Mung Bean Jelly with Vegetables and Beef (Tangpyeongchae)

If you’ve eaten at a Korean restaurant, you may have been served a dish of gelatinous little cubes in a spicy seasoning sauce as an appetizer. Slippery and cold, mung bean jelly is great for whetting the appetite. But there are other ways to use the jelly, including this traditional dish, which makes a great light meal. It’s a throwback to Korean Royal Court cuisine, dishes more subtly seasoned and elaborately presented than today’s food. The name comes from eighteenth-century King Yeongjo’s policy, called tang-pyeong, of employing officials with a variety of political beliefs. The various ingredients represent that diversity and illustrate how different textures and flavors can harmonize. If you can’t get water dropwort, increase the amount of cucumber matchsticks to 1½ cups. For a simpler dish, cut the mung bean jelly into bite-size pieces and mix with Spicy Soy Seasoning Sauce and whatever leftover vegetables you have in the fridge. In minutes, you’ll have an exotic, low-calorie lunch.

Serves 6

INGREDIENTS:

• ½ cup mung bean starch (cheongpomuk-garu)
• 3 cups water
• Kosher salt
• 4 ounces beef brisket, cut along the grain into 5-inch-long matchsticks
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• ½ teaspoon sugar
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• Pinch of freshly ground black pepper
• 2½ cups mung bean sprouts, washed and drained
• 1 cup water dropwort (minari; see above)
• 2 large egg yolks
• ½ teaspoon vegetable oil
• ½ English cucumber, cut into 5-inch-long matchsticks
• 1 medium red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and sliced into thin matchsticks
• ½ sheet dried seaweed paper (gim, aka nori), toasted (see) and shredded
• Mustard and Garlic Sauce

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Combine the mung bean starch, water, and ½ teaspoon salt in a small heavy pot. Mix well, bring to a boil over medium heat, and boil, stirring constantly, until the mixture becomes translucent and shiny, about 10
   minutes.
2. Pour the hot starch mixture into an airtight rectangular container and let cool for 1 hour at room temperature, then cover and refrigerate until solid (test by poking it with a finger), 4 to 5 hours. (The jelly will keep in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 1 week. If you refrigerate the jelly for more than a day, it will turn milky, and it may shrink a little. Soak the jelly in very hot water for a few minutes, and it will regain its translucency and chewiness.)
3. Remove the jelly from the container and cut into matchsticks about 3 inches long. Refrigerate while you prepare the other ingredients.
4. Combine the beef, soy sauce, sugar, garlic, ½ teaspoon of the sesame oil, and the black pepper in a medium bowl. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the beef mixture and stir-fry until the beef loses its pink color and all the liquid has evaporated, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to one side of a large plate.
5. Put the mung bean sprouts in a small pot, add ¼ cup water and a pinch of salt, cover, and boil over medium heat for 5 minutes. Drain and add to the plate, next to the beef.
6. Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil. Add the water dropwort and blanch for 1 minute. Drain in a colander and rinse under cold water. Drain again and squeeze out the excess water.
7. Cut the dropwort into 3-to 4-inch-long strips. Toss the strips in a bowl with ½ teaspoon salt and the remaining ½ teaspoon sesame oil. Add to the plate, side by side with the beef.
8. Lightly beat the egg yolks with a pinch of salt. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the vegetable oil and swirl the pan, then remove the skillet from the heat and wipe the inside with a paper towel to coat the cooking surface with a thin film of oil. Add the beaten yolks, tilting the pan so they coat the bottom in a thin layer with the pan still off the heat. Let stand for a minute to set. If the egg does not set, cook over very low heat; do not brown. Turn the eggs with a spatula and let cook in the residual heat of the pan for a few minutes. Slide the egg onto a cutting board and let cool, then cut into matchsticks. Add to the plate with the beef, next to the other ingredients.
9. Add the mung bean jelly, cucumber, and bell pepper to the plate with the beef, side by side. It will be a colorful arrangement with everything next to each other. Sprinkle the shredded seaweed paper over the top. Put the plate on the table, drizzle the mustard garlic sauce over the top, toss in front of your guests, and serve.