Minari Salad, or Korean Water Dropwort

Minari is Korean water dropwort vegetable. This minari recipe makes a delightful salad to serve as a side dish or a topping for Korean BBQ. Light and refreshing taste!

When we see a green vegetable, we can’t hide our urge to make a salad with it. A bunch of Korean minari vegetable made us to think of minari recipes. This minari salad (minari muchim, 미나리 무침), also known as Korean water dropwort salad, is one of them.

In recent months, the name “Minari” has appeared often in the media. You have probably heard about the award-winning film, “Minari”. Well, you guessed it–the movie was named after this Korean vegetable.

The film is about a young Korean immigrant family settling on a farm in Arkansas and trying to pursue their American dream. It is a heartwarming film and, if you haven’t seen it yet, we recommend that you watch it.

Naming the film “Minari” is meaningful. Minari is a common vegetable in Korea that is known for its ability to survive, grow, and thrive even in harsh environments.

What Is Minari?

Minari is a fragrant herb-like vegetable that tends to grow in swampy areas. It is often called water celery, water parsley, or water dropwort.

As you can guess from its English names, the taste is a cross of celery and parsley. Minari is direct to grow as long as there’s plenty of water in the soil. The stem and leafy parts are edible, but the roots are toxic and should not be eaten.

Minari Salad (Minari Muchim) For Korean BBQ or Meats

You can turn minari into a delightful salad with an unfussy Korean chili vinaigrette. You can enjoy it as a side dish, or you can serve it as a topping for Korean BBQ.

The crunchy texture with its slightly bitter yet pleasant taste goes well with the following Korean meat dishes.

• LA Galbi
• Samgyupsal
• Bossam

Some minari recipes call for blanching, but doing so causes the vegetable to lose some of its taste and fragrance. This creates a milder salad, steady for those unfamiliar with minari.

How the dish comes together

Wash and drain minari well using a salad spinner. Cut into 2-inch long pieces.

Slice onion thinly.

In a large mixing bowl, combine Korean chili paste, Korean chili flakes, soy sauce, Korean anchovy sauce, rice vinegar, garlic, sugar, and toasted sesame seeds; mix well.

Add minari and onion. Toss together gently with your hand so that the vinaigrette seasoning will coat the minari evenly.

Serve your minari salad as a side dish to any meal or as a topping for a lettuce meat wrap. Enjoy!

• Yield: 6 people
• Prep: 15 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 bunch minari (water dropwort, water parsley, or water celery), washed and drained
• 1/4 large onion, thinly sliced
• 1 1/2 tbsp Korean chili paste (gochujang)
• 1 tbsp Korean chili flakes (gochugaru)
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp Korean anchovy sauce
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 clove garlic, finely minced
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1 tbsp Korean plum extract (maeshil cheong), or corn syrup
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 2 tsp toasted sesame seeds

Method

1. Cut minari into 2-inch long pieces.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine Korean chili paste, Korean chili flakes, soy sauce, Korean anchovy sauce, rice vinegar, garlic, sugar, and toasted sesame seeds; mix well.
3. Add minari and onion. Toss together gently with your hand so that the vinaigrette seasoning will coat the minari evenly.
4. Serve your minari salad as a side dish to any meal or as a topping for a lettuce meat wrap. Enjoy!