This Korean green onion salad aka Pa Muchim, is a delicious sweet, salty, spicy and savory side that captures the essence of Korean food in its truest sense. You’ll usually find this in most Korean restaurants served alongside marinated Korean meats like bulgogi, or even as a side in a Korean barbecue.
Making this salad is super easy and quick- you can put it together in just under 10 minutes, perfect to pair with Korean Buldak chicken or Korean cheesy corn dogs.
Crafted with just a handful of simple ingredients, this seasoned green onion salad side dish is also called Pachae Muchim or Pajeori, and is a staple in Korean cuisine. Thanks to its delicious flavors, I love teaming it up with my favorite Korean vegetable pancakes.
Apart from being a side dish for Korean BBQs, this seasoned scallion side can easily make for a tangy accompaniment to almost any of your mains.
Quick Look: Korean Green Onion Salad
- 🔪 Prep time: 7 minutes.
- ⏲️ Cook time: 0 minutes.
- 👪 Servings: 2.
- 📋 Main ingredients: Spring onions, soy sauce, garlic, gochugaru, vinegar, brown sugar, sesame seeds.
- ♨️ Cooking method: Slice → prepare the dressing → toss → serve.
- ⭐ Difficulty: Very easy.
- 🥣 Serving ideas: Pair with Korean BBQ, bulgogi, grilled meats, lettuce wraps, Chinese steamed eggs, steamed rice, or honey Sriracha shrimp rice bowl.
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What's So Great About the Recipe?
- My favorite part about this recipe is its simplicity and versatility. Not only is it a great Korean side dish, but it can also be served and enjoyed alongside any simple, classic meals where you need a bit of extra flavor.
- It's a great way to use up extra green onions that you may have- just like my ginger scallion oil.
Recipe Ingredients
Spring onions: Fresh spring onions also known as scallions are the hero ingredient.
Soy sauce: I used dark soy sauce for that umami flavor and a nice bit of color to this classic Korean recipe.
Brown sugar: Just a dash, to add some sweetness to the salad.
Vinegar: Use white vinegar, apple cider vinegar or hot pepper vinegar.
Garlic: Minced garlic, for that bit of umami depth. I like using roasted garlic for a smoky undertone.
Gochugaru: Gochugaru is a special spicy chili flake you’d find commonly used in Korean cooking.
Sesame seeds: Just a little sprinkle of sesame seeds adds that nice crunch factor to the Korean scallion salad.
See recipe card for quantities.
Substitutions & Variations
- I used regular sesame seeds for this recipe, but you could also use toasted sesame seeds or Gomasio sesame salt if you want to.
- If you want some extra authentic Asian flavors to this salad, you can add a dash of sesame oil into the mix too. This really brings out the flavor of the other ingredients in this Pa Muchim recipe.
- If your Korean grocery store doesn't have Gochugaru that the recipe calls for, you can make do with red pepper flakes or jalapeno flakes too.
How to Make Pa Muchim
Wash your green onions well and toss them in your salad spinner to get rid of all the excess water.
Slice the green onions thinly using a sharp knife, an onion slicer or a green onion shredder.
You can also use a green onion cutting tool to get the perfect thinly sliced green onions.
Top the green onions with some sesame seeds and set aside.
In a small bowl, prepare the sauce separately by combining the rest of the ingredients and mixing well until the sugar is melted.
Pour the sauce over the spring onions and toss well.
💭Top Tip
Soaking the green onions in the ice bath will help keep them from wilting, and will keep them crunchy and bright green in color. I used the same technique for my laccha pyaaz salad too!
Tips & Tricks to Nail the Recipe
- If you don’t have a green onion slice cutter, or just want to cut down the cooking time for this recipe, you can also buy pre-sliced green onions and use them for the recipe.
- These green onion slivers or julienned scallions are sold at most Asian grocery stores, so you should be able to find them very easily.
- A good way to preserve the freshness of your spring onions is to first cut the green onions and then soak them in some ice cold water for 10-15 minutes. Then, drain off all the excess water and use them to make this recipe.
- You can also add a pinch of homemade Ramen seasoning or Furikake into the salad towards the end for some extra flavor.
How to Serve Pa Muchim
Put this easy salad together for your next Korean BBQ and you’re sure to get tons of compliments. The salty and sweet flavors of this salad make it the perfect teammate for any grilled meats. These salad is also a great dish to layer up on your lettuce wraps aka ssam.
This salad is best served alongside any rice dish like soy cured egg yolks and rice or even baked Teriyaki tofu as well. Its flavors are almost like my Asian spicy cucumber salad, and I think it would taste great alongside chicken egg roll in a bowl.
Troubleshooting & FAQs
You can actually mix the sauce and refrigerate it in a glass bottle for up to 2 weeks. Then, when you’re ready to use it, all you need to do is slice your green onions and put it together with the sauce.
Pa Muchim is one of those recipes that tastes best when made and served fresh. While you can store it for up to 12 hours or more in the refrigerator, the sliced green onions won’t be able to retain their crunchy texture.
If you really want to prep the salad in advance, you can store the sliced green onions separately in the refrigerator in an airtight container lined with some paper towels, and prepare and store the sauce separately.
More Easy Salad Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
If you tried this Korean green onion salad or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Pa Muchim | Korean Green Onion Salad
Ingredients
- 5-6 spring onions
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon garlic
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- 1-2 teaspoon Gochugaru
Instructions
- Wash your green onions well and toss them in your salad spinner to get rid of all the excess water.
- Slice the green onions thinly using a sharp knife, an onion slicer or a green onion shredder. You can also use a green onion cutting tool to get the perfect thinly sliced green onions.
- Top the green onions with some sesame seeds and set aside.
- In a small bowl, prepare the sauce separately by combining the rest of the ingredients and mixing well until the sugar is melted.
- Pour the sauce over the spring onions and toss well.
Notes
- If you don’t have a green onion slice cutter, or just want to cut down the cooking time for this recipe, you can also buy pre-sliced green onions and use them for the recipe.
- These green onion slivers or julienned scallions are sold at most Asian grocery stores, so you should be able to find them very easily.
- A good way to preserve the freshness of your spring onions is to first cut the green onions and then soak them in some ice cold water for 10-15 minutes. Then, drain off all the excess water and use them to make this recipe.
