Korean Spicy Lettuce Salad, the Easiest Way to Be Green

This Korean Spicy Lettuce Salad aka Sangchu Geot-juri 상추 겉절이, is a simple green salad that features all the crisp of lettuce, crunch of apples, and most importantly, the extreme flavor of a salty, spicy, tangy dressing. It is the perfect side dish when you want something clean and refreshing on the table to balance Korean BBQ or hearty main dishes. Shall we?

Explore More

• What is Korean Spicy Lettuce Salad, aka "Sang-chu Geot-juri?"
• Ingredients Need for Korean Spicy Lettuce Salad
• Health Benefits and Dietary Considerations
• Ingredient Resources and Substitutions
• Tools and Equipment
• Best Spicy Korean Side Dishes aka Banchan
• Variations and Modifications
• Korean Spicy Green Salad Recipe

"Geot-juri" most often refers to a type of fresh kimchi made with Napa cabbage and kimchi seasonings. Because it's served right away instead of letting it ferment, Geot-juri is less like kimchi and more like a fresh salad.

This Sang-chu Geot-juri leans into the salad identity and uses "sang-chu," lettuce like green leaf lettuce or Romaine as the base. My version also includes Asian pear or apple and red onions, tossed with a supremely saucy flavorful dressing that's salty soy sauce, tart vinegar, and most importantly spicy gochugaru.

If you've gone out to a restaurant for Korean BBQ, you've probably had this Korean Spicy Lettuce Salad somewhere on the table. It is often served alongside Korean BBQ meats as a spicy, salty, and fresh flavor balance.

Ingredients Need for Korean Spicy Lettuce Salad

Salad ingredients:

• Romaine or green leaf lettuce, 1 head finely shredded
• apple or Asian pear, 1 julienned
• red onion, ¼ sliced lengthwise and soaked in ice cold water for 10 minutes

Spicy Dressing ingredients:

• garlic, 2 cloves finely minced
• soy sauce or tamari, 2 tablespoons 
• apple cider vinegar, 2 tablespoons 
• gochugaru, 1 tablespoon 
• maple syrup, 1 tablespoon 
• sesame oil, 1 tablespoon 
• sesame seeds, 1 tablespoon plus more to sprinkle on top

The best part about this salad is the flexibility! Use the list above as a template and make substitutions as you and the seasons see fit.

Health Benefits and Dietary Considerations

This Korean Spicy Lettuce Salad is:

• vegetarian
• vegan/100% plant-based
• gluten-free if you use tamari or gluten-free soy sauce
• refined sugar-free

Ingredient Resources and Substitutions

Lettuce. Use any leafy green lettuce that's sturdy and has a good crunch like green leaf lettuce or Romaine. If you're having Korean BBQ with ssam, you probably already have green leaf lettuce for wrapping. Little Gems, which look like baby Romaine lettuces, also work. I would avoid using a Spring mix or greens that are too tender, since the point of the salad is the refreshing crunch.

Whichever lettuce you use, just make sure to cut into fine shreds, which will make it easier to pick up with chopsticks!

Apples or Asian Pear. Use Asian pears if you can find them/when they are in season in the fall. For apples, I like Honeycrisps or Cosmic Crisp, which are crisp and tart. Fuji apples are widely available and sweeter. However, use whatever apple tastes good to you.

Red Onions should be sliced paper-thin length-wise, through the root end. Soak the onions in ice water for 10 minutes. This takes that onion-y sting out of them. You can also use yellow, white, or even green onions.

Dressing Ingredients Resources and Substitutions

Soy sauce: I use tamari, Japanese-style soy sauce brewed without the use of wheat so it is gluten-free. The two are essentially interchangeable, though tamari has a slightly high-toned tartness to it. I use this brand, which is organic.

Apple Cider Vinegar. Use whatever brand of apple cider vinegar "ACV" works for you. This is the well-known apple cider vineger brand that's available everywhere. This store brand tastes great and is generally slightly more affordable. You can use rice vinegar as a substitute.

Gochugaru: Gochugaru is a bright red chili powder made from a specific variety of Korean chili pepper. Its heat level ranges, but is generally considered medium spicy. Look for a coarse grind, or flakes, not a fine powder. You can find gochugaru in Korean and other Asian grocery stores. I have also seen some new-ish spice companies like this and this at Whole Foods. This organic brand and the one in the photo above, purchased at HMart, are currently what I have in my pantry.

Maple Syrup. I use an organic maple syrup. You can substitute with honey, though the dressing will no longer be vegan or other sweetener of choice.

Sesame Oil. Use toasted, not regular, sesame oil. Toasted sesame oil is dark brown and is used as a finishing oil, not as a cooking oil. This is the Japanese brand I love. You can usually find organic like this one in natural and higher end grocery stores.

Sesame Seeds. Make sure the seeds are toasted. If they are not toasted, toss them in a hot, dry skillet over medium heat for about 90 seconds or until they are fragrant.

Onions, garlic, and all other fresh herbs and produce from either the Santa Monica Farmers' Market on Wednesday, or Whole Foods Market.

Tools and Equipment

You don't technically need any special equipment to make this Korean Spicy Lettuce Salad. You can simply use a large knife and cutting board to chop all vegetables. However, that doesn't mean there are a couple of gadgets and tools that might make this salad even easier to throw together than it already is.

• Salad spinner has saved my sanity because wet, soggy greens are the worst
• Chef's knife. This is a 7-inch santoku with Damascus steel, my daily workhorse
• Cutting board extra large and sturdy so you have enough surface area for all the greens, and doesn't move around on the countertop
• Japanese-style mandoline - to make lightning fast work of slicing the firmer vegetables. When you start eating a LOT of vegetables, this will be a lifesaver.

For the Spicy Dressing, these tools are also helpful

• Garlic press
• Garlic grater, if you prefer, which also works for ginger!
• Measuring spoons, one side is narrow, which can reach into smaller jars or spices and sauces
• 2-ounce (4 tablespoons) liquid measuring cup
• Mini whisk
• Wide-mouth mason jars and air-tight screw-on lids

Best Spicy Korean Side Dishes aka Banchan

If, by some absolutely bizarre chance you get sick of eating this Korean Spicy Green Salad, try one of these salads that also feature super seasonal fall shit. (But tbh I don't think you'll ever not want this salad.)

• Spicy Green Onion Salad, Pa Muchim
• Korean Carrot Salad
• Spicy Korean Radish Salad, Mu Saeng-chae
• Apple Kimchi

Variations and Modifications

• Add 2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast to make it a hearty main dish salad
• Add cooked quinoa to give the salad a plant-based protein boost!

Food for Afterthoughts

I've been thinking of the idea of "settling" lately.

It started before my friend sent me an article from Atlantic Monthly titled ever so subtly "Marry Him!" But it's picked up steam as I near 35, an age that seemed so distant a little while ago but approaches with unrelenting speed these days.

The actual age doesn't bother me so much. It's the freight it carries -- expectations that seem to grow heavier the longer you cart them around. I tell myself that I don't abide by anyone else's timetable, and yet I find my own is almost as unforgiving as the next. Why don't I have this yet, why am I still doing that? Where's the wife? The pitter-patter of little feet? All that good grown-up stuff that should be at least within shouting distance, but still seem just about as far away as they did back in junior high school?

With those mounting questions, the easy answer would be to settle. That's what we really ought to do, argues Lori Gottlieb in Atlantic Monthly.

Holding out for more is a fool's quest, she says. Just go with someone you trust and get along with and you'll find that companionship outweighs this elusive feeling of passion and kismet. Having a teammate who has your back is more important than finding The One.

I'm reminded of this article as I think about, of all things, salad.

Your Salad Days are Numbered

In my newly enlightened, or perhaps age-addled, frame of mind, I began to see salad in a different light. It's not about comparing it to other restaurants but simply appreciating it for what it brings to the table.

And when I started to back off my expectations, I found there was a lot to like about salad.

Is salad it a transformative experience? Did it capture my senses? Was it a riot of the heart?!?!

Eh, not really.

But, I'm realizing more and more, that has been my downfall in the past.

For so long, I've looked for someone who could ignite conversations with me, make them combustible in a way that was exciting, unexpected and a little dangerous. I was looking for a person who was not only attractive but managed to be witty, intelligent, caring and aware in a way that made you lean in to the conversation, fearful you might miss something important. I thought I would be a good match for just such a soul, but in hindsight, maybe I was over-reaching. Maybe all I really need is the equivalent of a good green salad.

Salad won't be winning any awards soon but it's comforting and warm and it provides a dose of familiarity and goodness that can grow on you over time.

Maybe that's what I need. Settling isn't settling if you reconcile yourself to your newfound wants and needs. I'm not saying that I'm there yet in my personal life but salad makes me think that my personal future isn't so bleak after all.