy by now! Anyway, whether it’s dried radish, dried apple, or dried onion, when you toss them with gochugaru (Korean chili flakes) seasoning, they turn into something incredibly delicious. I consider that taste to be my wealth, and today, I’m making this delicious dried onion salad.
Ingredients- 100g dried onion strips
- 3 Tbsp gochugaru (Korean chili flakes)
- 3 Tbsp plum extract (maesilcheong)
- 2 Tbsp fish sauce (myeolchi aekjeot)
- 2/3 Tbsp vinegar
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
Slice the prepared onions into 0.5-0.6 cm thick pieces, making them easy to eat.
Step 2
Steam the sliced onions for about 2 minutes in a steamer basket over boiling water. This step helps to soften the onion texture.
Step 3
Use a food dehydrator to thoroughly dry the steamed onions, creating the dried onion strips. Adjust the drying time based on your dehydrator model and ambient conditions.
Step 4
Soak the dried onion strips in lukewarm water for 20-30 minutes to rehydrate them. Using water that is not too hot will prevent the dried onions from becoming mushy and ensure they rehydrate properly.
Step 5
Gently squeeze out excess water from the rehydrated dried onion strips and place them in a mixing bowl. Thoroughly squeezing out the water is key for the seasoning to adhere well.
Step 6
Add the gochugaru and mix well for 1-2 minutes, ensuring the chili flakes evenly coat the dried onions. This step allows the spicy flavor of the gochugaru to penetrate the onions.
Step 7
Add the plum extract and fish sauce sequentially, and mix again. This step balances the sweetness and umami, making the salad even more delicious.
Step 8
Finally, add the vinegar and mix gently to complete the sweet and tangy dried onion salad. The acidity from the vinegar cuts through any richness, creating a wonderfully balanced flavor.
