Korean-style Dandelion Salad

It’s hard not to notice the amount of yellow dandelions out there right now. Dandelions are more than a colourful addition to the yard, they are also great botanical herb and make a delicious salad.

Recently, we spent some time weeding, and instead of throwing away or composting the weeds, we were able to use the leaves for this salad. We love that this salad is environmentally friendly and that it had a delicious taste.

We hope you try and enjoy this salad.

Ingredients

  • Leaves of 4-5 large (8-10 small) dandelions washed and rinsed
  • 1 cup of chives (or green onions) thinly sliced
  • 4 cloves of garlic minced
  • 1-2 tbsps toasted sesame seeds (crushed or whole)
  • 3 tbsps soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp sesame oil
  • 2 tsps cane sugar
  • 1-2 tsps Korean red pepper powder (Gochugaru) – depending on how hot you like it
  • 2 tbsps apple cider vinegar

Instructions

  1. Wash and rinse the leaves thoroughly.
  2. Blanche 1-2 minutes and soak in cold water for 3-4 hours, the longer you soak, the less bitter it becomes.
  3. Wring out excess water in hands until most of the water is gone.
  4. Finely Chop.
  5. To make the dressing, mix together the soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, Korean pepper powder and vinegar.
  6. In a large bowl, toss the greens, garlic and sesame seeds with dressing right before serving.