Over the years, there have been several waves of Korean immigration to neighboring Russia. The Russian palate fell in love with the spicy, acidic way that these Korean immigrants prepared carrots with local ingredients to try to mimic the flavor of kimchi. The toasted coriander is not to be skipped.
Russian Carrot Salad
2 lbs. carrots, peeled
3 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup neutral-tasting oil, such as vegetable or avocado
¼ cup rice vinegar
½ tsp. coriander seeds, toasted and ground
1 tsp. sweet paprika
1 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
1.5 tsp. gochugaru chile flakes
1.5 tbsp. ORIGINAL Gochujang Paste
1 tsp. sugar, or more as needed
Salt
1. Whisk together all of the ingredients except for the carrots, salt, and sugar in a small bowl. This is your dressing. Set aside.
2. Using a mandolin slicer, slice the carrots into long, thin strips (aka julienne). Place the sliced carrots in a large bowl and toss with approx 1.5 tsp of salt. Set aside until the carrots begin to soften, about 20 minutes.
3. When the carrots have softened, place them in a fine mesh sieve and give them a good rinse to remove the excess salt. Allow to drain well.
4. Transfer the dressing and carrots to a bowl and toss to combine. Taste and add sugar little by little as needed (this will depend a lot of how sweet your carrots are), and season to taste with salt as desired.
Serves 4-6 people as a side dish.