Nutrient-Rich & Tender Spinach Salad (Sigeumchi Namul)
Easy Spinach Salad Recipe: Blanching Spinach and Making Delicious Seasoning
Discover the best way to prepare spinach salad, a healthy and delicious side dish perfect for any meal. This recipe focuses on blanching spinach to retain its vibrant color and nutrients, followed by a simple yet flavorful seasoning. Spinach is packed with essential vitamins and minerals, making it a fantastic addition to your diet. We’ll guide you through selecting the freshest spinach, proper preparation, quick blanching techniques, and a foolproof seasoning blend. This versatile namul can be enjoyed as a simple side dish or used as a delicious filling for homemade kimbap. Perfect for all ages!
Ingredients- Spinach: 300g (after trimming)
- Salt: 1 Tbsp (for blanching)
- Soup soy sauce (Guk-ganjang): 1 Tbsp
- Minced garlic: 1 tsp
- Seasoned salt (Matsogeum): 1/3 tsp (adjust to taste)
- Sesame oil: 1.5 Tbsp
- Toasted sesame seeds (or ground sesame seeds): To taste
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
Let’s start by selecting the freshest, most flavorful spinach. Look for spinach with abundant, voluminous leaves and straight, clean stems – these are signs of freshness. The spinach for today’s dish looks wonderfully vibrant!
Step 2
The first step in preparing spinach is thorough washing. Pay special attention to the roots, as they can trap a lot of soil. Soak the spinach in water and rinse it well to remove all dirt.
Step 3
When trimming the roots, gently scrape off the outer layer of dirt, but try to keep as much of the root intact as possible. The reddish part of the roots is rich in iron and other nutrients, so it’s beneficial to consume them.
Step 4
Once the roots are trimmed, cut the spinach in half lengthwise if they are large. This helps in washing away any remaining soil from the inner parts. Swish the spinach gently in water a couple of times, then rinse briefly under running water.
Step 5
Gently pat the spinach to remove excess water. While the spinach is resting, fill a pot with plenty of water and bring it to a boil for blanching.
Step 6
Once the water is at a rolling boil, add 1 tablespoon of salt and then carefully place the spinach into the pot. Adding salt not only helps to remove oxalic acid (which can cause bitterness) but also enhances the spinach’s vibrant green color, making it look even fresher.
Step 7
Add the spinach to the boiling water and blanch it very briefly. You don’t need to time it precisely; just flip it once or twice to ensure it’s submerged. The goal is to ‘shock’ it in the hot water, blanching it just enough to make it tender while preserving its nutrients. Overcooking will result in mushy spinach.
Step 8
Immediately transfer the blanched spinach to a colander and rinse it under cold running water. This ‘cold shower’ helps to stop the cooking process and maintain its bright green color. Once cooled, gently squeeze out as much water as possible with your hands.
Step 9
Now, let’s prepare the seasoning. In a bowl, combine 1 Tbsp soup soy sauce, 1 tsp minced garlic, 1/3 tsp seasoned salt, 1.5 Tbsp sesame oil, and a pinch of toasted sesame seeds. Mix everything gently. Start with the soup soy sauce for the base flavor, then add the seasoned salt for a touch of savory depth. Taste and adjust the saltiness according to your preference. This simple seasoning enhances the natural flavor of the spinach without overpowering it. This spinach salad is packed with iron, folate, and vitamin C, making it an excellent dish for growing children. It’s also a wonderful ingredient for homemade kimbap, even for picky eaters! During cooler weather, you can even add it to a savory doenjang (soybean paste) soup. Enjoy this seasonal delicacy from now through winter for a healthy and delicious meal!
