Musaengchae.

A recipe from Yoon Ju mo - Culinary Class Wars Season 2 chef. The exact measurement depends largely on the radish and your taste preference.

Pick firm radish. One whole radish from Migros is about right (≈300g).

Ingredients

The base

• 1 Korean radish from Migros (≈300g)
• 2 tbsp coarse salt (for wilting)

The color

• 2 tbsp gochugaru (Korean red pepper flakes — adjust to spice tolerance)

The 3 pairs — season to taste

• 2 fish: 1 tsp saeujeot (Korean salted shrimp) + 1 tbsp myeolchi-aekjeot (Korean anchovy fish sauce), optional
• 2 aromatic: 1 tbsp minced garlic + ½ tsp minced ginger
• 2 sweet: 1 tsp sugar + 1 tbsp maesil-cheong (Korean plum syrup or other sweetener)

Finishing

• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
• 2 stalks spring onion (Korean green onion) — green parts only, finely chopped
• Extra gochugaru for color, optional

Method

1. Peel the radish. Cut into thin matchsticks vertically.
2. Salt and wait. Toss radish with 2 tbsp salt in a bowl. Let it sit 15 minutes. The radish will weep — that's the point.
3. Drain — don't rinse. Squeeze gently with your hands to release the salty liquid. Skip the rinse; the residual salt is part of the seasoning.
4. Color first. Toss with 2 tbsp gochugaru until every strand is coated red. This is the base layer.
5. Add the 3 pairs. Saeujeot + anchovy sauce. Garlic + ginger. Sugar + maesil. Then vinegar, sesame, chopped spring onions.
6. Mix with your hands. Gently — you want to coat, not crush. Taste. Adjust salt, sweet, sour until it’s just right.
7. Optional color pass. If it looks pale, dust in more gochugaru and toss once more.
8. Rest 10 minutes before serving. The flavors marry. Better the next day.

Tip · sonmat means taste-as-you-go

Yoon Ju-mo's video has no measurements for the seasonings — only "a pinch of this, some of that." The pairs above are starting points. After mixing, taste it. Adjust. That's the whole skill of banchan.

Tip · better the next day

Musaengchae improves in the fridge. The radish keeps releasing water and absorbing the seasoning back. Make it the night before; eat it for three days.