Home Recipe IndexKorean Recipes Korean Dandelion Greens Side Dish

Korean Dandelion Greens Side Dish

by Emily
Korean Dandelion Salad on a wicker placemat. Kimchi and Korean spinach salad sits behind.

 This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for details at the bottom of this page. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases on this Korean dandelion greens side dish recipe. We hope you enjoy learning about mindeulle namul muchim.

Have you ever eaten dandelion greens? In the United States, as well as other western countries, when thinking of dandelions, people either picture blowing on the seedheads to make wishes or annoying yard weeds ruining their perfect lawns. People rarely think of salads when someone mentions this plant!

Interestingly, the entire dandelion is edible! People use dandelion flowers to top beautiful desserts, the roots to make specialty teas, and the greens to make fresh salads! Here, we will teach you how to make ‘mindeulle namul muchim,’ a Korean dandelion greens side dish. This side dish tastes slightly bitter and earthy as well as a bit sweet and spicy! We hope you enjoy it!

Note: Before we get started, to learn more about dandelion greens, I recommend checking out our article discussing the ingredient in-depth.

A Beautiful Korean Meal–Samgyeopsal (Pork Belly), Kimchi, and Dandelion Greens, and Spinach Side Dish.

What Is Mindeulle Namul Muchim?

‘Mindeulle namul muchim’ (민들레 나물 무침) is a Korean side dish made by blanching dandelion greens before tossing them with a soy-based sauce and seasonings. In South Korea, people typically use a combination of culturally traditional spices and sauces such as sesame oil, soy sauce, garlic, salt, sugar, sesame seeds, vinegar, and gochugaru to make this dish. 

The name of this dish, ‘mindeulle namul muchim,’ is a combination of three words:

  • First, the term ‘mindeulle’ (민들레) means ‘dandelion greens’ in English.
  • Next, the term ‘namul’ (나물) refers to edible roots or vegetables. This term can also refer to a specific style of fresh, clean-tasting Korean side dish.
  • Finally, ‘muchim’ (무침) can be translated as ‘seasoned’ or ‘to season.’ This broad term refers to a variety of Korean side dishes cooked in different manners (such as blanched, sautéed, steamed marinated, etc.) but all seasoned using traditional flavors. 

While people usually serve this dish as a side dish in a meal, you can also add this to your bibimbap as a topping ingredient. I also recommend it if you decide to try branching out from our Korean-Southern fusion grits bowl recipe!

Korean Dandelion Greens Side Dish Tips & Tricks: 

Before we get to the recipe, we wanted to give some tips & tricks to help you male this Korean dandelion greens side dish. Let us know if these tips help you prepare this recipe at home! If you have any questions, leave a comment below or email us at [email protected].

Tips & Tricks: 

  • When shopping at the Asian grocery store, farmers’ market, or specialty store, dandelion greens are often sold in large bunches. Before cooking with this ingredient, make sure to wash the greens to remove any sand, potential chemicals, and dirt. 
  • Once washed, remove any dead leaves. Then, slice off the large, thick stems at the ends of the leaves. 
  • Dandelion greens can taste extremely bitter and have a very fibrous texture. To reduce the bitterness as well as soften the greens, you need to blanch them. To do so, bring a pot of water to a boil. Then, add some salt to the pot. Add the greens to the boiling water and blanch until the stems running through the leaf fold over rather than snap when bent.  
  • Once blanched, drain right away. Then, place the dandelion greens in an ice bath to stop the cooking process.
  • Once cold, gather a small handful of the greens in our hand. Gently squeeze out any excess water. Once you remove most of the water, transfer the greens to a cutting board. Continue this process until you remove all the water from the greens. 
  • To make this dish easier to eat, cut the greens into bite-sized pieces. 
  • Finally, once you cut the greens, place them in a bowl. You then combine them with all the seasoning ingredients. I recommend doing this by hand. Serve this dish either at room temperature or cold!
Did You Know That the Entire Dandelion Is Edible?

Korean Dandelion Salad Frequently Asked Questions:

Now that we learned some tips & tricks, we want to answer some questions you may have as well! If we do not answer your question, feel free to leave a comment in the section below or email us at [email protected].

Does This Recipe Contain Major Allergens? (Gluten, Soy, Etc.)

Excitingly, this recipe does not contain 6 of the major 8 allergens. It does not contain milk, soy, wheat, (gluten), eggs, tree nuts, or peanuts.

Unfortunately, for those with a fish or crustacean shellfish allergy, this recipe contains Korean anchovy sauce. While anchovies are not shellfish, they carry a similar protein as shellfish that can still cause an allergic reaction. If you have either of these allergies, I recommend avoiding Korean anchovy sauce.

Excitingly, these days, there are some vegan fish sauces as well as other alternatives available on the market. This allows people with fish and shellfish allergies to swap out the anchovy sauce with safe alternatives! 

What if I Do Not Have Korean Anchovy Sauce?

While I list Korean anchovy sauce as an ingredient, it can be difficult to find in a regular western grocery store. Instead, you can replace this ingredient with other fish sauces available at your local grocery. 

Is This Recipe Vegetarian or Vegan?

Unfortunately, because this recipe contains anchovy sauce, this recipe is neither vegetarian nor vegan. But, as I stated above, more and more vegan alternatives for fish sauce are popping up on the market. I recommend replacing this ingredient with an alternative!

How Should I Store the Leftovers?

To store the leftovers, place the Korean dandelion greens side dish in an airtight container. Then, place it into the refrigerator. 

Photographed: Dandelion Green Salad With Korean Spinach Salad, Pork Belly, and Kimchi

How Long Does This Korean Dandelion Greens Side Dish Last?

You should eat this dish within 2-3 days. 

I recommend eating the leftovers as a side dish. Further, you can also mix it into a bowl of rice as bibimbap or add it into a fried rice dish! 

Where Do You Buy the Ingredients?

Shop for these ingredients at your local Asian grocery store. Items such as Korean anchovy sauce, gochugaru, and dandelion greens can be found there. 

When shopping for dandelion greens, please note that this ingredient is seasonal. More often than not, you can only find this ingredient during the spring months. 

Finally, you can buy all the pantry ingredients online as well!

We Hope You Enjoyed Learning About This Korean Dandelion Greens Side Dish!

In the end, we hope you enjoyed learning about this Korean dandelion greens side dish (mindeulle namul muchim)! If so, let us know in the comment section! 

If you would like to read more about cooking, you can find further recipes on our blog. We listed some of our favorite Carving A Journey Korean recipes below! For reference, many recipes are influenced by our blended Korean and Southern heritage.

Korean Ingredient Articles: 

Further Carving A Journey Recipes:

If you have any questions or comments, you can also email us at [email protected].

And, finally, we would love to hear from you through our social media as well! You can follow us at @carvingajourney on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. I also started a vlog Youtube channel! Or, if you would like more articles like these, you can subscribe to our blog by joining our mailing list. Let us know if you try making this dish! Thank you so much for stopping by!

Join Our Mailing List!

Subscribe to our mailing list and receive new recipes in your inbox!



Korean Dandelion Greens Side Dish (Mindeulle Namul Muchim)

4.8 from 4 votes
Recipe by Emily Course: Recipes, Korean, Side DishCuisine: KoreanDifficulty: Easy
Servings

4

servings
Prep time

5

minutes
Cooking time

10

minutes

Ingredients

Directions

  • Before cooking the dandelion greens, wash them to remove any sand, chemicals, and/or dirt. Once washed, remove any dead leaves. Then, slice off the large, thick stems at the end of the leaves. 
  • Bring a pot of water to a boil. Then, add some salt to the pot. Once the water is boiling, add the greens to the pot. Blanch until the stems running through the leaf fold over rather than snap when bent.  
  • Once blanched, drain right away. Place the dandelion greens in an ice bath to stop the cooking process.
  • Then, gather a small handful of the greens in our hand. Gently squeeze out any excess water. Once you remove most of the water, transfer the greens to a cutting board. Continue this process until you remove all the water from the greens. 
  • To make this dish easier to eat, cut the greens into bite-sized pieces. 
  • Serve! You can serve this dish either at room temperature or cold!
  • Finally, once you cut the greens, place them in a bowl and combine them with all the seasoning ingredients. I recommend doing this by hand.

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @carvingajourney on Instagram and hashtag it

Like this recipe?

Follow us @carvingajourney on Pinterest

Did you make this recipe?

Follow Carving A Journey on Facebook

Carving A Journey is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Although we may earn commissions for our endorsement, recommendation, testimonial, and/or link to any products or services from this website, these opinions are my own and I fully support these products. 

You may also like

4 comments

Mary January 16, 2023 - 6:52 pm

Awesome recipe for bitter greens

Reply
Emily January 20, 2023 - 12:34 pm

Hi Mary! Thank you for thinking it is a good recipe! I love this Korean side dish!

Reply
Leanne August 10, 2022 - 7:54 am

Sure to follow this 나물 next time. Look so delicious

Reply
Emily August 14, 2022 - 2:34 pm

It is extremely yummy!!!

Reply

Leave a Comment