Spicy and Sweet Chewy Whelk Salad with Noodles (Baek Jong-won Style)
Spicy and Sweet Chewy Whelk Salad with Noodles (Baek Jong-won Style)
Baek Jong-won’s Golden Recipe for Whelk Salad: Perfect with a Side of Noodles!
This whelk salad features a deliciously spicy, sweet, and tangy sauce based on Baek Jong-won’s renowned recipe. We’ve added dried pollock strips for a delightful chewy texture. Served with perfectly cooked somen noodles, it’s a satisfying and flavorful dish!
Main Ingredients- 1 can Canned Whelks (approx. 200g)
- 1/2 Onion
- 1/6 Carrot
- 1/2 Cucumber
- 2/3 cup Green Onion (approx. 50g)
- 2/3 cup Cabbage (approx. 50g)
- 1 cup Dried Pollock Strips (approx. 30g)
- 100g Somen Noodles
Golden Ratio Sauce Ingredients- 1/3 cup Gochujang (Korean chili paste, approx. 80g)
- 1/3 cup Brown Sugar (approx. 50g)
- 1/3 cup Vinegar (approx. 60g)
- 1/2 Tbsp Coarse Gochugaru (Korean chili flakes, approx. 3g)
- 1/2 Tbsp Fine Gochugaru (Korean chili flakes, approx. 3g)
- 1 Tbsp Sesame Oil (approx. 8g)
- 1/2 Tbsp Toasted Sesame Seeds (approx. 3g)
- 1/3 cup Gochujang (Korean chili paste, approx. 80g)
- 1/3 cup Brown Sugar (approx. 50g)
- 1/3 cup Vinegar (approx. 60g)
- 1/2 Tbsp Coarse Gochugaru (Korean chili flakes, approx. 3g)
- 1/2 Tbsp Fine Gochugaru (Korean chili flakes, approx. 3g)
- 1 Tbsp Sesame Oil (approx. 8g)
- 1/2 Tbsp Toasted Sesame Seeds (approx. 3g)
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
First, prepare the vegetables. Wash and thinly slice the 1/2 onion, 1/6 carrot, and 1/2 cucumber. Thinly slice the green onion (2/3 cup) and cabbage (2/3 cup) as well. Tip: To reduce the pungent flavor of the onion and green onion, you can soak them in cold water for about 5 minutes. This will make them milder and more pleasant to eat. For extra flavor and complexity, feel free to add ingredients like perilla leaves or chili peppers according to your preference.
Step 2
Open the can of whelks and separate the whelks from their liquid. If the whelks are large, cut them in half for easier eating. This also helps the sauce to penetrate better.
Step 3
Cut the dried pollock strips (1 cup) into bite-sized pieces. Then, moisten them by lightly soaking them in some of the reserved whelk liquid for about 1-2 minutes. Gently squeeze out any excess liquid. This step makes the pollock strips tender and chewy.
Step 4
Now, let’s make the golden ratio sauce, the heart of this delicious salad. In a bowl, combine the gochujang (1/3 cup), brown sugar (1/3 cup), and vinegar (1/3 cup). Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Add the coarse gochugaru (1/2 Tbsp) and fine gochugaru (1/2 Tbsp) for a pleasant spiciness. Finally, stir in the sesame oil (1 Tbsp) and toasted sesame seeds (1/2 Tbsp) until well combined. (Measurements are approximate: Gochujang ~80g, Brown Sugar ~50g, Vinegar ~60g, Gochugaru ~3g each, Sesame Oil ~8g, Sesame Seeds ~3g).
Step 5
Place all the prepared vegetables (onion, carrot, cucumber, green onion, cabbage), the rehydrated dried pollock strips, and the whelks into a large mixing bowl.
Step 6
Pour about 70% of the prepared sauce over the ingredients in the bowl. Gently mix everything together with your hands, as if kneading dough (‘johm-johm’). It’s best to start with a portion of the sauce and taste as you go, adding more sauce gradually until it reaches your desired flavor intensity. This prevents the salad from becoming too salty or too bland.
Step 7
Cook the somen noodles, which are a perfect accompaniment to this whelk salad. Bring a generous pot of water to a boil. Add the somen noodles (100g) and stir to prevent sticking. As the water boils up, add a ladleful of cold water. Repeat this process once more when the water boils up again. This technique helps the noodles cook to a perfect al dente texture. Once cooked, rinse them thoroughly under cold running water to remove excess starch and drain well.
Step 8
Finally, transfer the whelk salad to your serving dish. Add the drained somen noodles alongside the salad. Drizzle the remaining sauce over the noodles and mix everything together. Your delicious whelk salad with noodles is ready to be enjoyed!
