Korean Spinach Salad Recipe (Siguemchi Namul) (2024)

FAQs

What is sigeumchi namul in english? ›

Sigeumchi namul (시금치나물) is a simple Korean side dish (banchan, 반찬) made with spinach. Namul is the general term that refers to a seasoned vegetable dish, and sigeumchi means spinach in Korean.

Sigeumchi namul is a traditional Korean side dish of blanched and chilled spinach seasoned with garlic, sesame oil, sugar, and soy sauce. It's a simple and refreshing vegetable side dish (or banchan) that goes well with rice or other Korean dishes, like bibimbap or galbi.

This recipe not only comes together in minutes, but it also can be made in advance and refrigerated for up to three days. So whether you need some more greenery in your bringing-lunch-from-home routine or an easy, tasty side dish for your next dinner party, sigeumchi namul has got you covered.

Namul (Korean: 나물) refers to either a variety of edible grass or leaves or seasoned herbal dishes made of them. Wild greens are called san-namul (산나물; lit. mountain namul), and spring vegetables are called bom-namul (봄나물; lit. spring namul).

However, banchan can be generally categorized into three main broad types: (1) seasoned fresh vegetables greens, known as namul (나물), (2) braised or soy-sauce based banchan, and (3) preserved or fermented banchan. Firstly, namul are vegetables that are blanched, steamed or marinated.

Banchan is meant to be stored in your fridge and portioned out at meal times as needed. Depending on the banchan and how it's stored, some banchan will last in your fridge for a few days while others will last for weeks (even months in the case of kimchi).

Blanching is carried out only to such an extent that the most heat stable enzymes, such as per- oxidase, are barely inactivated. Blanching involves an unavoidable loss of nutrients such as ascorbic acid and sucrose and the loss is especially serious for leafy vegetables owing to its large surface-to-volume ratio.

Not only does refrigeration help preserve the flavor and freshness of your Gochujang but also keeps out moisture that could lead to mold growth or spoilage. So if you plan on using your sauce over an extended period, then storing it in the fridge is strongly advised.

Quick pickled vegetables will last in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Other fresh vegetable banchan, be it raw, braised or seasoned, can last about 2-4 days in the refrigerator.

Make-Ahead and Storage

Gaji-namul can be made in advance and refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 week. Serve chilled.

What does choy mean in Korean? ›

/suji/ resin. mass noun. Resin is a sticky substance that is produced by some trees.

Gimbap (Korean: 김밥; lit. Gim rice; IPA: [kim. p͈ap̚]), also romanized as kimbap, is a Korean dish made from cooked rice, vegetables, fish, and meat rolled in gim—dried sheets of seaweed—and served in bite-sized slices. The origins of gimbap are debated.

Spinach is also from the Amaranthacae family, but amaranth and spinach are from different genera - the genus of amaranth is Amaranthus, while the genus of spinach is Spinacia. This vegetable is also called een/en choy or Chinese spinach. Try the leaves stir-fried or lightly steamed.

Water spinach (known as rau muống in Vietnamese) is a popular Southeast Asian semi-aquatic vegetable.

Despite its English name, water spinach is not really spinach, nor is it botanically related to it. It (ipomoea aquatica) is a member of the convolvulaceae (morning glory) family. Other English names for it include: swamp spinach, river spinach, and Chinese spinach.