Pa Muchim Recipe (Korean Green Onion Salad)

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Have you ever eaten at a Korean barbecue restaurant? When you eat Korean barbecue, they often serve different types of banchan along with the grilled meat. In Korea, banchan refers to a plethora of side dishes served with the main dish of the meal. Often, these restaurants pair the side dishes with the main dish they they are serving. Pa muchim is an incredibly popular side dish served at barbecue joints. Many people believe it pairs perfectly with grilled meat and lettuce wraps. 

So, let’s learn about this popular Korean barbecue side dish! What is pa muchim and how do you make it?

What Is Pa Muchim? 

Pa Muchim is a popular South Korean side dish made with green onions and a spicy soy-based sauce. Often, you will see this Korean green onion salad as a side dish when eating grilled meat dishes and barbecue such as samgyeopsal (grilled pork belly). 

In the Korean language, green onions are called ‘pa’ (파). Then, when you slice green onions thinly, they are called ‘pachae’ (파채). In South Korea, you may hear this seasoned green onion salad be called a few different names. They often call this side dish ‘pachae muchim’ (파채무침), ‘pa muchim’ (파무침), and/or ‘pajeori’ (파절이). 

Now that we know what pa muchim is, let’s learn how to make it. Below are some cooking tips and tricks for making this Korean green onion salad! 

Korean Green Onion Salad Tips and Tricks:

Below, we list some tips and tricks for making this pa muchim recipe. If you make this at home and have further tips, let us know in the comment section below! 

• Buying Pre-Cut Green Onions: In many Asian grocery stores, such as H-Mart, you can buy pre-cut green onions. I recommend buying these because it saves you a lot of time.
• If you cannot buy pre-cut green onions, you can buy a green onion cutting tool online! Though the tool exists, I prefer slicing the green onions with a knife. You can easily slice the green onions into long, thin strips. I sliced my own and it took me 10 minutes.
• Once you slice your green onions, place them into an ice bath. This keeps your green onions from wilting while you prepare your sauce and any other dishes you are cooking! 
• Traditionally, you make this pa muchim with white vinegar (one of the sauce ingredients). I prefer making it with apple cider vinegar. It gives it a crisp and slightly fruity flavor. If you prefer, you can substitute my recipe with white vinegar. 
• You can easily make this recipe allergen-free. When making the sauce, look below in the frequently asked questions for soy sauce substitutions. 
• Pour the sauce on the green onions 3 to 5 minutes before serving. This way, the green onions do not start wilting.
• Enjoy the Korean green onion salad with grilled meat dishes such as Korean barbecue samgyeopsal, bulgogi, or galbi! 

Pa Muchim Frequently Asked Questions:

Below, we listed some questions you may have about this pa muchim recipe. If we do not answer your question below, feel free to leave a comment or email us at [email protected]!

Is Pa Muchim Allergen-Free? (Gluten-Free, Soy-Free, Etc.)

For those with celiac disease, gluten intolerance, or a soy allergy, I do not recommend eating the pa muchim (green onion salad side dish) served in Korean barbecue restaurants. Often, these salads contain soy sauce or other ingredients that contain soy or gluten. As a result, they are not free of major allergens. 

But, if you make this recipe at home, you can easily make it allergen-free!

• Gluten-Free: To make this recipe gluten-free you need to replace the soy sauce with either gluten-free tamari or coconut aminos. The coconut aminos will make the recipe gluten-free and soy-free.
• Soy-Free: To make this recipe completely soy-free, replace the soy sauce with coconut aminos. Coconut aminos is naturally gluten-free and soy-free. 

If you need recommendations for gluten-free and soy-free alternatives, check out our blog article about ‘gluten-free soy sauce brands.’ There, we list many options! Or, you can follow the links below to our recommended brands on Amazon. 

Can I Make Pa Muchim in Advance? 

I do not recommend making pa muchim in advance. Once mixed with the sauce, the green onions immediately start to wilt. As a result, the dish will not have the crunchy green onion texture and it will look less appealing.

Instead, first, prepare the shredding green onions. Then, prepare the sauce separately. Finally, three to five minutes before serving, mix the sauce with the green onions. That way, you save the dish from wilting before being served! 

How Should I Store the Leftover Korean Green Onion Salad?

Pa muchim tastes best when served right away. Like we stated above, the longer the green onions sit in the sauce, the mushier they get. Soon, within 30 minutes, the green onions will be wilted in the dish. As a result, I recommend making only as much as you will eat in one sitting. 

But, if you have leftovers, store your pa muchim in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Eat the leftovers within one or two days. Just remember, the green onion salad will not taste as good after being refrigerated. 

We Hope You Enjoy This Korean Green Onion Salad Recipe!

In the end, we hope you enjoy making this Korean green onion salad recipe. If so, let us know in the comment section below. Also, we would love to hear about your favorite Korean side dish recipes as well!

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

Carving A Journey Food and Drink Recipes:

• Tteokkochi Recipe (Korean Rice Cake Skewers)
• Bibimmyeon (Spicy Korean Cold Noodles) 
• Soju Caipirinha (A Korean Take on Brazil’s National Drink)
• Andong Jjimdak (Korean Braised Chicken) 
• Korean Strawberry Milk Recipe
• Brown Sugar Iced Latte (Korean Burnt Sugar Latte); And
• Korean Banana Flavored Milk

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, Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest. Or, if you would like more articles like these, you can subscribe to our blog by joining our mailing list. We hope you enjoy this pa muchim recipe! Thank you so much for stopping by!

Pa Muchim Recipe (Korean Green Onion Salad)

Recipe by Emily

5.0 from 1 vote

Course: Recipes, Side DishesCuisine: KoreanDifficulty: Easy

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

5

minutes

Cooking time

15

minutes

Ingredients

• 2 Medium Bunches of Green Onions

• 2 TBSP Soy Sauce*

• 1 TBSP Sesame Oil

• 2 TSP Sesame Seeds

• 2 TSP Garlic, Minced

• 1 TBSP Brown Sugar

• 1 TBSP Gochugaru (Korean Pepper Powder)

• 2 TSP Apple Cider Vinegar

Directions

• Prepare your green onions by either slicing with a knife or with a green onion slicing tool. To cut the green onions, you slice the green onions lengthwise into thin strips. Or, if you do not want to slice the green onions, you can buy pre-sliced green onions at your local Asian grocery store.
• Place your thin green onion strips into a bowl filled with ice and cold water. Let the green onions sit in the ice bath for 10 minutes while you prepare the sauce.
• Combine the soy sauce, sesame oil, sesame seeds, minced garlic, brown sugar, gochugaru, and apple cider vinegar in a bowl. Stir until the sugar dissolves into the mixture.
• 3-5 Minutes before serving, combine the sauce with the green onions. Serve immediately for best flavor results.

Notes

• * Gluten-Free and Soy-Free soy sauce alternatives are in the frequently asked questions portion of the blog post!

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