Sangchu-namul (상추나물) | Korean Blanched Romaine Lettuce Banchan
This traditional Korean side dish transforms crisp romaine lettuce into a light and flavorful namul by briefly blanching the leaves and tossing them in a savory doenjang-based dressing. Sangchu-namul is a common dish in both home kitchens and Buddhist temple cuisine, celebrated for its simplicity, seasonality, and zero-waste spirit. The result is a refreshing, crunchy banchan perfect alongside a bowl of rice and your favorite main dish. Naturally vegan-adaptable and ready in minutes!
Servings: 2 servings as a side dish
Ingredients
- 400 g Romaine lettuce (1 lb) 2 heads of mini-romaine
- 1 tablespoon Doenjang (Korean fermented soybean paste)
- 1 tablespoon Maesil-cheong (Korean green plum syrup)
- ½ tablespoon Myeolchi-aekjeot (fish sauce) sub with Guk-ganjang (light soy sauce) for vegan ver.
- 1 tablespoon Sesame oil
- ½ tablespoon Gochugaru
- 1 teaspoon Toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
Making the dressing
- In a salad bowl, add Doenjang, Maesil-cheong, sesame oil, fish sauce, gochugaru, sesame seeds and stir well.
Prep lettuce
- Cut romaine lettuce into bite size pieces and thinly slice the stem ends.
- Rinse it well and keep the stem ends separated.
Blanch lettuce
- In a pot, boil water over high heat. Once boiling, add a pinch of salt.
- Start by blanching the stem ends for around 1 minute.
- Add the rest of romaine and cook for another minute. Stir to cook evenly.
- Drain and shock in cold water. Squeeze out the excess water with hands.
Combine with dressing
- Mix thoroughly with your hands (of course, you can use chopstick, spoon, fork, whatever you're comfortable with!)
