Namul is a Korean side dish that comes in various forms, but it’s commonly made with blanched, hearty greens that are seasoned with oil, vinegar and spices. Namul is a simple dish that can easily be tailored to individual taste starting with the vegetables. In this recipe, I use bright green Lacinato kale and Chestnut mushrooms to achieve a hearty combination of vegetables that take well to my marinade and taste great served over doenjang-flavored brown rice. One could also use Swiss chard, spinach, cabbage, bean sprouts or tofu. Use the greens that you like and what you have on hand.
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The marinade that I use is a simple combination of soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil, rice wine vinegar and red pepper flakes, but, this, too, can be adapted to meet various dietary needs. This dish is vegan and it’s meant to be that way. Keep the meat separate. I love serving this dish on Meatless Mondays or when my body is in need of a large boost of vegetables. This dish is hearty and filling enough to be served as a main meal, but is great served alongside other dishes as traditionally done.
To start, cook 1 ½ cups of brown rice in 3 ⅓ cups of cold water. When the rice is cooked and still hot, add one tablespoon of doenjang (fermented soybean) paste to the rice and stir. Set aside. Next, prep the vegetables. Wash, destem and roughly chop two large bunches (about 24 stalks) of Lacinato kale. Set aside. Gently clean, trim and chop two cups of mushrooms. Set aside. Finely mince shallot and one clove of garlic. Set aside. Next, make the marinade. Add two tablespoons of sesame oil, two tablespoons of brown sugar, three teaspoons of rice wine vinegar, two teaspoons of soy sauce and a pinch of red pepper flakes to a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid. Shake vigorously until the marinade is smooth and well blended. Set aside.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and fill a large bowl with ice water. You will need both readily available to blanch the kale. When the water is boiling, drop the kale into the pot for 30 seconds, then quickly remove it and plunge the kale into the ice water to stop the cooking process. Drain the kale and, using your hands, squeeze all excess water from the greens. Place the greens into a bowl, drizzle the marinade overtop of the greens, stir and set aside.
In a medium-sized skillet, heat one tablespoon of olive oil, then add the shallots, garlic and mushrooms. Sauté the vegetables over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Remove the vegetables from the heat and sprinkle them with a pinch of kosher salt.
To assemble the Kale Namal, divide the rice, marinated kale and sautéed mushrooms evenly among four bowls. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and Sriracha sauce, if desired. Enjoy!
Korean Kale Namul
Ingredients
- 1½ cups uncooked brown rice
- 3⅓ cups cold water
- 1 tbsp doenjang (fermented soybean paste)
- 2 large bunches of Lacinato kale (about 24 stalks)
- 2 tbsp sesame oil
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 3 tsp rice wine vinegar
- 2 tsp soy sauce
- pinch of red pepper flakes
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ½ cup minced shallot
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 2 cups mushrooms (Chestnut, blue oyster, or similar)
- pinch of salt
- toasted sesame seeds (optional)
- Sriracha (optional)
Instructions
- Cook rice and while still hot, season the rice with one tablespoon of doenjang paste. Set aside.
- Make marinade by whisking sesame oil, brown sugar, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce and red pepper flakes together. Set aside.
- Wash, destem and roughly chop kale. Blanch in boiling water for 30 seconds, then plunge into ice water to stop the cooking process. Drain kale and, using your hands, squeeze all liquids from the kale. Place the kale in a bowl and drizzle with marinade. Set aside.
- In a sauté pan, heat one tablespoon of olive oil and cook shallots, garlic and mushrooms over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring often so as not to burn the garlic. Off the heat, add a pinch of salt. Set aside.
- To assemble, divide the rice, marinated kale and sautéed mushrooms evenly among four bowls. Top the namul with toasted sesame seeds and Sriracha if desired. Enjoy!
