This seasoned spinach is one of the most common side dishes found in Korean households, and it is super healthy! It is 100% vegan, seasoned with soy sauce, sesame oil, and fermented soybean paste.
Every household makes their siguemchi namul a little different. My recipe has all the of the traditional ingredients, but I like to add a tiny bit of sugar and some fermented soy bean paste for extra umami. I can eat this dish all by itself, it is so delicious!
This recipe can also be used to prepare spinach for bibimbap, kimbap, and japchae. There usually aren’t any leftovers, but if there are, these are the dishes I tend to repurpose the spinach for.
Siguemchi namul is SUPER easy to prepare, requiring less than 30 seconds of cooking. That’s right, all you have to do is blanch the spinach in boiling water for 20 seconds! Everything else is prep work that shouldn’t take you longer than 5 minutes.
Tips to make this recipe in 5 minutes or less:
Boil your water first. It will take a few minutes to start boiling, and during this time you can measure out the seasoning ingredients and prepare the garlic and green onion.
Prepare an ice bath during this time as well. You want to have it ready and immediately shock the spinach after blanching.
Seasoned Spinach Side Dish - 시금치나물 (Siguemchi Namul)
Ingredients
- 10 oz spinach
- 1 green onion chopped
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 1 tsp crushed sesame seeds
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp dwenjang (fermented soybean paste)
Instructions
- Bring a pot of water to a boil (enough water to cover the spinach)
- Wash your spinach thoroughly
- Prepare an ice bath and set it aside
- Blanch the spinach for about 20 seconds until it becomes wilted, then shock it in the ice bath to stop it from cooking
- Gently squeeze out the water and form a ball
- Cut in half and pull the spinach apart, then add the remaining ingredients and mix gently
