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Namul is a general term for a Korean seasoned vegetable dish.
The name of the dish may vary slightly depending on what vegetables are used and
how they are prepared, but they will nonetheless still be a type of namul. |
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Left: Namul
made of sauteed soybean sprouts, bracken fern, spinach, daikon. |
Virtually any type of vegetable, herb, or green can be used, and the dish
include roots, leaves, stems, seeds, sprouts, petals, and fruits. They can be
prepared as a single type of namul, or they can be mixed. The method of
preparation can also vary; they may be served fresh (raw), or boiled, fried,
sauteed, fermented, dried, or steamed.
Seasonings can also vary. Namul can be
seasoned with salt, vinegar, sesame oil, and even gochujang (Korean red pepper
paste).
Namul are typically served as
banchan (a side dish accompanying the main
course). It is possible to have more than one type of namul served as a banchan
at a single meal.
A few examples of namul include chwinamul (wild leafy plants), hobaknamul (made
from hobak, a Korean squash with green skin and orange flesh), shigeumchi
(spinach), and kongnamul (soybean sprouts).
