Musaengchae (Spicy Korean Radish Salad)

November 27, 2012

It’s that time of year again! Korean radish, mu (or moo), is in season! The radishes I’ve been getting lately taste really sweet and crunchy. Korean radish is a variety of white radish (aka daikon), and it has firm crisp flesh and a slightly sweet and peppery taste.

I’ve posted several radish dishes before, such as kkakdugi (cubed radish kimchi), dongchimi (radish water kimchi), muguk (radish soup), and munamul (stir-fried and steamed radish). Here, I made a popular side dish called musaengchae (무생채). Saengchae is a general term for salad-like dishes made with uncooked vegetables.

For mu saengchae, I like to salt the radish first to draw out some water for extra crunch. This spicy and crunchy radish salad has the flavor of fresh kimchi (not fermented), so it can also be a quick substitute for kimchi. It’s great in bibimbap as well. This past weekend, I made this dish to accompany bossam (boiled pork wrapped in salted napa cabbage) for a large family gathering. Everyone loved it!

Musaengchae (Spicy radish salad)

5 from 1 vote

Musaengchae (Spicy Korean Radish Salad)

Spicy Korean radish side dish - great in bibimbap and as a kimchi substitute!

Servings: 4

Author: Hyosun Ro

Ingredients

1 pound mu Korean radish
1 teaspoon salt
2 scallions finely chopped
2 - 3 tablespoons Korean red chili pepper flakes gochugaru (adjust to taste)
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon fish sauce myulchi jeot
1 teaspoon salted shrimp saewu jeot (just use more fish sauce if unavailable)
1 teaspoon sesame seeds
1/2 teaspoon sugar adjust to taste

Instructions

Clean the radish by scrubbing with a brush and/or scratching off the stubborn impurities with a small knife. Peel the skin only if necessary. Cut into match sticks (about 1/8 to 1/4-inch thick).
Sprinkle the salt over the radish and toss well to coat evenly. Let sit for 15 to 20 minutes until the radish sticks have softened and released some liquid. Drain (or gently squeeze out) excess liquid. Do not rinse.
Add all the remaining ingredients. Mix well by hand. Taste and add more salted shrimp or fish sauce if necessary.

Comments

Frugal Flo says:

November 27, 2012 at 5:57 am

Share the Bossam recipe too!!! :P

oh and thank you for posting one of my most favorite banchans :)

xnikkix says:

November 27, 2012 at 2:25 pm

I love this side dish! So excited to try this out! I had been hoping that you would post this dish!!

Sandra SECooking says:

November 27, 2012 at 3:14 pm

Your cutting is amazing and salad looks delicious. Simple but rich with flavor! Thank you for sharing!

Sissi says:

November 27, 2012 at 5:14 pm

Hyosun, it's incredible! I posted a Korean Radish salad just before the weekend. Of course mine doesn't look as beautiful and genuine as yours and the recipe I found was much much simpler than this one (I had checked your blog before, so now I regret I haven't waited a couple of days ;-) I am sure your salad tastes much better than mine from a basic Korean cookery book. Thank you for a new recipe I will soon add to my Korean dishes repertoire.

Anonymous says:

November 28, 2012 at 5:46 pm

Thank you for the recipe. I'm an American man.. was in Korea
many years ago, and didn't know enough Korean to try every-
thing, unfortunately. I love radishes, and this seems like an
easy recipe, with stuff I can find. I have been trying Korean
recipes for a while now, as I get older; and have found I like
all of them.. and am hungry for them. Mark

British Interior Design in your home says:

December 12, 2012 at 6:27 am

Always making it a point in consuming spicy food is what I live for. I am so going to make this for dinner tonight.

parking Paris says:

December 14, 2012 at 8:29 am

Yummy this recipe looks so spicy me likey. Will try this and taste soon. Thanks for the idea.

Anonymous says:

November 4, 2013 at 6:51 pm

Can you use american radish in this recipe?

Yinnfy says:

December 15, 2014 at 2:57 am

Can i know how long can this last, from days or months? Do we refrigerate it or how?

- Hyosun says:
  
  December 15, 2014 at 11:05 am
  
  It can last weeks if you make it saltier, but this recipe isn't that much. It will keep well in an airtight container in the fridge for a couple of weeks.
  
KoreanKraut says:

April 25, 2015 at 8:58 am

I remember growing up watching my mom make all sorts of delicious dishes. The smells, she would mix some things then give me a taste. Today I don't remember the specific ingredients and amounts, but thanks to sites like yours I can recreate those wonderful dishes, and when it comes to the final amount of something I use my memories to adjust the seasonings like Mom made! I miss her

Rich says:

May 1, 2015 at 7:24 pm

I love "Fresh" Kimchi like cucumber salad I love radish and thank you as I had been not using it because fermented still I don't like as much this will be good with crispy pork belly or added to a fusion taco of spicy pork or sweet Kalbi I bet

- Hyosun says:
  
  May 2, 2015 at 8:12 am
  
  Sounds great! If you like fresh kimchi, check out this recipe too: http://www.koreanbapsang.com/2015/04/baby-bok-choy-kimchi-salad-geotjeori.html
  
Atchaya says:

August 20, 2017 at 2:07 am

is there a substitution for the fish and shrimp ingredients? my mum is vegetarian and I wanna make this for her! :D Thankyou

- Hyosun says:
  
  August 30, 2017 at 11:38 pm
  
  You can use some Korean soup soy sauce if you have some. Otherwise, omit them entirely and simply use more salt to season. Hope you try it.
  
YoonSeo says:

July 15, 2018 at 5:12 pm

How long can this keep in the fridge?

- Hyosun says:
  
  July 15, 2018 at 8:54 pm
  
  should be fine for 2 to 3 weeks or longer.
  
Mybitchinkitchen says:

July 17, 2018 at 5:06 am

Love theses flavorful combination! Slightly sweet but with a big ZING in he end. Easy recipe to make. Give it a try!