Korean Side Dish : Seasoned Spinach (Sigeumchi Namul/시금치 나물)/[bluekimchi]

One of my favourite vegetables is the spinach, especially the large spinach, which are sweeter and crunchier than the baby spinach once they're cooked Boiling or poaching vegetables are very common methods to prepare side dishes in Korea It helps to get rid of germs or dirt, bring out their subtle flavour, and break the fibres down to aid digestion But the key is in the timing; if overcooked in the poaching process, the vegetable will turn watery and bland Each vegetables have different timing, and the spinach needs only 20 seconds or less to poach Dunk in boiling water, take out almost immediately, and then it's done Usually, poached spinach would be transferred into cold or iced water to stop them from continuing to cook, but I just let it cool gradually in this recipe, as I believe the end result is more flavoursome There are a few variations in spinach side dishes in Korean cuisine, depending on the seasoning In this video, I'd like to use a classic staple, the Korean soybean paste (된장) It's similar to the Japanese miso, but the Korean soybean paste has a deeper flavour and is a little bit saltier It's a product made from fermented soybean blocks, hence it is packed full of good bacteria, and so it’s quite beneficial to use as a raw ingredient Usually, 200g cooked spinach will last 1-2 days in the fridge