Meet Morkovcha! This vibrant, crunchy, and addictive Korean-style carrot salad is a staple in Korean-Russian cuisine. With its perfect balance of spicy, tangy, and slightly sweet flavors, this colorful dish makes an excellent side or appetizer!
Koreans can't live without their kimchi! But what if you were a Korean not able to find napa cabbage or other common ingredients needed to make your kimchi? You improvise!
This improvisation produced a most incredible Korean carrots dish called morkovcha (meaning Korean carrots)!
Please read on for a little information as to where this fresh carrot salad came from!
Jump to:
What is Morkovcha?
In the 1860's, many ethnic Koreans left Korea and crossed over into Russia escaping harsh conditions brought by drought and famine.
However in the 1930's, Joseph Stalin forced these Korean immigrants, who were known as Koryo-saram, to relocate to parts of Central Asia (such as Uzbekistan) because he deemed them "unreliable people". This was a brutal relocation which resulted in many deaths.
Morkovcha originated from the Korean diaspora into parts of Central Asia including Uzbekistan.
When Koreans were deported to Central Asia in the 1930s, they adapted their traditional recipes using locally available ingredients. Carrots became a substitute for harder-to-find vegetables (like napa cabbage), and this raw carrot salad was born.
Today, this spicy carrot salad with seriously exciting flavors is enjoyed throughout former Soviet Union countries and has gained popularity worldwide as a delicious and healthy side dish.
I urge you to please take a moment to remember the history of this popular salad when preparing and enjoying it!
🥘 Ingredients
Here are the ingredients you will need for this delicious and spicy Korean carrot salad recipe:
- Fresh carrots - you'll need to peel and julienne them, or cut them into matchsticks. To make it super simple, buy a bag of precut matchstick carrots!
- Fresh garlic
- Olive oil (can sub vegetable oil)
- Sugar
- Rice vinegar
- Cilantro
- Whole coriander seeds (you'll coarsely grind them for this recipe)
- Salt
- Gochugaru (Korean chili flakes)
You should be able to find these ingredients at most grocery stores, but you may need to shop an Asian grocery store for the gochugaru.
🔪 Instructions
Prepare your carrots by using a julienne peeler to cut the carrots into thin strips. Save time by using precut matchstick carrots (which is what I used for this recipe).
Place the matchstick or julienned carrots in a small mixing bowl, then add the salt and mix it in by hand. Let sit for about 15 minutes, and then use your hands to squeeze out any excess moisture (remove as much of this as you can).
Add the dressing ingredients (sugar, rice vinegar, and gochugaru) to a small bowl, and use a spoon to combine well. Now combine this dressing with the carrots and set aside for now.
Heat the oil in a small skillet over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and saute until aromatic (about 30 seconds), and then add the ground coriander seeds and saute for another 30 seconds or so until the seeds release their fragrance.
Pour the hot oil over the carrots and then add the fresh cilantro. Stir to combine well.
Feel free to adjust for your taste by adding more salt, rice vinegar, or gochugaru.
Behold your beautiful Morkovcha!
Suggestions For Enjoying And Serving
Your Korean carrots dish can be eaten after cooling to room temperature, or better yet store them in an airtight container in your fridge and enjoy after chilling for a few hours or next day for maximum flavor. They actually taste better the next day!
Morkovcha is incredibly versatile and pairs well with many dishes. Serve this Korean salad as a delicious side dish with grilled meats, particularly Korean barbecue like galbi and bulgogi.
It also makes an excellent addition to rice bowls, wraps, and sandwiches.
I hope this nutritious Korean carrot dish will be a part of your regular dinner rotation!
FAQ
Yes! Simply vary the amount of gochugaru to suit your taste. Better to start with a little and add as you go to suit your tolerance for spice!
Fresh coriander adds authentic flavor, but if you dislike it then no worries you can leave it out.
Some Other Recipes You May Enjoy!
Here are some other Korean side dish recipes you may enjoy:
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Grace
Korean Carrot Salad With Coriander Recipe (Morkovcha)
Equipment
- julienne peeler optional (not needed if you use precut matchstick carrots)
- small mixing bowl for salting carrots and combining them with the dressing
- Small bowl for combining dressing ingredients
- Small skillet for making the aromatic oil
Ingredients
- 10 oz carrots you can use precut matchstick carrots, or even better use a julienne peeler to julienne whole carrots
- 1 ts salt
- 2 tablespoon cilantro finely chopped
Dressing Ingredients
- 1.5 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 2 ts gochugaru Korean red pepper flakes; vary the amount according to taste (add more for a more spicy salad!)
- 1 tablespoon sugar
Aromatic Oil Ingredients
- 3 tablespoon olive oil can sub vegetable oil
- 6 cloves fresh garlic minced
- 1 ts coriander seeds coarsely ground (you can use a pestle and mortar or grind for a few seconds in a spice/coffee grinder)
Instructions
- Prepare your carrots by using a julienne peeler to cut the carrots into thin strips. Save time by using precut matchstick carrots (which is what I used for this recipe). Place the carrots in a small mixing bowl, then add the salt and mix it in by hand. Let sit for about 15 minutes, and then use your hands to squeeze out any excess moisture (remove as much of this as you can).
- Add the dressing ingredients (sugar, rice vinegar, and gochugaru) to a small bowl, and use a spoon to combine well. Now combine this dressing with the carrots and set aside for now.
- Heat the oil in a small skillet over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and saute until aromatic (about 30 seconds), and then add the ground coriander seeds and saute for another 30 seconds or so until the seeds release their fragrance.
- Pour the hot oil over the carrots and then add the fresh cilantro. Stir to combine well. Feel free to adjust for your tastes by adding more salt, rice vinegar, or gochugaru.
- The carrots can be eaten after cooling to room temperature, or better yet store them in an airtight container in your fridge and enjoy after chilling for a few hours or next day. They actually taste better the next day!
