Spicy whelk salad

Spicy whelk (or sea snail) salad is a famous chilli hot salad that accompanies drinks, namely soju or beer. Spicy but moreish, it is a delicious shared appetiser that is part of Korean anju, which means pub or bar food.

• serves

  6

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  10 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 200 g dried somen noodles* (optional)
• 425 g can golbaengi* (sea snails/whelk)
• 1 Lebansese cucumber, julienned
• 1 small onion, thinly sliced
• 1 carrot, julienned
• 3-4 kaettnip* (wild sesame leaves), sliced, plus extra for noodles (optional)

Sauce

• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 green onions, sliced
• 1-2 tbsp kochujang (see Note) (Korean chilli paste)
• 1 tbsp kochugaru (see Note) (Korean chilli powder)
• 2 tsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp raw sugar
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 1-1½ tbsp brown rice vinegar
• 1 tsp sesame seeds

The following recipe has been tested and edited by SBS Food and may differ slightly from the podcast.

Instructions

Bring water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add somen noodles and cook according to packet instructions, usually about 3-4 minutes. Drain noodles and place under cold running water until completely cooled. Drain well and divide somen into individual portions.

Drain the liquid from the whelk and rinse under running cold water carefully. Drain until all the excess liquid is removed. Cut into bite-sized pieces, and place in a mixing bowl with the rest of the salad.

Combine the sauce ingredients except for the sesame seeds into a small bowl. Pour the sauce into the bowl containing the whelk and salad ingredients and mix well. Place whelk salad onto a platter and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Arrange small mounds of cooked somen on sesame leaves around the platter.

Note

• Somen noodles, canned whelks, wild sesame leaves, kochujang and kochugaru are available from Korean food stores.

Photography by Alan Benson. Styling by Michelle Noerianto. Food preparation by Nick Banbury and Cynthia Black.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.