tweak and nourish

SPINACH AND KALE NAMUL. I don't remember exactly the time when I ate spinach or kale as a banchan at a Korean BBQ restaurant but I distinctly remember thinking that I can make it. So, I did try to make it without a recipe but it wasn't quite the same. This is how I did it: sautéed spinach in sesame oil and that was it. Was I totally wrong! I discovered the correct way of cooking it when I read an article in Bon Apetit, "Spinach Namul is How I Eat a Whole Bunch of Greens in One Sitting" by Hana Asbrink. According to the article, namul can be any kind of vegetable, root, seaweed, or sprout that is often blanched and then seasoned but can also be raw, pickled, stir fried and more. For seasoning, mix soy sauce, toasted sesame oil, toasted sesame seeds, crushed garlic clove, pinch of sugar and salt and add to blanched vegetables while separating and untangling the leaves.

For this dish, I blanched the kale and spinach separately and placed in an ice bath on a strainer. Then, I drained and squeezed the cooked vegetables before adding the seasoning. I enjoyed this dish in a rice bowl with tofu and egg, just like in a bibimbap.

KALE AND SPINACH NAMUL