STEAMED AND RAW RADISH SALAD WITH KIMCHI AND SESAME I’m no Korean mother in the kitchen, but I can’t get enough of Korean
serves 4 to 6 as a side
food. So I thought I’d have a bit of fun with three of my favourite Korean ingredients – s esame, radish, and kimchi. Because I’m an Englishwoman with an Englishwoman’s palate, the salad I came up with is a quiet one, not full of the fermented fireworks you might expect from Mom. Because I love radishes so very much, I chose to showcase their sweet, sharp bite in a mellow, mouth-fi llingly flavourful sesame dressing. I like that in some bites, however, you do get a hit of spicy, funky kimchi.
Put a steamer insert (or a colander, so long as the pot’s lid can still close) in a large pot with a lid. Add about 1cm water to the pot, pop on the lid, and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the daikon radishes to the insert, cover again, and let them steam until they’re fully tender but not mushy, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove the daikon and let it cool. Put the steamed and raw radishes in the fridge to chill for about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, put the sesame seeds in a small frying pan. Set it over medium heat and toast, stirring and tossing frequently, until they’re a few shades darker, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer them to a bowl to cool. Set 1 teaspoon of the seeds aside and pour the rest into a mortar, along with a pinch of salt. Thoroughly pound the seeds, add 1 tablespoon of the neutral oil and stir until smooth. Pulse half of the drained kimchi in a small food processor until you have a coarse purée. Transfer it to a bowl and mix in the rest of the kimchi, the kimchi liquid, the sesame oil, the remaining 3 tablespoons of the neutral oil, and 1 teaspoon of salt.
350g daikon radishes (each no thicker than 4cm), peeled, topped, tailed and cut into 2.5-cm irregularly shaped pieces 450g mixed small radishes (some with pert greens left on), halved lengthwise if larger than 2.5cm in diameter 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon sesame seeds Maldon or another flaky sea salt 4 tablespoons neutral oil, such as safflower or grapeseed 150g roughly chopped drained kimchi (preferably homemade, page 225), plus 2 tablespoons of the kimchi liquid 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil 1 head Little Gem lettuce, root end and floppy outer leaves discarded, leaves separated
Combine the kimchi mixture, steamed radishes, raw radishes, and Little Gem leaves in a large bowl and toss well. Season to taste with salt and transfer the vegetables to a plate in a heap. Drizzle the sesame paste mixture over the vegetables, then sprinkle on the remaining sesame seeds.
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