How To Make Spicy Korean Carrot Salad Everyone Will Rave About
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5
How To Make Spicy Korean Carrot Salad Everyone Will Rave About
Description
The recipe begins by peeling and julienning fresh carrots into even sticks to maximize crunch and surface area for the dressing. Toasted raw sesame seeds add nuttiness and aroma, enhancing the salad’s texture. The garlic is very briefly sautéed in avocado oil just to infuse the oil with flavor, avoiding any browning that could add bitterness. This garlic oil is then combined with organic cane sugar, rice vinegar, and ground coriander to create a balanced dressing that coats the carrots evenly.
The salad offers a mix of sweet, tangy, spicy, and nutty flavors balanced by fresh cilantro for a lively finish. The use of avocado oil ensures a neutral base with good heat tolerance, while the organic cane sugar provides sweetness without refined additives. The dish benefits from some resting time in the refrigerator where flavors meld and the carrots soften slightly but remain crisp.
This salad is suitable as a cold side dish alongside grilled meats, rice bowls, or other Korean-inspired meals. It can last stored in the refrigerator in a sealed container for about two weeks, making it practical for meal prep or batch cooking.
Substitutions include using sunflower oil if avocado oil is unavailable, or alternative vinegars like white or red wine vinegar. For sweetness, honey or monk fruit sweetener can replace cane sugar. Careful handling of the garlic during cooking is key to a clean, fresh flavor profile.
Ingredients
- 1 lb carrot 3 large
- 1 tablespoon organic cane sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 3 tablespoon avocado oil
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sesame seed raw
- ¼ c cilantro
Instructions
Julienne the carrots
- Peel and wash the carrots. Hold the carrot firmly in your hands or place it on a flat surface. Run peeler from top to bottom of the carrot pressing firmly until you have even cut slender sticks.
- Let the carrot sticks drop into a large bowl. Repeat the process with the remaining carrots.
Toast the sesame seeds
- Place a small skillet on a medium heat. Add sesame seeds and toast them for a minute or two until they start browning. Make sure not to burn the seeds. Remove from the heat and transfer the sesame seeds to a small bowl. Set aside.
Sauté the garlic
- Place the skillet back on a heat and add oil. Warm the oil until it starts to shimmer, about 2-3 minutes. Add 2 cloves of finely chopped garlic cloves, stir it for 10 seconds and promptly remove from the heat. (Don't cook the garlic for too long. No need to brown it. You only need 10 seconds for the garlic to release all its flavor into the oil. After 10 second, immediately pour garlic with oil into a bowl with carrots.)
Combine the ingredients
- To a bowl with julienned carrots, pour hot oil and garlic. Add cilantro, the remaining garlic clove, sugar, dried coriander, toasted sesame seeds, vinegar, salt and black pepper.
Mix the Korean carrot salad
- Using salad tongs thoroughly mix the salad. If necessary, adjust salt. If you desire more spiciness, add some more freshly ground black pepper. Leave a Korean carrot salad to marinate for at least 2 hours of overnight.
Notes
- Store the salad in a covered container in the refrigerator; it keeps well up to two weeks.
- Use neutral oils like avocado or sunflower oil for flavor infusion and high heat stability.
- Organic cane sugar is preferred to avoid processed additives; alternatives like honey or monk fruit sweetener can be used.
- Toast sesame seeds lightly until golden but not burnt to maintain their nutty aroma.
- Remove garlic from heat promptly after 10 seconds of cooking in oil to prevent bitterness.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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