Sauteed Doraji (Bellflower roots)

Sauteed Doraji (Bellflower roots) - Learn how to make this traditional and classic Korean side dish! The unique and crunchy texture will have you coming back for more! This recipe is easy and vegan-friendly!

Doraji (bellflower roots) is a very familiar ingredient to Korean and not so familiar to most Americans. Koreans prepare this dish during major holidays (like lunar New Year and Korean Thanksgiving) and Jesa 제사 (ancestral ceremony). This classic side dish is popular in Korea due to its unique crunch texture with a slight bitterness.

What is Doraji 도라지?

Doraji 도라지 is the root of bellflower/balloon flower and it is native to East Asia. It is very bitter in taste and it involves soaking and rinsing multiple times to get rid of the bitterness when preparing the dish.

There are two main ways to prepare:

1. Spicy and tangy salad using gochujang (Korean fermented red pepper paste) and gochugaru (Korean red pepper flakes)
2. Non-spicy, sauteed way. It's called doraji namul (도라지 나물) and this recipe is how to make it non-spicy way!

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What does it taste like?

If you had bibimbap (Korean mixed vegetable rice bowl), you might have had it. It is one of the traditional ingredients in bibimbap. It tastes very bitter so trying to take the bitterness out of it is a big part of preparation. In terms of texture, it is crunchy and fibrous.

Where can I buy it?

There are several forms that you can buy - fresh, hydrated, and dehydrated form. It is very difficult to find fresh doraji in America. However, when you go to the Korean grocery store, you can find the hydrated form in the refrigerated section and dehydrated form among other dried goods at the store.

If you are interested in making this dish and don't have access to a Korean grocery store, you can purchase them online.

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How is my recipe different?

There are 3 things that I do that sets my recipe apart from other recipes.

1. Instead of using Korean coarse salt directly to massage doraji, I soak them in salted water.
2. I use the soaking method instead of a blenching method to get rid of bitterness.
3. I season with Yondu (Korean plant-based seasoning sauce) instead of salt and soy sauce.

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Helpful tips to make Sauteed Doraji

• Use Korean coarse sea salt instead of table salt. It is the sea salt that you would use to make Kimchi. If you don't have Korean coarse sea salt, you can use Kosher salt. If you were to use table salt, you have to cut down the amount to half.
• After soaking, massage them vigorously at least three times. This process gets rid of the bitterness and is an absolutely necessary step.
• If doraji looks dry when sauteeing, you can add a small amount of water (one tablespoon at a time).
• If you don't have Yondu, you can substitute them with soy sauce, water, and sugar (1 tablespoon of Yondu = 1 teaspoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon water, and a pinch of sugar). Yondu adds great umami taste to the dish and I highly recommend it. The substitution will work but it won't have the depth of flavor that Yondu can provide.

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