Let’s learn how to make delicious mumallaengi-muchim today! It’s a Korean banchan (side dish) that’s very common in a Korean dosirak (lunch box). The main ingredient is mumallaengi – Korean white radishes, cut into pieces 3-4 inch long and ¼ inch thick and dried in the sun. You can buy packaged mumallaengi in Korean grocery stores.
A few tips for this banchan: don’t soak it in water too long, because the radish will lose its delicious flavor. 7 to 8 minutes is perfect. Don’t forget to wash and rinse the radish a couple of times to remove any remaining dirt and to make the radish a little softer.
Another tip, as you see in my video, is to stir-fry it with vegetable oil for 1 minute so that it gets more plump and keeps its beautiful red color and springy texture.
Good luck with this recipe, I hope you enjoy it!
Ingredients
- 5 ounces mumallaengi (dried radish strips), about 3½ cups
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 green onions, chopped
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 3 tablespoons Korean hot pepper flakes (gochugaru)
- 3 tablespoons rice syrup
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds
Directions
- Wash and drain the mumallaengi in cold water a couple of times. Soak it in cold water for 7-8 minutes.
- Strain and squeeze out excess water.
- Heat up a pan over medium high heat and sauté the mumalaengi with 1 teaspoon vegetable oil for 1 minute. Remove from the heat. Set aside.
- Combine garlic, green onion, fish sauce, hot pepper flakes, rice syrup in a mixing bowl and mix it well with a spoon.
- Add the mumalaengi and mix it well by hand. You can wear a disposable cooking glove to prevent your hand from sore
- Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Transfer some to a serving plate and serve as a side dish with rice. The leftovers can be stored in the fridge up to 1 month.
The Korean stores in Adelaide, Australia are getting more and more Korean dried vegetables these days. I found the dried radish and even found Ixeridium dentatum (apparently it’s a very bitter vegetable?)
that was dried there!
Will be making an exploration of MORE Korean flavours and vegetables in the future!
I have a question…I made this dish yesterday. When i went to our Korean market here in Hawaii the dried radish they sold was a little more green than the one you used. Can this also be used? Heres a picture of the finished product.
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Looks delicious! “…the dried radish they sold was a little more green than the one you used. C” It sounds like the dried radish strips you bought were better quality! Yes, of course you can use them.
Today i tried this recipe and it taste so good!!! Thank you for the recipe. Really enjoy your video.
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The thing that hit me first when I first made this was the smell when I opened the Radish. IT WAS SO GOOD! I wanted to sit down and just enjoy the smell.
I made this dish and it tastes great. I do have a question though. I followed your directions, is the dried radish still supposed to be a bit hard in the center? It makes me wonder if I should have soaked them longer than 8 minutes, but I’m not actually sure what the texture should be since I’ve never had this before.
It should be chewy but not hard. So try soaking a little longer, but not too long or it will looks its flavor and chewiness.
I find that the soaking part is kinda tricky. Try chewing a couple of pieces before you drain it. You want it pretty firm, as that’s part of the joy in eating the finished dish.
I also have seen several brands that might each absorb moisture at different rates. In Northern CA, I am lucky to have a Costco-size market called Koreana Plaza in Sacramento, so I have a great selection.
Maangchi, can you recommend a brand?
Your explanation is awesome! I don’t have any particular brand that I prefer. I usually pick one with a clean, light color, and well dried. I avoid anything brownish.
Hi
I have fall in love with this side dish… Would like to check if i do not have rice syrup can i replace w honey or brown sugar? Can i use hot pepper paste?
I would use honey or white sugar. Brown sugar may make it brown. Yes, you can use hot pepper paste, too. Good luck!
Thank you… Just bought mumallaengi so happy cant wait to try it dis weekend :p
I have been successful using White Karo Syrup since I have very little actual sugar around, and it seemed fine.
We are making in the process of making this dish!
Hi Maangchi!
My local Hmart has this dish for sale, and they have this type of leaf in theirs….would you know what that leaf is? I want to make this dish with the “leaf” in it.
Thanks!
Kari (Vancouver, BC)
oh the leaves are from green chili peppers. The leaves from green chili peppers are picked, blanched, and dried. They are called “gochunnip”(고춧잎). Mumallaengi (dried radish strips) is often seasoned with gochunnip. Good stuff! If you want to make it that way, simply soak the leaves with dried radish together.
I just bought a package of dried radish strips from a Korean market. On the package direction, it says to soak the radish strip for 1 hour. Should I ignore the package soaking time and follow as you suggest 7 to 8 minutes?
yes, ignore it. : )
Hi!
Can you show us how to make the rice in this video? I remember when I studied abroad in Korea, I fell in love eating that rice. Thanks much!!
My steamed white rice recipe is here: https://www.maangchi.com/recipe/rice
If you like to make multi-grain rice, check out the written recipe on the forum that I posted. https://www.maangchi.com/talk/topic/korean-multigrain-rice
I used red pepper powder instead flakes and the taste came out a little sour and bitter. Since powder is more dense than flakes, I assumed I added too much powder. Any suggestions or comments?
Thank you for this awesome site and I am falling in love with it.
Either red pepper flakes or powder shouldn’t taste sour and bitter. Check out the expiration date please. Good luck with your Korean cooking!
This looks a lot like the bellflower recipe. Loved the taste. Does it kind of taste the same? Will have to try to make it. Have you seem the U tube comments? Lol , they all want to know how you make the black rice. Oh, me too!! me too!!
Bellflower roots salad tastes sweet and sour because vinegar is used. But mumalaengimuchi doesn’t use vinegar and uses fish sauce. They are different taste.
Yes.. yes… thats the one I was ‘thinking’ about but forgot to type the word roots. My mistake. I thought I knew most of the recipes you uploaded but managed to miss it. My bad. :(
haha, no problem. Cheers!
Yay! I’ve been wanting a good recipe for the dried radish in my cupboard.
oh, I know you will make this! : )
Thank you so much for this recipe. I’ve been yearning for this kimchee for so long. Now, I just hope that the kmart here sells this dried radish. Can’t wait to try making it.
Winks*
Btw, can you please upload a video on dried bell pepper kimchee in the near future?
“dried bell pepper kimchee”? Did you mean dried bellflower roots salad? If so, here you go: https://www.maangchi.com/recipe/dorajimuchim
I have never heard about dried bell pepper kimchi.
How did I not know that they sold packaged dried mu. Knowing that would have made things so much easier for me and my mom. My mom used to make this by julienning fresh radish and waiting until they dried out naturally. The process took months! But then I bought her a dehydrator and now she can make it any time. Thank you for the recipe!
“My mom used to make this by julienning fresh radish and waiting until they dried out naturally.” Your mom must be a good cook!