Sukchae (숙채) refers to ingredients that are blanched in salted water and then seasoned with a sauce.
Blanching vegetables in salted water helps to minimize nutrition loss, improve texture, increase and bring out the natural flavor of the vegetables, helps to reduce flavor loss, and enhance the color and vibrance of the ingredients.
Vegetables should be blanched quickly in salted boiling water for 15-30 seconds. Cooking vegetables quickly prevent the dulling of the colors of the vegetables and preserves vitamins and the flavor of vegetables. Use boiling water to shorten the cooking time and prevent overcooking. After blanching, cool the vegetables in ice water to stop the cooking process. The cooked vegetables should be crisp and tender, not mushy. Before seasoning the ingredients, gently squeeze the water from the vegetables. Do not squeeze too hard.
Tips for Applying Sauce:
After blanching and removing the excess water, you can add the sauce. Leafy delicate vegetables should be gently tossed with the sauce. If you massage the vegetables with the sauce or seasoning, it can damage them and ruin the texture. Firmer root vegetables can be massaged with the sauce so that it is absorbed well.
List of ingredients used for this method:
- Pepper Leaves (고추잎)
- Korean Dandelion (민들레)
- Short-Fruit Pimpinella (참나물)
- Garlic Chive (부추)
- Mugwort (쑥)
- Perilla Leaves (깻잎)
- Spinach (시금치)
- Mustard Green (갓)
- Chard (근대)
- Garlic Skate (마늘쫑)
- Shepherd’s Purse (냉이)
- Korean Wild Chive (달래)
- Japanese Angelica Tree Shoots (두릅)
- Bokchoy (청경채)
- Aster (취나물)
- Young Summer Radish (열무)
- Sweet Potato Stems (고구마순)
- Common Cockle (꼬막)
- Bean Sprout (콩나물)
- Toothed Ixeridium (씀바귀)
- Young Cabbage (풋배추)
