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    Home » Traditional holiday food » Chuseok (Korean thanksgiving)

    Mu Namul (Korean Radish Namul)

    Published 01/27/2012. Updated 08/07/2019

    Jump to Recipe

    DSC 0278 e1471824790747 - Mu Namul (Korean Radish Namul)
    This is a side dish that you should add to your list of favorite fall/winter Korean side dishes. It’s simple, nutritious, and tasty! Namul is the general term that refers to a seasoned vegetable side dish. Made with mu (or moo), Korean radish, this dish is called mu namul.
    If you remember from my kkakdugi post, Korean radish is a variety of white radish (aka daikon) and has firm crisp flesh and a slightly sweet and peppery taste. According to the data provided by the United States Department of Agriculture, white radish is a good source of Vitamin B6, calcium, iron, magnesium, dietary fiber, vitamin C, folate, potassium and copper. Read more.

    DSC 0325 e1471825084184 - Mu Namul (Korean Radish Namul)

    In season, the radish tastes so good in its natural state that you really don’t need to add much of anything else to make this dish delicious. My problem is that I can’t stop eating raw pieces while I’m preparing the dish.

    The typical cooking method for this dish is a combination of stir-frying and steaming. The julienned radish is first stir-fried with a little bit of oil, and then covered and cooked over low heat for a steaming effect. The result is a healthy vegetable dish that is mildly flavored and naturally sweet. Enjoy!

    DSC 0278 150x150 1 - Mu Namul (Korean Radish Namul)

    Mu Namul (Radish Side Dish)

    4.67 from 6 votes
    Servings: 4
    Print Recipe

    Ingredients

    • 1 pound Korean radish mu/moo
    • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
    • 2 teaspoons soup soy sauce optional
    • salt to taste start with 1/4 teaspoon, if using soup soy sauce, otherwise 1/2 teaspoon
    • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
    • 1 scallion finely chopped
    • 2 teaspoons sesame oil
    • 1/2 teaspoon sesame seeds

    Instructions

    • Clean the radish. Peel the skin if necessary. You don't need to peel if the skin is smooth and clean.Cut the radish into match sticks (use a mandoline if available).
    • Heat a large skillet with a tablespoon of oil over medium heat. Add the radish sticks with the optional soup soy sauce, salt, and garlic and cook for 4 - 5 minutes, stirring well, until the radish sticks become wilted and translucent.
    • Add 1/4 cup of water. Reduce the heat to medium low, cover, and cook for an additional 3 - 4 minutes, until it reaches the desired level of softness. Taste and adjust seasoning and/or cooking time as needed. Right before turning off the heat, add the chopped scallion, sesame oil, and sesame seeds, and stir well. Serve warm.
    Tried this recipe?Mention @koreanbapsang or tag #koreanbapsang!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Stephen says

      December 09, 2021 at 5:44 pm

      Hi Hyosun! Can this be served with bossom in place of musaengchae for a more mild option?

      Reply
      • Hyosun says

        December 09, 2021 at 11:26 pm

        It can be, but I also have a mild/different version of musaengchae recipe. It will be a better option for bossam as it will give a nice crunchy texture and freshness that go well with bossam. https://www.koreanbapsang.com/musaengchae-sweet-sour-radish-salad/

        Reply
        • Stephen says

          December 10, 2021 at 9:16 am

          Thank you Hyosun!

          Reply
    2. M. M. Sands says

      May 16, 2021 at 6:28 am

      5 stars
      Simple dishes are often the very best dishes, and this looks like it fits that bill perfectly. Have only recently started looking into Korean cuisine, and it’s recipes like this that are getting me so interested. I love radish, and can’t wait to try it this way. Thanks for posting it, and for your wonderful blog.

      Reply
    3. Jake says

      December 13, 2016 at 6:24 pm

      It tasted good, but there was a big pool of liquid in the plate. Is this dish supposed to be soggy, and have so much of the liquidy/oily sauce?

      Reply
    4. Leila says

      October 07, 2016 at 11:03 am

      Hi, I was wondering how long this dish will keep and what the best way is to keep it. Can it be frozen or kept in the fridge? If you do that, is it better to eat it cold (I’ve noticed a lot of Korean restaurants in the UK serve radish namul cold or at room temperature, but I’m not sure if you’re supposed to eat it that way) or to try to reheat it somehow?

      I live alone, but since there’s only a small quantity of garlic etc in the recipe I’m not sure how to reduce the portion sizes…I expect I probably could eat this much by myself, but radish is expensive here and it’d be a bit of a waste of money!

      Reply
      • Hyosun says

        October 10, 2016 at 11:23 am

        Leila – it will keep well up to 4 days in the fridge. The recipe uses 1 pound radish and you can easily half it. Just use 1/2 of everything, such as 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic rather than 1 teaspoon. The dish can be served warm, room temperature, or cold. It really is a matter of preference.

        Reply
    5. Valerie Mansour says

      January 07, 2015 at 7:37 am

      Thank you so much for these recipes! My husband and I are currently living in Korea and we are learning more about Korean food through your blog (as it is hard to learn about the foods when you can’t speak the language). So we see many foods on your blog that we enjoy and now can cook them (or order them!) ourselves! Thank you! 🙂

      Reply
      • Hyosun says

        January 08, 2015 at 12:46 am

        Hi Valerie – That’s awesome you are living in Korea! I’m so happy to hear that my blog is helpful. Hope you enjoy your stay in Korea and all the foods it offers. Cheers!

        Reply
    6. school quotes says

      July 10, 2014 at 2:54 am

      Woah! I’m really digging the template/theme
      of this blog. It’s simple, yet effective. A lot of times
      it’s difficult to get that “perfect balance” between superb usability and visual
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      Superb Blog!

      Reply
      • Hyosun says

        July 10, 2014 at 11:50 pm

        Thank you!

        Reply
    7. Kalyn Denny says

      February 09, 2014 at 4:38 pm

      Oh my, does this ever sound wonderful and also wonderfully healthy!

      Reply
      • Hyosun Ro says

        February 09, 2014 at 6:21 pm

        Thank you, Kalyn!

        Reply
    8. butterfingers says

      February 05, 2014 at 5:31 am

      I enjoyed this side dish very much. Thanks for the recipe.

      Reply
      • Hyosun Ro says

        February 09, 2014 at 6:18 pm

        Glad to hear that! Thanks for letting me know!

        Reply
    9. Miss C says

      March 22, 2012 at 4:07 pm

      Can we add this in bibimbap as well?

      Reply
      • Hyosun Ro says

        March 23, 2012 at 1:38 am

        Of course! It will be great in bibimbap. Enjoy!

        Reply
    10. England Furniture says

      February 02, 2012 at 8:00 pm

      A vegetarian side dish could be appreciated by many people. Thank you for sharing!

      Reply
      • Hyosun Ro says

        February 05, 2012 at 3:14 am

        Thank you!

        Reply
    11. Biren @ Roti n Rice says

      January 31, 2012 at 2:48 pm

      I really enjoy the Korean namul or side dishes. I have yet to try this one. My favorite is the one with soy bean sprouts.

      Reply
      • Hyosun Ro says

        February 05, 2012 at 3:13 am

        Biren – I love soybean sprout namul as well. Hope you try this one. You’ll enjoy it.

        Reply
    12. Sandra M. says

      January 29, 2012 at 6:08 am

      Hyosun, this sounds so delicious! Love your beautiful photos and tutorial! Well done..got to try this too because your recipes never disappoint!

      Reply
      • Hyosun Ro says

        February 05, 2012 at 3:11 am

        Sandra – Thank you for the kind words! I know you’re trying to make healthy food. This will be good.

        Reply
    13. Sissi says

      January 27, 2012 at 11:46 am

      It sounds delicious (especially since I adore sesame and sesame oil), simple and healthy. I should eat more of the white radish! I will definitely make your namul soon.

      Reply
      • Hyosun Ro says

        February 05, 2012 at 3:08 am

        sissi – Thank you! I know you’ll like it.

        Reply
    14. beyondkimchee says

      January 27, 2012 at 1:05 am

      Very nice. I used to eat this way quite often. I also often add minced clam and it brings very nice flavor, too.

      Reply
      • Hyosun Ro says

        February 05, 2012 at 3:07 am

        Hi Holly – Clam sounds good with this dish. I should try it one day. Thanks.

        Reply
    15. Suzi says

      January 26, 2012 at 6:18 pm

      What a wonderful, simple yet delicate dish, I can’t wait to make this. Never thought to julienne the daikon like that. It almost looks like a rice noodles.

      Reply
      • Hyosun Ro says

        February 05, 2012 at 3:04 am

        Suzi – Thank you! It’s very common in Korean cooking to julienne radish. Hope you make this dish. You’ll like it.

        Reply
    16. Nami | Just One Cookbook says

      January 26, 2012 at 7:44 am

      Oh this one is my favorite! I’d love to make it with your recipe, Hyosun! Thanks for posting this. Is Korean soup soy sauce close to Japanese mentsuyu (soba soup base)? I have daikon in my fridge. Can’t wait to try it!

      Reply
      • Hyosun Ro says

        February 05, 2012 at 3:01 am

        Nami – Sorry for the late response. No it’s not the same, but you can use a little bit of that for this dish.

        Reply
    17. erica says

      January 26, 2012 at 7:35 am

      I, too, love mu in pretty much any shape or form! Thank you for the recipe for this delicious side dish 🙂

      Reply
      • Hyosun Ro says

        January 26, 2012 at 6:11 pm

        You’re welcome, Erica! Enjoy.

        Reply
    4.67 from 6 votes (5 ratings without comment)

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    Hi! I'm Hyosun, and I am a Korean-American mom of two wonderful grown-up children. Here, you will learn how to cook Korean dishes the way we Koreans traditionally eat at home. Read More...

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