Sunday, February 03, 2008

Korean Carrot Salad

Here’s a salad and a history lesson for you. This spicy dish is known as “Korean carrots” throughout Russia and the former Soviet republics. How did that name come about? “Korean carrot salad, morkovcha koreyska, is a legacy of Stalin's mass deportations of ethnic Koreans from the far eastern Soviet Union to its western frontiers," explains the New York Times in this excellent article.
This salad is often served as part of a zakuski (appetizer) spread for holiday meals and special occasions. I’ve had a couple of different versions of these carrots—recipes vary by household—and came up with the version below.

Method:

Make this salad a day before you plan to eat it. It needs to marinade overnight.

You will need about 1 pound of carrots, cleaned and peeled, the longer the better. Use a mandoline to slice them into thin, spaghetti-like strands. Place in a large bowl. Mince 2 garlic cloves; add to the carrots.

Sauté a small, diced onion in about ¼ cup of sunflower oil until the onion is soft and translucent. Add 2 tbs. of whole coriander seeds and cayenne pepper to taste (I used about ¼ tsp.) toward the end of the cooking time. When the onion is done, immediately add it and any leftover oil to the carrots; toss.

In a bowl, mix 3 tbs. of white vinegar, 2 tsp. of sugar, and 1 tsp. of salt. Add dressing to the salad, and mix well. You can also another handful of whole coriander seeds. Refrigerate 4-5 hours; preferably overnight.

17 comments:

adele said...

Interesting. Is this salad related to kimchee in any way?

Mrs. M. said...

Adele--Nope. This salad isn't pickled.

Anonymous said...

mmmm yes they sell this all over moscow in the markets outside of the metros....

Kim Moorhead said...

Delicious recipe, just like the one I used to eat in Kazakhstan! Very healthy too!

Anonymous said...

We love Korean carrot salad, and I decided to give it a try, by making it myself.
I made this salad yesterday, following your recipe. After letting it marinade all night, it tastes delicious today. :)
Thank you for recipe! Greetings from Estonia!

Anonymous said...

Yulinka,
I found your recipe while looking to approximate the carrot salad that my partner was waxing nostalgic about after his year living in Moscow. Thanks for your recipe. I changed it just a bit -- added more garlic, and some ginger (both shredded with a mandoline, just like the carrots), and we ate it after it had sat for just an hour. It was still delicious! The coriander seeds added in at end take it scrumptiously over the top.

Anonymous said...

Thank you sooo much for the recepie.I have been looking for it for years. I love this salad. 5 years ago i tryed it in Russia and loved it.Thanks again.

Anonymous said...

You have literally made my day :)
Thanks for the great recipe, I will try it out as soon as I can.

Cpasibo :)

Stellochka said...

Yulinka, thanks a lot for Korean carrots. I was looking for this recipe for a long time. I'm originally from Tashkent and have very similar view on food, less foie gras and more borsch. My Anya von Bremzen book is on my cooking bookshelf right next to Marcella Hazan :)

Kebab House said...

I like Korean Spicy Carrots.last time I tried great stuff at Kebab House in Euclid,Ohio www.kebaborder.com

Anonymous said...

i ate this salad for the first time in Lugansk, Ukraine, and was determined to find the recipe and make it once i got home. I'm excited thanks!

Anonymous said...

Dear Yulinka,

thanks a lot for the recipe.
It was easy to find - first on Google search. I just finished the salad, it's so delicious.....
Thanks again and I'll be in touch,
Lily

Natalya said...

Thanks Yulinka! I last had these in the Russian Far East. The local Koreans actually sell this in the markets in regular and extra, extra strength.

Maya said...

Спасибо большое, Юленька! Салад просто замечательный получился! :)

Michael Getty said...

Yulinka- Sorry to see you're not blogging any more, but as I blogger, I certainly understand! I served your salad at a fundraiser dinner for our synagogue and told its remarkable story. Thank you!

soop said...

Here in Brooklyn, NY we have tons of Russian stores, but I am convinced that the quality of this salad has been tasting not quite right over the past few years, so I found your blog on my quest to make it myself. One of my earliest memories is seeing a Korean man selling this salad at a market in Kiev.
Very glad to have stumbled onto this. Your blog looks fabulous and I am already perusing all your recipes :)

Anonymous said...

Just came back from Moldova where I had this salad! Thanks for the recipe!

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