Joo Won, chef and co-owner of Calong in London N16, presents two Korean-style vegetarian starters that highlight vegetables as the main event rather than mere side dishes. In everyday Korean cooking, vegetables provide balance, nutrition, colour and variety through preparations such as kimchi, namul and seasonal banchan. The cooking approach focuses on simplicity and preserving natural flavour, using techniques like blanching, light sautéing, fermenting and pickling, typically seasoned with garlic, sesame oil, soy sauce and fermented pastes such as doenjang and gochujang.
Asparagus and Courgette Pajeon with Soy-Vinegar Dip
This savoury pancake serves two to share. Preparation takes 5 minutes, cooking 20 minutes. Ingredients include 2 large asparagus spears (70g), 1 large spring onion (15g), ¼ medium courgette (35g), ¼ onion (40g), 1 red chilli (optional), 80g standard tempura flour (or Korean savoury pancake mix powder), and vegetable oil for frying. The soy-vinegar dip requires 40ml Korean jin ganjang soy sauce (or Kikkoman or other light soy sauce), 20ml Korean apple vinegar (or rice vinegar), 10g caster sugar, 1 tbsp finely diced onion, and ½ red chilli very finely diced.
To prepare the dip, combine all ingredients in a bowl, mix well and set aside. For the pancake, discard the hard bases from the asparagus stalks and slice the spears at an angle into roughly ½cm-thick pieces, 8-10cm long. Cut the spring onion into similar-sized pieces. Halve the courgette lengthways, then cut into ½cm-thick half-moons. Cut the quarter-onion into ½cm-thick slices. Precision is not critical. In a bowl, mix tempura flour with 90ml water to form a batter, beating until smooth. Add all sliced vegetables and mix to coat; no additional seasoning is needed as tempura flour is pre-seasoned.
Pour enough oil into a 22cm nonstick frying pan to coat the surface completely. Heat on medium-high, then tip in the batter mixture—it should sizzle on contact—and spread evenly to cover the pan base. Cook for 3 minutes, flip, and cook another 3 minutes. Flip again, cook for 1 minute more, then transfer to a plate. Serve whole and cut like a pizza, or into 4-5cm squares, with the soy-vinegar dip on the side.
Green Vegetable and Vermicelli Japchae
This dish serves two as a starter, with a 5-minute prep and 20-minute cook time. Ingredients: 100g rice vermicelli, 30g carrot, 50g chestnut mushrooms, 80g peeled onion, 20g mangetout, 40g hispi cabbage, 40g courgette, 40g asparagus, 1 tbsp vegetable oil, and 20g peeled garlic finely sliced. For the sauce: 35ml Korean jin soy sauce (or Kikkoman or other light soy sauce), 50g mushroom stir-fry sauce (Lee Kum Kee recommended, available in large supermarkets, specialist stores or online; for non-vegetarians, oyster sauce can substitute), 15g caster sugar, 20ml sesame oil, 1 small pinch salt (optional), and 1 good pinch ground black pepper. Optional garnish: 1 pinch white sesame seeds and ½ red chilli very finely sliced.
Place noodles in a large heat-resistant bowl, cover with just-boiled water, and soak for 10 minutes. Drain and keep warm in the bowl. Meanwhile, cut all vegetables into ½cm-thin strips and set aside. Mix all sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Heat vegetable oil in a large pan over medium-low, add sliced garlic, and cook gently for 1 minute. Increase heat to medium-high, add all sliced vegetables, and cook for 1 minute—they should remain crunchy. Turn off heat, add drained noodles and sauce, and toss to combine. Return pan to medium heat, stir and toss for no more than 2 minutes until heated through and coated, with vegetables still crunchy. If sticking, add a tablespoon of water to loosen. Taste, add salt if needed (the sauce may provide enough seasoning), and add black pepper. Divide between two bowls, garnish with sesame seeds and sliced chilli if desired, and serve immediately.
Joo Won emphasises that vegetables create harmony and contrast within a Korean meal, reflecting a long tradition of plant-focused cooking shaped by seasonality, resourcefulness and preservation needs.
