Every time we find ourselves in Massachusetts, I insist on a quick trip to H Mart (and yes, a couple of hours absolutely counts as quick) to stock up on ingredients that are harder to find in Portland. On a recent visit, I finally grabbed everything I needed to make Eric Kim’s Naengmyeon Kimchi.
Thin rectangles of Korean radish are salted for 30 minutes, then drained and gently squeezed before being tossed with garlic, grated red apple, white wine vinegar, green plum syrup, and an Asian probiotic yogurt drink (a new-to-me ingredient that took a little sleuthing to find at Hmart).
Traditionally served with naengmyeon, the icy Korean cold noodle dish, like Eric, we treated this more like banchan, snacking on it straight from the jar.
It hits that perfect balance of crunch, sweetness, heat, and acidity, the kind of bright bite you keep going back for with just one more forkful.
Book: Korean American, page 77
Rating: 5/5
How Easy Is That – Skill Level: Easy
How Easy Is That – Time Involved: 45 minutes
Store-Bought Is Fine: Asian probiotic yogurt drink
Recipe not online.
