Korean Style Chicory Salad

I'm kind of in a blogging rut, I think. If you've noticed, I've really slowed down my publishing schedule (down to twice, maybe three times a week these days). I'd like to mostly blame it on the fact that I spent most of February and March studying for an exam. And then I had all sorts of other stuff (mostly work trips) and random events that kept me out of the kitchen. My sister gave me some inspiration though and I've ordered some corn husks from Amazon so I'm thinking things will pick up again soon. Plus, I'm heading to DC this afternoon for work and we have some dinners planned so I think I'll glean some ideas from that too.

Anyway, because I've been in a rut, today's recipe is kind of simple and maybe a bit boring but actually it's something we've been loving in our house. Most of the time when we do Korean barbecue (whether it's pork belly or marinated beef), I'll make a scallion salad. However, shredding the scallions is tedious and frankly, the end result is bad breath. So, I've been whipping together this awesome chicory salad and it's been a great alternative. There's still a nice pungent bite from the garlic and a bit of scallion, and the crunch of the lettuce gives a freshness and brightness that works so well with grilled meats.

Ingredients [serves 4 to 6]:
1 bunch chicory (or other frilly lettuce, like kale or frisee)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
½ teaspoon sesame oil
2 teaspoons hot pepper flakes (gochugaru)
1 scallion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced

This is a stupidly easy recipe. Basically mince up the garlic, chop up the scallions, and mix it all together with the soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, and hot pepper flakes. That's the dressing, done.

Rinse the lettuce well (chicory tends to be really sandy) and shake off the excess water. Chop up the chicory, toss with the dressing, and that's it. The salad is ready to be served.

Our grill, which we bought in 2013 just before we redid our kitchen, was getting a bit grubby so we got a new grill. This one's a tabletop grill, which is actually really nice, and it's been working v. nicely so far.

I love a good Korean dinner. This one's bright and fresh and comforting all at once. The salad is bright, as a salad should be, but has an unmistakable Korean quality (I think sesame oil is the secret ingredient that will transform any vegetable into a Korean side dish) and it's a great palate cleanser for the fatty pork belly. It's delicious.

Here's the recipe page: