Korean Green Onion Salad (Pa Muchim) is a simple yet flavorful side dish that features fresh thinly sliced green onions as the star ingredient. This salad is a staple in Korean households and is often paired with Korean grilled meat and rice. It is common to serve as a banchan (side dish) alongside various Korean meals.
I am in love with Korean Food! I was invited last week to have lunch with Korean friends and the menu is Korean barbeque including samgyupsal which is a non-marinated grilled pork belly. They also serve a few Korean side dishes including this delicious Korean Green Onion Salad (Pa Muchim). So, I am sharing this recipe with you from them.
Some Koreans call it Pajeori 파절이, others call it Pamuchim 파무침. Either way, it is always present on the menu for Korean BBQ and it is tasty.
One common approach is to coat the green onion with sesame oil, gochugaru, and sesame seeds. This is a suitable choice when you intend to serve them alongside ssamjang for making ssam (lettuce wraps). Since it doesn't include salt, it wont wilt and stay fresh a little longer, making it the preferred version in many restaurant settings.
Jump to:
Instructions
This is my go-to if I want to make a straightforward banchan salad that goes well with heavy-meat Korean dishes.
Step 1. Prepare the Green Onions: Start by washing the green onions thoroughly and trim any wilted or discolored leaves. Then, slice both the white and green parts into thin strips, roughly 2-3 inches in length. They should look like onion curls when sliced thinly.
Step 2. Ice Bath: Soak them in an ice bath for 10-15 minutes. This prevents the sliced scallion from wilting and gives it a nice crunchy texture. It also removes a bit of pungent and slimy substance. Drain the water.
Step 3. Create the Dressing: In a small mixing bowl, combine red pepper flakes (gochugaru), soy sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar, minced garlic, sesame oil, and sesame seeds. Stir to combine and adjust the taste according to your preference. Aim for the balance of salty, sweet, and tangy flavors. We love to call this spicy soy-based sauce.
Step 4. Toss and Mix: Add the sliced green onions to the bowl with the dressing and toss until the onions are evenly coated.
Pro Tip: Combine the Korean salad dressing with the green onions right before serving. They tend to lose their crispness quickly, usually within 5 minutes. However, despite the quick wilting, the salad retains its delicious flavors. I believe you'll savor this recipe and it's sure to enhance your next Korean BBQ experience.
Make-ahead and Storage Tips
If you plan to make this ahead of time, simply slice the spring green onions thinly and store them in a container. Make your sauce by combining all the ingredients and transferring it to a separate container. When ready, soak the green onions in an ice bath for 10-15 minutes. This gives a fresh and nice crunchy texture, then drain the water. Toss and mix everything together just before you are ready to eat.
Top Tip
- If you love making this Korean salad all the time, investing in a cuttler green onion shredder is convenient otherwise a knife and cutting board will do the job.
- To keep your bunch of green onions fresh in the refrigerator, put them in a glass of water and cover them with a plastic bag.
- If you have a lot of green onions, try to make my delicious green onion pancake and green onion kimchi that will last a few weeks in the refrigerator.
Why I Think You Will Love This Dish
- The seasoned scallion side dish is quick and delicious to eat with any Korean traditional dish, especially BBQ and greasy meat. It also makes a great addition to bibimbap, rice and noodle bowls, soups, Korean tacos, sandwiches, and wraps.
- If love Korean food, check out more Korean Recipes such as Easy Kimchi Recipe and Japchae Recipe.
Questions and Answers
The scallion or green onion provides a crisp, refreshing crunch. The soy sauce adds a savory, salty, and slightly briny quality to the salad. Then the toasted sesame oil and sesame seeds add a nutty depth to the dish that enhances the aroma of minced garlic. You will also taste the sweetness from sugar and a touch of tang from rice vinegar creating a subtle but pleasant sweet-and-sour contrast, just enough to balance the other flavors.
In Korean language, green onions are referred to as "pa" (파). Then these green onions are thinly sliced, they are known as "pachae" (파채). This seasoned green onion salad goes by several names, including "pachae muchim" (파채무침), "pa muchim" (파무침) and "pageori" (파절이).
More Easy Korean Side Dishes
Latest Recipes
Korean Green Onion Salad (Pa Muchim)
Ingredients
- 1 bunch green onions
- 1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 2 teaspoon sesame seeds
- 1 teaspoon garlic minced
Instructions
- Wash the green onions thoroughly and trim any wilted or discolored leaves. Then, slice both the white and green parts into thin strips, roughly 2-3 inches in length. They should look like onion curls when sliced thinly.
- Soak them in an ice bath for 10-15 minutes. This prevents the sliced scallion from wilting and gives it a nice crunchy texture. It also removes a bit of pungent and slimy substance. Drain the water.
- In a small mixing bowl, combine red pepper flakes, soy sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar, minced garlic, sesame oil, and sesame seeds. Stir to combine and adjust the taste according to your preference. Aim for the balance of salty, sweet, and tangy flavors.
- Add the sliced green onions to the bowl with the dressing and toss until the onions are evenly coated.
Deepti Singhal
I love having versatile salads and landed on this amazing green onion salad. Can't wait to try this soon. Thank you for sharing!
Jomelyn
Thank you Deepti.
L Smith
This looks so flavorful and yet seems easy to make. It will be perfect even with plain rice. Thank you for this great recipe!
Jomelyn
Thank you Lanie for nice comment! Yes, rice is perfect for this recipe.
Tressa
I included this green onion salad in our banchan for dinner last night. Delicious!!
Jomelyn
Thank you. I am glad to hear you made my recipe and enjoyed it!