I read an article about ramps in Time magazine today.
Ramps are a member of the onion family and are also called “wild garlic.” The article says ramps are getting popular and are considered a delicacy in North America.
They’re called “san-maneul” in Korean.
San is mountain and maneul is garlic in Korean. They’re grown in mountains. They taste like green onions or leeks, but the leaves are soft, thin, and wide.
You can make kimchi, Korean style pickles (jangajji), and even pancakes with them!
This photo is from wikipedia and check this website for more photos.
When I lived in Canada, one day my friend Ms. Jeon gave me a small jar of homemade sanmaneul kimchi. She said she picked them up in the deep mountain with her friends after a two and a half hour drive from Toronto. One of her annual events is to drive to the same spot somewhere north of Toronto in the early spring. She said if she goes too late, sanmanuel would be too tough to eat.
The sanmaneul kimchi she gave me was so fermented that I still remember the deep strong sour smell. Imagining the smell makes my mouth water now!
When I read the article about sanmaneul today, it reminds me of the kimchi and my friend Ms. Jeon. I should give her a call tonight. And ask whether or not she made the kimchi this year. If so, I will ask her to save some for me. : )
How funny I just saw those at my farmers market this past weekend and was wondering what to do with them. Maybe I’ll go and buy them next Saturday. Do you have any good recipes for this?
Chop it up and make a pancake using my buchujeon recipe.
https://www.maangchi.com/recipe/vegetable-pancake-with-asian-chives
Or make special kimchi! Or you could make yangnyumjang with it.
Chop it up and mix with a little soy sauce, hot pepper flakes, honey, sesame oil, sesame seeds. Then mix with warm rice! It will be delicious!
Some of the blogs I read have used ramps in the past in recipes, but when I look for them in stores I can’t find them! I’ve been interested in using them for some time, it’s great to hear they’re used in Korean cooking!
(And when I read your friend Ms. Jeon’s name, I keep thinking ‘Ms. Pancake’.)
haha, that’s right! : ) Her last name is Jeon!