Morovcha (Russian-Korean Carrot Salad)
This Morkovcha (Russian-Korean Carrot Salad) prep is a hybrid of best practices from the wide variety of home cook recipes I’ve run across. It has a complex, distinctive flavor profile that holds its own on a plate with several other sides. The dish has an interesting pedigree: it originated in Siberia with Korean transplants, but then these immigrants were relocated by Stalin to central Asia, many thousands of miles away. In its current version it makes a frequent appearance on Russian tables and has very little to do with Korea other than the name. Serves 4-8 as a side dish.
Ingredients:
1 lb carrots, peeled and cut into matchsticks*
1 T salt
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/8 t (a pinch) cayenne
2 T coriander seeds, crushed, or 1 T ground coriander
3 T rice wine vinegar or white vinegar
1/4 c neutral cooking oil (not olive oil or sesame oil)
1 small onion, peeled and sliced into half-moons (about 3/4 c)
Salt to taste (possibly 1/2 t)
Honey to taste (possibly 1 T)
Method: dissolve salt in 2 c water and add carrots; soak for 4 hours or more. Drain and press out excess water. Mix carrots with vinegar, cayenne and garlic. Heat oil to a low simmer and add onion and cook a few minutes until translucent; add coriander for 30 seconds at the end to intensify the flavor. Immediately pour the hot oil/onion mixture over carrots and mix well. Refrigerate at least 4 hours and taste for seasoning; add salt and honey as needed.
Options: rub the carrots with the salt and let them sit until a good amount of liquid is produced, then wash and drain; this will produce a less crisp, more pickle-y carrot. Sauté the garlic with the onions, rather than adding raw. (Actually I did this because my garlic was particularly pungent.) If you want a more Asian flavor profile add 1 t soy sauce and 1 T toasted sesame seeds.
