Acorn jelly muchim(도토리묵무침) is a cold dish of seasoned jelly slices made from prepared acorns.

Muchim(무침) is like a Korean salad or cold side dish. One or more main ingredients are dressed with sauce and/or other toppings and may be briefly marinated before serving. In this recipe, acorn jelly is the main ingredient; seasonal vegetables such as scallion, perilla, and cucumber make good additions. Soy sauce, vinegar, sesame, and sometimes green plum syrup(매실청) can be used for the sauce.

Raw acorns contain chemicals called tannins which tend to have unpleasant flavor and can be dangerous in large quantities. Tannins must be leeched from the acorns before they can be used. Generally, acorns are processed by shelling, soaking, drying, and grinding into powder; though there are other ways to process raw acorns. Ready-to-use acorn powder is often available at Korean markets.

Acorn jelly, or dotorimuk(도토리묵), is historically common in the mountainous areas of the Korean peninsula where oak trees are abundant. It is made by boiling a mixture of prepared acorn powder and water until it thickens, then cooling the mixture until it solidifies into jelly. The thickness or amount of water needed can vary depending on the acorn powder and on preference.

Acorn Jelly(도토리묵) from Acorns Recipe

4 servings

Ingredients

• 1 – 2 cup acorns, shelled
• 2 cup water
• ⅛ tsp salt (optional)

Directions

• soak acorns in water 1 week or more, draining and replacing water daily until water remains clear or nearly clear and bitterness is gone or reduced
• grind acorn, water, salt
• strain liquid through cloth
• heat liquid, stirring until thickened
• simmer, stirring, 1 more minute
• remove from heat
• transfer to mould, spreading evenly; tap to remove bubbles
• let cool 4 hours or overnight

Acorn Jelly(도토리묵) Recipe

4 servings

Ingredients

• ½ cup acorn powder(도토리묵 가루)
• 2 – 3 cup water
• ⅛ tsp salt (optional)

Directions

• combine acorn powder, water, salt
• heat, stirring, until thickened
• simmer, stirring, 1 more minute
• remove from heat
• transfer to mould, spreading evenly; tap to remove bubbles
• let cool 4 hours or overnight

Seasoning Sauce(양념장) Recipe

4 servings

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar (optional)
• 1 tsp water
• 1 tsp brown sugar (optional)
• ½ tsp perilla oil or sesame oil (optional)
• 1 – 4 tsp dried chili powder gochugaru (optional)
• 1 scallion(파), finely chopped
• 1 tsp sesame seed (optional)

Directions

• mix ingredients

Acorn Jelly Muchim(도토리묵무침) Recipe

4 servings

Ingredients

• 4 serving acorn jelly, sliced
• 2 sprig perilla leaf(깻잎 kkaennip) or chrysanthemum greens(쑥갓 ssukkat) or other greens, chopped (optional)
• 4 serving seasoning sauce(양념장)

Directions

• combine acorn jelly, greens, sauce