Toasted Sesame Radish Side Dish (Deulgkae Mur Na Mul)
A Healthy and Flavorful Autumn Dish: Toasted Sesame Radish Side
Autumn radishes are renowned for their sweetness and nutritional value, often called ‘better than ginseng’ for their health benefits. This recipe uses the naturally sweet autumn radish to create a nutty and delightfully sweet radish side dish. It’s a perfect accompaniment to rice, offering a comforting and wholesome flavor profile.
Main Ingredients
- 1/2 medium radish
- 1 Tbsp salt (for salting the radish)
Seasoning Ingredients
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 2 Tbsp sunflower oil (or cooking oil)
- 2-3 Tbsp perilla seed powder (adjust to taste)
- 1 tsp perilla oil
- 1 pinch salt (to adjust seasoning)
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 2 Tbsp sunflower oil (or cooking oil)
- 2-3 Tbsp perilla seed powder (adjust to taste)
- 1 tsp perilla oil
- 1 pinch salt (to adjust seasoning)
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
First, peel the radish thoroughly. Then, slice it into rounds about 0.5 cm thick. After slicing, make shallow cuts and julienne the radish into thin strips. It’s important to cut the radish strips uniformly and not too thinly.
Step 2
Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of salt evenly over the julienned radish. Gently mix with your hands to ensure the salt is well distributed. Let it sit for about 10 minutes to wilt the radish. Salting it lightly this way helps prevent the radish from breaking apart too easily.
Step 3
After salting for 10 minutes, the radish will release a significant amount of moisture. Do not discard or rinse off this liquid. Take the salted radish strips directly from the bowl and proceed to cook them without washing. This process helps to enhance the radish’s natural sweetness and aroma.
Step 4
Heat a pan over medium heat and add 2 tablespoons of sunflower oil. Add 1 teaspoon of minced garlic and sauté for about 10 seconds until fragrant, creating a garlic-infused oil. Be careful not to burn the garlic.
Step 5
Once the garlic is fragrant, add the salted radish strips to the pan and stir-fry them together. Cook until the radish strips become translucent, which should take about 5-6 minutes. The cooking time may vary depending on the thickness of your radish strips, so cook until they are tender yet still slightly crisp.
Step 6
When the radish is translucent, add 2-3 tablespoons of perilla seed powder and stir well to coat the radish evenly. Finally, drizzle in 1 teaspoon of perilla oil and sauté for another minute. I found it slightly under-seasoned, so I added a pinch of salt. You can adjust the seasoning to your preference by adding more salt or omitting it. (If you don’t have perilla oil, you can skip it).
Step 7
Your delicious radish side dish, fragrant with nutty perilla and subtly sweet, is now ready! Serve it mixed into freshly cooked white rice for a truly delightful meal. It’s a simple yet incredibly satisfying dish that brings the best of autumn’s harvest to your table.
