감말랭이무침 – Spicy Dried Persimmon and Cucumber Salad: Recipe

The buddhist nun and star chef Jeong Kwan visited us early 2019 for a temple style dinner – consisting of more than 20 individual dishes. Among the favourite dishes of the night ranked the shiitake mushrooms (you can find a video recipe of the dish here) and the spicy dried persimmon and cucumber salad.

We asked Jeong Kwan for the recipe – so if you can get hold of the ingredients you are in for a treat!

Ingredients

400 g dried persimmon

1 cucumber

1 tbsp omija (also known as magnolia berry) syrup

5 tbsp vinegar

3 tbsp gochujang (Korean chili paste)

1 tbsp blackberry syrup

1 tbsp toasted white sesame seeds, crushed in a mortar

Pinch of black sesame seeds

Salt

Preparations:

Rinse the cucumber and remove the seeds, then cut it into segments of 0.5 x 2 cm.
Marinate the cucumbers with a pinch of salt, 2 tbsp of vinegar and 1 tbsp of omija syrup and put aside to rest.

Cut the dried persimmon into bite-sized pieces. If the persimmon feels too soft let it dry in the oven to the right consistency. 
Proceed with the persimmon in the same way as the cucumber: mix it with a pinch of salt, 2 tbsp of vinegar and 1 tbsp of omija syrup.

Dressing:

Mix 3 tbsp of gochujang, 1 tbsp blackberry syrup, 1 tbsp vinegar, and 1 tbsp toasted white sesame seeds.
 

Assemble and serve:

Squeeze the cucumber segments slightly to get rid of excess liquid. Transfer them together with the persimmon in a mixing bowl and the dressing to generously coat everything. Mix evenly and transfer to a serving dish. Sprinkle black sesame seeds over the top.