Similar to fiddleheads in taste and texture, fernbrake is foraged in the mountains of Korea in the spring. My grandmother picked it every year with her friends. She would dry it in the sun and it would keep for a full
year, until she went again the next spring. These days most people buy fernbrake in grocery stores. You may find it dried, presoaked, or fresh. I always buy dried, because it will keep in my pantry for months if it has to. If you buy vacuum-packed presoaked fernbrake, you need to use it within a few days once it’s opened. This is one of my favorite mountain vegetable dishes. It’s so substantial that some Koreans call it “mountain beef.” It’s a little salty, and sweet, and has a meaty texture. Fernbrake needs a long soak, so it’s best to start this recipe the day before you plan to serve it. If you’d like, in the spring, you can substitute fresh fiddleheads. Just blanch them in boiling water for 1 minute instead of soaking, and stir-fry briefly (they’ll cook more quickly than fernbrake).

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• ½ cup thinly sliced onion
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 ounce (about ¼ cup) dried fernbrake (gosari), soaked, drained, and cut into bite-size pieces
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons sugar or honey
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the vegetable oil, onion, and garlic and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
2. Add the fernbrake and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes. Turn the heat down to low, add the soy sauce and sugar, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the fernbrake is soft, about 5 minutes.
3. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the sesame oil and sesame seeds.
4. Transfer to a serving plate and serve.

PREPARING DRIED FERNBRAKE:

• 1 ounce (about ¼ cup) dried fernbrake (gosari)
• Combine the fernbrake and 10 cups water in a large saucepan, bring to a boil over medium-high heat, and boil for 30 minutes. Cover and let stand until cool, 2 to 3 hours.
• Drain the fernbrake and put it in a bowl. Cover with fresh cold water and let soak for at least 8 hours, or overnight, in a cool place, changing the water 2 or 3 times during the soaking.
• Taste the fernbrake: It should be soft. If it is tough, boil it again in a fresh pot of water for about 30 minutes and then let it sit, covered, until soft. Drain the fernbrake and cut into bite-size pieces.