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Korean carrot salad

Fine-cut carrots in vinegar, coriander, garlic and sizzling oil. Every bazaar has a stall.

By Jibek Sooronbai kyzy Published 20 min + 4 h
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Korean carrot salad, homemade

The Koryo-saram were deported from the Soviet Far East to Central Asia in 1937, and thousands were unloaded in the Chu valley. The Korean women had no napa cabbage for their kimchi, so they made do with carrots, and look what they gave us.

You won’t find it in Korea. You’ll find it in every bazaar from Tashkent to Talas, sold from enamel bowls by Korean grandmothers in flowered headscarves. One of them always slipped me an extra spoonful “for growing”. I make it every week now, and it never lasts.

What you'll need

The ingredients for Korean carrot salad, measured out on the counter
Everything for korean carrot salad, ready to go. You'll find the exact amounts in the recipe card below.
Korean carrot salad, homemade
morkovcha

Korean carrot salad

Fine-cut carrots in vinegar, coriander, garlic and sizzling oil. Every bazaar has a stall.

Total time20 min + 4 h
Serves6
CourseSalads & sides

Ingredients

6 servings

Instructions

Method

  1. Toss the carrots with the salt and sugar and squeeze with your hands for a minute until they soften and give up some juice.
  2. Add the vinegar and garlic. Pile the coriander and cayenne in a small heap on top.
  3. Heat the oil until very hot (fry the onion in it until dark, then remove the onion if using).
  4. Pour the hot oil straight onto the spices so they sizzle, then mix everything together.
  5. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours, ideally overnight. It keeps a week.
From my kitchen: A Korean carrot grater (or a julienne peeler) makes the long strands. A box grater gives you mush.
Cuisine Koryo-saram, Irad, Uzbekistan, KazakhstanFor Every table

With love from my kitchen in Talas,Jibek