How To: Make Korean-Style Vegetables

We're really into vegetables in our house. When we were growing up, my mom made it a point to make sure we were eating some sort of greenery with every meal. So now, if we don't have something fresh and crunchy on the table, we feel like we're missing something and in all honesty, we feel a little gross.

In most cases, we just throw together a simple salad and call it a day. But, when we're dining on Korean food, salad isn't exactly the most appealing choice. That's why I'll make Korean-style vegetables. This "technique" is so simple and it's the easiest way to make any vegetable taste like a Korean banchan (side dish).

Ingredients:
½ teaspoon sesame oil
½ teaspoon sesame seeds
½ teaspoon salt
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 scallions, chopped
2 cups vegetables - suggestions: broccolini, broccoli, green beans, mung bean sprouts, carrots, cucumbers, mushrooms, spinach, the possibilities are endless!

Chop up the scallions and mince the garlic.

Chop up the vegetables into bite-sized pieces and then blanch them. If you're using a watery vegetable, like spinach or mung bean sprouts, squeeze out the excess water after you've cooked them.

Normally, I would say you need to shock the vegetables in ice water to stop the cooking process but in this case, you want the heat from the vegetables to warm up the garlic and take the bite out of their pungency. So, after they've been drained, add the veggies to a bowl. Add the garlic, scallions, sesame oil, sesame seeds, and salt. Then, mix them together and that's it. It's that easy.

Pile the vegetables onto a plate or into a bowl and then serve with the rest of your Korean feast.

Here's the recipe page: