Korean-Style Zucchini with Carrot and Rice Vinegar

Name: Korean-Style Zucchini with Carrot and Rice Vinegar
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 2 h
Total time: 2 h 30 min
Cuisine: European
Ingredients: Zucchini 3-4; Bell pepper 1-2; Carrot 1; Chili pepper 1; Garlic 2-3 cloves; Cilantro 0.5 bunch; Rice vinegar 1 tbsp (at least, then to taste); Sesame oil 1 tbsp; Salt 0.5 tsp (3 g); Bay leaf 2-3; Black pepper to taste; Coarsely ground chili to taste (for heat)

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2 h 30 mins

The home-style salad we call Korean zucchini has nothing in common with real Korean cooking. It is a nod to fashion and habit. Still, the way the vegetables are cut, into long thin strips, is typical of such dishes. Take Korean carrots, for example: an adapted spicy salad typical of the “Soviet” Koreans. The name matters less than the fact that all these “non-authentic” dishes usually share a style and a method of preparation.

Everyone surely knows what vegetables from “Korean” dishes look like: long, thin, square-cut strips. You can buy special graters that cut zucchini or carrots this way, and the strips can be thin or thick. I recommend keeping one in your kitchen. It is very cheap and very handy for preparing vegetable salads.

“Korean-style” salads are not difficult, but they need a short fermentation, salting or pickling of a special kind. In the simplest version, some of the vegetables are cut with that special grater and left with salt for a while, until they release juice. Then the vegetables are mixed with spices, oil, vinegar and herbs, almost always cilantro, and chilled. I confess I don’t much like spicy carrots, but a zucchini salad is the appetizer I prefer.

More with carrots and zucchini

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Ingredients

4 servings

Zucchini 3-4
Bell pepper 1-2
Carrot 1
Chili pepper 1
Garlic 2-3 cloves
Cilantro 0.5 bunch
Rice vinegar 1 tbsp (at least, then to taste)
Sesame oil 1 tbsp
Salt 0.5 tsp (3 g)
Bay leaf 2-3
Black pepper to taste
Coarsely ground chili to taste (for heat)

Step-by-step recipe

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Zucchini

Fresh, young vegetables guarantee that Korean-style zucchini turns out tasty, without any coarse bits. It is crucial to use young zucchini with thin, edible skin and no developing seeds. As a rule, early and midsummer vegetables are of just the right quality. I advise making the appetizer spicy and adding plenty of herbs, so that the aroma and flavor of cilantro come through well.
Young multicolored zucchini are ideal for this salad, as the appetizer will please the eye. I chose several very young dark green and yellow cylindrical ones.
Grate the zucchini into strips. Wash the zucchini, pat them dry with paper towels and trim the ends. Using the larger grater, cut the zucchini with the skin along their whole length to get neat, long strips. Such graters usually have two blades, 5 mm and 2.5 mm. The flesh of zucchini is tender and easily damaged when cut.
Salt the zucchini. Put the cut zucchini in a bowl, salt with 0.5 tsp of salt (3 g), stir and refrigerate for 20 mins. The flesh will quickly release juice and soften. Then gently squeeze the zucchini and drain off all the liquid, for example in a colander.

Vegetables and dressing

Cut the remaining vegetables. Grate the carrot lengthwise with a finer grater. The bell pepper can be cut fairly thick with a knife. Finely chop the garlic, chili and cilantro.
Mix all the vegetables with the zucchini, then add black pepper and 2-3 bay leaves. If you want the Korean-style zucchini to be noticeably spicy, add a little dried hot red pepper, coarsely ground with the seeds.
Dress the salad. Add the rice vinegar. You can try wine or apple cider vinegar, but the flavor of the dish will be different. The amount of acidity is to taste, but add at least 1 tbsp. Also add 1 tbsp of sesame oil, which has a distinctive, pronounced flavor. Stir the salad, then transfer it to a plastic container or bowl.

Under a weight

Put the vegetables in the cold under a weight, which is an important step. In a container, you can place a wooden board or the plastic lid of a smaller container on the vegetables, and in a bowl, an upside-down plate or saucer. Put a weight of 1-1.5 kg on top; a jar of water will do. The zucchini should stand under the weight in the cold for 1.5-2 hours, after which they are ready. But if you like, they can stand like this all night.

Serving

Before serving, drain the liquid from the container. Transfer the zucchini and vegetable salad to salad bowls or plates and serve cold.
You can use it as a side dish, especially if you make it spicy. It is a tasty, easy appetizer that is not heavy on calories.

Calories and macros

95 kcal

Serving ≈ 310 g

Protein4 g16% of kcal
Fat4 g43% of kcal
Carbs9 g40% of kcal

100 g32 kcalProtein 1.2 gFat 1.4 gCarbs 3 g

Calculated from the recipe ingredients, excluding salt and spices. Data: USDA and Matvaretabellen.

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