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Lettuce "Kimchi" Style Salad On The Side

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Top down view of a small bowl of a quick lettuce "kimchi" style salad. The lettuce and onions are topped with sesame seeds and chopsticks garnish the side of the tray.

If you're a thorough Tasty, Thrifty, Timely follower you may know that I have a cabbage allergy! Although I have been very carefully testing the waters lately and seem to be developing a bit of a tolerance for the brassica family (fingers crossed), I still mostly avoid the cabbages and the mustards! SO... you can imagine how excited I was to discover that I could still enjoy a bit of the "kimchi" feeling with a quick lettuce "kimchi" side salad!

Perfect for anyone with a cabbage intolerance... like me!
Spicy
Tangy
Saucy
Ready in 10 minutes
And such a fun, flavourful, and easy side dish!

What Is Kimchi & How Is This Salad Different

Maangchi has a great traditional kimchi recipe and a video tutorial for how to make their recipe! They also have a vegetarian/vegan friendly kimchi recipe!

Kimchi is a traditional Korean side dish of fermented cabbage and Korean radish. The vegetables are salted, seasoned, and allowed to ferment until they become a pungent, sour, spicy, deeply flavourful side dish that packs in a ton of health benefits!

So... considering this recipe takes 10 minutes start-to-finish and the main ingredient is lettuce... you can probably tell that calling it kimchi is a bit of a stretch!

Top down view of torn romaine lettuce leaves in a bowl with a white onion, a clove of garlic, an inch of ginger, chilli flakes, and sesame seeds on a white tray.

This quick lettuce "kimchi" salad is not fermented, doesn't contain cabbage, BUT... it is flavoured with some of the seasonings found in traditional kimchi. And that means; that it has a spicy, tangy, slightly sour, salty taste and the wilted lettuce leaves and large slices of onion give it a texture reminiscent of the true side dish.

Ingredients

Luckily, many of the ingredients in a traditional kimchi are part of our pantry & freezer staples! So we have created the dressing for this salad with the ingredients we always have on hand!

And that means... the only fresh ingredients we need for this recipe are:

  • Romain Lettuce
  • And a yellow onion!
Top down view of ingredients for the dressing. A bottles of tamari, sesame oil, and rice vinegar lay amongst a teaspoon of maple syrup, a clove of garlic, an inch of ginger, a dish of sesame seeds, and a scattering of red chilli flakes.

The dressing is made from our pantry staples:

  • Tamari (or soy sauce)
  • Rice vinegar
  • Sesame oil
  • Garlic (can use frozen)
  • Ginger (can use frozen)
  • Maple syrup
  • Sesame seeds
  • And red chilli flakes

How Quick Is Lettuce Kimchi

In 5-10 minutes you're ready to eat!

Top down view of the prepared ingredients. Torn lettuce, sliced onion, a finished dressing, and toasted sesame seeds.
  1. If your sesame seeds are not toasted, you can toast them in a dry pan over medium heat for a few minutes until lightly browned and fragrant.
  2. Meanwhile, roughly chop or tear your romaine lettuce.
  3. Slice your onion into long, thin slices.
  4. Mix the dressing ingredients.
  5. And toss it all together!

It's as simple as that! Serve immediately or store in the fridge and allow the salad to get even more wilted, flavourful, and "kimchi" like.

Recipe Cost

This quick lettuce "kimchi" salad makes 4 servings and costs us approximately: CAD $3.08 or $0.77/serving.

We love that the entire dressing for this recipe is made from our pantry staples! Feel free to substitute the ingredients as needed to suit the ingredients that you always have on hand!

Top down view of wilted lettuce "kimchi" salad in a glass salad bowl. The leaves and onion are covered in a sesame seeds, chilli flakes, and a darker coloured dressing.

You know I love to hear what you think! So let me know in the comments below if you will give this quick "kimchi" like salad a try and how you enjoy it!

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A small bowl of a quick lettuce "kimchi" style salad. The lettuce and onions are topped with sesame seeds.

Lettuce "Kimchi" Style Salad On The Side

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  • Author: Kathryn Alexandre
  • Total Time: 10 minutes
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x
  • Diet: Vegan
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Description

A quick lettuce "kimchi" salad is a great way to have a "kimchi" style side dish, but ready in the spur of the moment! Spicy, tangy & easy!

Ingredients

Scale
  • ½ romaine lettuce bunch*
  • ½ medium yellow onion*

Sauce:

  • 1-2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 inch ginger (about 2 tbsp, minced or grated)
  • 1 ½ tbsp tamari or soy sauce
  • 2 tsp rice vinegar
  • ½ tsp sesame oil
  • 1 ½ tsp maple syrup
  • 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
  • ½ tsp red chilli flakes (or ¼ thai red chilli or chilli garlic sauce)

*Fresh Ingredients you need that are not part of our pantry and freezer tips.

Instructions

  1. If your sesame seeds are not toasted, heat a pan over medium heat and add the seeds to the dry pan. Toast until golden and fragrant.
  2. Meanwhile, wash and coarsely chop your lettuce. Slice your onion into long, thin strips.
  3. Combine the sauce ingredients in a salad bowl and add the chopped lettuce and onion. Toss well to combine and wilt the lettuce.
  4. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to enjoy! If you do have leftovers, this salad actually works well if left for a day or two. The more wilted and heavy with sauce the lettuce becomes, the closer it gets to a "kimchi" style.

Notes

Approximate Cost: CAD $3.08 ($0.77/serving).

  • Category: Side Dish
  • Method: Raw
  • Cuisine: Korean

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