Half the banchan on a Korean table starts the same way: greens blanched for under a minute, squeezed dry, and seasoned simply. Once you have the rhythm, sigeumchi-namul takes five minutes.
Salt the water and work fast
Bring water to a rolling boil with a good pinch of salt. Spinach goes in for thirty to sixty seconds only, just until it wilts and turns vivid green. Bean sprouts take a touch longer.
Shock, then squeeze
Lift the greens straight into iced water to stop the cooking and lock the colour. Then squeeze out as much water as your hands can manage; watery namul is bland namul.
Season with a light hand
Toss with sesame oil, a little salt or guk-ganjang, minced garlic and sesame seeds. Taste, adjust, done.
Eric’s tip
The same method, with different timing, works for most greens: chard, watercress, even bean sprouts. Blanch, shock, squeeze, season.