How to Blanch and Store Gondre Namul Perfectly
How to Blanch and Store Gondre Namul Perfectly
A Complete Guide to Blanching Gondre: How to Prepare Fresh Gondre and Store It Frozen
After preparing fresh gondre and blanching it just right, I store it in the freezer. This way, I can easily enjoy delicious gondre side dishes or flavorful gondre rice whenever I want. If you’ve ever wished for more greens in store-bought dishes, now you can fill your plate generously with gondre at home, making every bite satisfying and bringing you joy!
Main Ingredients- 1 bunch fresh gondre
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
Gondre’s official name is ‘Cirsium setidens’. As it grows, it develops thorns, so we typically harvest and eat the young shoots. Because of these thorns, it’s important to be careful when harvesting and preparing it. For this reason, it’s commonly blanched rather than eaten raw.
Step 2
Even the young shoots I picked had tiny thorns that felt prickly. I first washed them thoroughly under running water. However, some people prefer to blanch them first and then rinse, especially if the thorns are a concern.
Step 3
While rinsing, carefully remove the tougher stem parts and separate the tender leaves.
Step 4
Fill a large pot generously with water and bring it to a rolling boil over high heat.
Step 5
Once the water is boiling, add all the prepared gondre and blanch. If you plan to make a side dish immediately, it’s best to boil it for about 10 minutes until very tender. Since I intended to freeze it for later, I blanched mine for about 5 minutes. A crucial tip for blanching fresh gondre! Unlike me who might add it all at once for a photo, if some of the gondre floats above the water, it’s exposed to steam and can turn dark after cooking. To prevent this, ensure the gondre is fully submerged in the boiling water by pressing it down gently so it cooks evenly.
Step 6
Immediately after blanching, drain the gondre and rinse it under cold water to stop the cooking process and cool it down.
Step 7
For freezing, don’t squeeze out all the moisture; just press gently to remove excess water. Then, portion it into amounts suitable for one meal into zip-top bags. Flatten them before freezing for easy thawing and use later. Stored this way, your gondre can be used to make delicious side dishes or nutritious gondre rice anytime!
