Past Korean salads and snacks is impossible to calmly pass. Their aroma drives you crazy and stimulates your appetite. You can buy the usual seasoning for carrots in the store and prepare a Korean salad yourself. But for some reason it doesn’t turn out so fragrant. In fact, Koreans and those who know a lot about their kitchen never take ready-made spices from a bag. But then what to season with a snack?
Classic spices for Korean carrots
Koreans add different spices to each snack, emphasizing the taste of certain foods. But there is a basic set for fragrant salads. It is with him that the world-famous carrot is cooked. The same seasonings are suitable for cabbage, eggplant, bell pepper and other vegetables.
How to season Korean carrots:
- Red pepper. It is he who gives that burning taste. Pepper is usually already ground, therefore, additional grinding is not necessary. Sometimes chopped sharp pods are added to Korean salads. In this case, you need to chop them very finely to ensure uniform distribution.
- Black and allspice. More used for flavor than spice. That is why it is better to grind the peas yourself.
- Coriander. It perfectly combines not only with meat, gives Korean appetizers a spicy aroma, but it is important not to overdo it.
- Sugar. This is a very important ingredient and natural flavor enhancer. Very often they are neglected. Ordinary granulated sugar will do.
- Salt. You can use the most common table or sea salt.
- Vinegar, lemon juice. They are added for a bright taste, but are also preservatives, pickle products, extend the shelf life. No Korean salad or acid-free appetizer is prepared.
By the way, in addition to spices, it is very important to use good oil. It is customary to take ordinary sunflower from us. Koreans often mix it or completely replace it with sesame oil, which also affects the taste of snacks. Sometimes they add olive oil, which can also be done.
Garlic: yes or no
In ready-made seasonings for Korean carrots, you can often see dried garlic. It is really suitable for salads, but it is far from always appropriate. If the appetizer is being prepared for lunch, and a working day is expected ahead, then we can safely exclude it. If eggplant is present in the salad, then garlic is indispensable. It perfectly emphasizes the vegetable, reveals its taste. Garlic is also added to Korean snacks with beets, it removes a specific earthy flavor.
At home, it is advisable to use fresh cloves of garlic. Dried vegetable does not give such an aroma, moreover, it has a high concentration, you can miss the amount. Fresh cloves finely chopped, add with the rest of the spices. But sometimes, to make salad dressing, make regular or hot garlic oil.
In the first embodiment, garlic cloves are cut and insisted, then discarded.
In the second method, the garlic is fried until brown, removed, and Korean vegetables are seasoned with hot oil.
Ginger: yes or no
Ginger is another controversial supplement. Koreans sometimes introduce a fresh spine in their snacks, and it can also be found in ready-made seasonings for carrots. But there are some nuances: the flavor of ginger is not everyone likes, like taste, the spine is contraindicated for stomach problems.
In combination with hot pepper and vinegar, ginger can provoke an exacerbation of an ulcer or gastritis, it is undesirable to use it for cirrhosis, high blood pressure, as well as during pregnancy and HB.
If ginger is like, well tolerated, then it can be safely added to Korean snacks. The dry root is mixed with the rest of the spices. Fresh root needs to be cleaned, crushed. It is added directly to the vegetables.
Sesame seeds?
Sesame or sesame is not found in seasoning bags, but is often present in cooked Korean snacks. These seeds not only decorate, but also give a pleasant taste. You can pour them into a classic carrot, they combine perfectly with it, but it is better to add to snacks from certain products.
What sesame is combined with:
- eggplant;
- asparagus;
- hen;
- mushrooms.
Do not add seeds unless to cabbage salads and appetizers. Sesame is rarely used in its raw form, although this is not prohibited. More often it is fried. The process takes a few seconds, but during this time a very pleasant aroma appears. You can simply fry sesame in a dry pan or add it to hot oil before pouring it into vegetables.
Soy sauce: not boring with it
Another controversial product. Who does not like soy sauce, he just did not try it. In Korean dishes and snacks, it is very common. Despite its simple taste, soy sauce ennobles any product.
Fish, vegetables, meat with it are much tastier, a pleasant color appears, a rich aroma, and not such a boring dish comes out.
Soy sauce can be added to the general dressing, but more often it is pickled with pieces of fish, chicken, mushrooms, and then introduced into a vegetable base. Sometimes mixed with lemon juice, vinegar, honey, they blend perfectly.
How to add spices
It is important not only to choose, buy and mix spices, but also to add them correctly. They never just pour in the finished salad, this can ruin everything. Also, do not "save" on seasonings. Then add a little more spices will not work. It’s better to pour a little more than you need. In any case, part drains to the bottom along with oil and vegetable juice.
The main nuances:
- If seeds are used (coriander, dill, peas), then they need to be crushed in a mortar. You can grind with other spices. Aromatic esters are released during friction.
- Spices need to be mixed first among themselves, and then poured into a Korean snack. This will ensure even distribution.
- To reveal the aroma and taste of Korean spices, they are heated. You can pour into oil and pour vegetables. But more often they pour it out for a snack, and then pour almost boiling oil on top, after which the snack is immediately covered.
It is not customary to add fresh greens to Korean salads and snacks. But dried herbs are allowed. It is advisable to grind or grind them so that large particles do not come across. Yet the main decoration of Korean dishes are the vegetables themselves. They beckon with their juiciness and bright color, so let them also please with aroma and taste.
