Namul twigim is a dish mainly eaten in spring, when wild spring vegetables are abundant. Due to the ephemeral nature and fragrance of the springtime namul, this twigim dish is always a delicacy to have.
SPRING VEGETABLE TWIGIM RECIPE
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Serves: 4
For the cho-ganjang
3 Tbsp ganjang (Korean soy sauce)
2 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 Tbsp sugar
For the twigim
Neutral cooking oil for deep-frying (about 3 cups)
100g shepherd’s purse
100g cham namul
100g Korean chrysanthemum
3 Tbsp potato starch
1 ⅔ cups Korean frying mix
- Make the cho-ganjang: In a bowl, stir together ½ cup water, the soy sauce, vinegar, and sugar until the sugar dissolves.
- For the twigim: Pour 7.5–10cm neutral oil into a large deep pot or deep fryer and heat to 180C.
- Rinse all the vegetables under cold running water and set in a sieve to dry. In individual plastic bags, add the well-dried vegetables and 1 tablespoon of potato starch to each bag and shake vigorously until the vegetables are evenly coated with potato starch.
- In a bowl, combine the frying mix and 1 cup cold water and mix well until uniform.
- Line a tray with paper towels. Working in batches of one vegetable at a time, use chopsticks to dip each of the starch-coated vegetables into the batter and drop into the heated oil. Cook for about 2 minutes and transfer to the paper towels to drain.
- Serve hot with the cho-ganjang.
Recipe extracted from The Korean Cookbook by Junghyun Park and Jungyoon Choi, published by Phaidon. $80, out now.
