Homemade Chewy Dried Radish Greens (Siraegi)
Easy Method for Drying Radish Greens (Siraegi) on Your Apartment Balcony
Utilize your sunny apartment balcony to make fresh dried radish greens (siraegi) yourself! Learn the detailed method and tips for enjoying chewy and delicious siraegi all year round.
Essential Ingredients- Fresh radish greens (or leftover greens from kkakdugi kimchi)
- 1 handful coarse salt
- Plenty of water
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
My apartment balcony on the 21st floor, blessed with ample sunlight and good ventilation, has become a special space for storing delicious food. Instead of flowers and potted plants, it’s now filled with soybean paste and soy sauce crocks, along with dried vegetables like radish greens, pumpkin, and eggplant. This past weekend, I found fresh radish greens at the local food market and immediately bought them!
Step 2
Although siraegi looks like a lot at 1kg, its volume reduces significantly after drying and cooking. This time, I’ll also be drying the radish greens left over from making kkakdugi kimchi. If there are too many radish greens when making kimchi, only the radish remains in the end. By tearing off the thick stems and drying them, you can utilize them effectively without wasting chili powder.
Step 3
Before we start drying the radish greens, make sure to wash them thoroughly to remove any soil. Since the greens will be soaked multiple times during the drying process, a light rinse to brush off the surface dirt is sufficient.
Step 4
Fill a large pot generously with water and bring it to a rolling boil. Once boiling, add a handful of coarse salt and the prepared radish greens. Boil them for just 1 minute, then remove. While you can dry them without boiling, briefly blanching them for about 1 minute eliminates the characteristic musty smell of siraegi, resulting in a much cleaner taste. The difference in taste after boiling for just 1 minute is remarkable. Isn’t that fascinating?
Step 5
After lightly boiling, rinse the radish greens once under cold running water and gently squeeze out the excess water. You don’t need to squeeze them too tightly.
Step 6
For drying, use wire hangers (like those from dry cleaners) to hang the radish greens neatly, as shown in the photo, and spread them out on the balcony. If you have any leftover scraps of siraegi, you can place them in a colander and leave them in a well-ventilated spot on the balcony. It’s said that the ideal condition for drying siraegi is a place that’s not exposed to direct sunlight, protected from rain, and has good air circulation. Our apartment balcony is precisely that perfect spot! You can see the radish greens gradually shrinking as they dry. They really do reduce in volume after boiling and drying.
Step 7
Here they are after about a week! The radish greens have dried beautifully and thoroughly. Properly dried siraegi, when rehydrated, adds a deep and delicious flavor to dishes like gamjatang (pork bone soup) or braised mackerel. Thanks to these precious dried greens, I can enjoy delicious meals throughout the year. At the end of November, when we make kimchi, we’ll have plenty of cabbage leaves (ugeoji) and radish greens again, so thanks to the balcony, I can look forward to a bountiful table next year too.
Step 8
I also dried pumpkin and eggplant on this day. I simply sliced them into bite-sized pieces and dried them as they were. With these dried vegetables ready, I plan to make delicious mapo tofu with them tomorrow. This was Bongja’s happy and healthy table, preparing healthy dishes with fresh ingredients today.
