Paprika Namul Salad

There are many things that I exceptionally suck at:
like putting my laundry away (I have a clean pile and a dirty pile),
sticking to my diet (I've been on weightwatchers for 3 years and have been working on the last 15 pounds for the last 2 and half years),
playing action video games (I get motion-sick and I tend to bazooka at my toes, which ultimately leads to negative points due to suicide),
and of course keeping secrets to myself.

One of my secrets is the fiery colored, but tickling sweet paprika namul (banchan) salad that I met on Cookpad. I owe a lot to this side dish, since I use it as a "gateway" dish to get bell-pepper haters to at least try the veggie. One of the biggest anti-bell pepper-person-turned-raving-fan is my boy.

When we were kids, colored bell peppers (or paprika, as we say it) were exotic in Japanese home cuisine and was seldom used, although its green, bitter brother was often used in salads, yakisobas, and stuffed peppers. And no matter how bitter and tongue-numbingly gross a veggie is, your parents will make you eat it. Naturally in Japan, bell peppers, along with carrots, were pretty much public enemies (per the children), and so the its colorful and flamboyant cousin was guilty by association.
Well, lo and behold, the first time I ate a red bell pepper, I was in shock. So sweet, with a crisp crunch, how could this possibly be related to the green guy? I had to tell everyone about my discovery!
And this dish was the perfect tool.

Since our initial rendez-vous, the salad has gone through various changes because, well, I LURV garlic. And my perilla-garlic sauce.
It's best served cold, and marinated for a bit. It tastes better the next day, but be sure to eat it all by the fourth. I doubt that you'll have any left over by then though.

Paprika Namul Salad - Serves 4

2 red/orange/yellow bell peppers
1 chopped garlic from perilla garlic sauce
4 leaves chopped, from the perilla garlic sauce
2 tsp mirin
1 tbsp perilla garlic sauce
1/4 tsp dashi powder
1 /2 tsp sesame oil

1. The best way to prepare this is to grill your bell peppers until the outer skin is all charred and burnt. Then you submerge it in icewater and voila! The skin sloughs off. If not, just broil it until the skin starts to burn a little. Then peel the skin off.
2. Cut bell pepper into thin strips and mix with everything else.
3. Let sit for 15 minutes in the fridge, then serve.

See? Easy breezy Japanese-y. I knew you could do it. You can substitute the above recipe with 2 cups cooked spinach, squeezed of excess water, to make the spinach namul. That's good too, but sprinkle some sesame seeds for a little added touch of specialness.

Today we had dry curry with lean ground chicken and gooey eggs.
Soooo good, but sooooo bad for you!

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