Crispy and Delicious Radish Salad (Musaengchae) Recipe
Crispy and Delicious Radish Salad (Musaengchae) Recipe
The Best When You Have No Appetite! How to Make Delicious Radish Salad / An Unmissable, Super Simple Golden Recipe for Musaengchae
A busy day flies by, and soon it’s time to prepare dinner. When cooking, I always prioritize health alongside taste. Today, I’m sharing a staple side dish that graces our table year-round: Musaengchae, or spicy radish salad. Thanks to this dish, everyone in the Cheongdami house never loses their appetite! With its wonderfully crisp texture and perfectly balanced sweet, sour, and spicy flavors, let’s make this amazing Musaengchae together right now!
Musaengchae Ingredients- 1/2 medium daikon radish (or 1/4 if large)
- 1 medium onion
- 1 handful of chives (about 10-15 stalks)
- 2 Korean green chili peppers (optional, for extra spice)
- 1 red chili pepper (for color)
Musaengchae Seasoning- 1 Tbsp minced garlic
- 3 Tbsp gochugaru (Korean chili flakes, adjust to taste)
- 2 Tbsp sugar (adjust sweetness)
- 1/2 Tbsp corn syrup or oligodang (for gloss and sweetness)
- 1 Tbsp fish sauce (preferably anchovy or tuna extract, for umami)
- 1 Tbsp salt (to taste)
- 1/2 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds
- 1 Tbsp minced garlic
- 3 Tbsp gochugaru (Korean chili flakes, adjust to taste)
- 2 Tbsp sugar (adjust sweetness)
- 1/2 Tbsp corn syrup or oligodang (for gloss and sweetness)
- 1 Tbsp fish sauce (preferably anchovy or tuna extract, for umami)
- 1 Tbsp salt (to taste)
- 1/2 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
The best part of the radish for Musaengchae is the head portion, which is naturally sweet. Half a medium radish is usually sufficient. Instead of green onions, we’ll be using chives for their crispness and refreshing aroma.
Step 2
First, let’s prepare the fresh vegetables for our Musaengchae. You’ll need: half a daikon radish, one medium onion, a handful of chives, two Korean green chili peppers, and one red chili pepper for a pop of color.
Step 3
Now, let’s get slicing! Wash the radish, peel it, and then thinly julienne it into strips about 0.3-0.5 cm thick. Place these into a mixing bowl. Next, thinly slice the onion, green chilies, and red chili pepper to a similar thickness and add them to the bowl with the radish. For the seasoning, prepare 1 Tbsp minced garlic, 3 Tbsp gochugaru, 2 Tbsp sugar, 1/2 Tbsp corn syrup, 1 Tbsp fish sauce, 1 Tbsp salt, and 1/2 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds.
Step 4
At Cheongdami’s house, we have slightly different methods for mixing Musaengchae depending on whether it’s intended for mixing with rice or as a standalone side dish. Curious about the difference?
Step 5
For Musaengchae meant to be mixed with rice, the key is to ‘vigorously’ mix it, allowing it to become a bit softer. When you mix it with force like this, natural moisture is released from the radish. This flavorful juice blends beautifully with the rice, creating a fantastic bibimbap.
Step 6
Begin to toss the julienned radish and vegetables with the prepared seasoning ingredients. It’s best not to add all the seasoning at once. Start by mixing everything together, then taste and adjust the seasoning by adding more gochugaru for color and heat, or more salt to reach your desired flavor. If it’s too bland, add salt; if the color isn’t vibrant enough, add more gochugaru.
Step 7
To maintain the crispness of the chives, add them towards the very end of the mixing process, after the radish has been mostly seasoned. Gently mix them in. This ensures the chives remain fresh and crunchy, retaining their delightful texture.
Step 8
Finally, sprinkle in the toasted sesame seeds and give everything a final quick toss – ‘whee!’ – and your delicious Musaengchae is ready! This method differs significantly from salting the radish beforehand; the texture and depth of flavor are completely distinct.
Step 9
Look at that! It has developed a lovely amount of juice. This flavorful liquid alone is enough to make half a bowl of rice disappear – it’s that delicious and savory! Musaengchae with this kind of juice is absolutely perfect for mixing with rice.
Step 10
When preparing for rice mixing, set aside some cooked rice. Plate the prepared Musaengchae attractively. Presenting it nicely makes everyone exclaim, ‘Wow, this is so good!’ We portion out what we’ll eat soon into a serving dish, and then dedicate ourselves to the task of mixing the rest with rice. Even without other bibimbap ingredients, this Musaengchae alone makes for a satisfying meal. You can serve it with a side of rice, or directly mix it in for a delicious and quick meal.
Step 11
Musaengchae doesn’t need specific health claims to be popular; it’s inherently gentle on the stomach and aids digestion, making it a side dish people reach for instinctively. Even when served daily, it never gets boring and is often the first to be finished, besides meat. If you have Musaengchae, cucumber salad, and seasoned bean sprouts, you won’t need many other side dishes. Enjoy a delicious breakfast today and have a wonderful start to your day! Thank you. ^^
