Spring’s Delight: Blanched Spring Cabbage Salad with Soybean Paste
How to Make Spring Cabbage Salad ~ Blanched Spring Cabbage with Soybean Paste
When spring cabbage (bomdong) appears in winter, many love to enjoy its slightly tough, bittersweet, and sweet flavor wrapped in ssam (lettuce wraps). Even without meat, it’s delicious with just ssamjang! Today, we’re making a healthy spring cabbage salad blanched and seasoned with soybean paste. Enjoy the fresh taste of spring!
Ingredients- 15 leaves of spring cabbage (bomdong)
- 1 tsp Doenjang (Korean soybean paste)
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp minced green onion
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- Sesame seeds, for garnish
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
Carefully separate the spring cabbage leaves, one by one. If some leaves are larger, that’s perfectly fine for blanching.
Step 2
Spring cabbage often has soil on it, so soak the leaves in water briefly, then rinse them thoroughly 2-3 times under running water to ensure they are clean.
Step 3
Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil over high heat. It’s important for the water to be very hot when blanching vegetables to preserve their vibrant color and crisp texture.
Step 4
Add the cleaned spring cabbage leaves to the boiling water and blanch briefly. Since spring cabbage can be eaten raw, you don’t need to cook it for long; just until it slightly wilts to maintain its texture.
Step 5
Immediately transfer the blanched cabbage to a bowl of cold water to rinse and cool it down. This shock helps retain its crispness.
Step 6
Once cooled, prepare the cabbage for easier eating. Since the leaves can be large, cut them into bite-sized pieces. For larger leaves, you might want to cut them in half, and then slice them diagonally so that each bite includes both the tender leaf and the slightly firmer stem.
Step 7
Gather the cut cabbage in your hands and gently squeeze out excess water. Be careful not to press too hard, as this can make the cabbage mushy; you want to remove excess water, not all of it.
Step 8
Start by adding the sesame oil to the squeezed cabbage. Gently toss and coat the leaves. This step acts as a preliminary coating that helps prevent the dressing from becoming too watery and keeps the cabbage from becoming overly soft.
Step 9
This initial coating of sesame oil helps to keep the cabbage from losing too much of its natural moisture and flavor into the dressing. It prevents the cabbage from becoming too limp and mushy, preserving its slightly chewy texture.
Step 10
Now, add the doenjang (1 tsp), minced green onion (1 tsp), and minced garlic (1 tsp). Mix everything together. No additional sweetener is needed as the doenjang provides a savory depth. Adjust the amount of doenjang based on its saltiness, as homemade pastes can vary. I used homemade doenjang, which adds a wonderful nutty flavor.
Step 11
Gently toss the ingredients to combine, ensuring the seasoning is evenly distributed. Finish with a sprinkle of sesame seeds. For a touch of color, you can add a few slices of red chili pepper, but this is optional.
Step 12
Your delicious and healthy blanched spring cabbage salad with soybean paste is ready! Enjoy it as a refreshing side dish with your meal.
