There is an ingredient that’s a representative spring green in Korea along with water parsley and wild chive. It’s naengee, also known as shepherd’s purse. Shepherd’s purse is an ingredient widely used in not only Korea but also all over East Asia, so you can find many recipes using shepherd’s purse in traditional Chinese food and traditional Japanese food.
Shepherd’s purse has a unique aroma that makes it a great ingredient for using in dishes like doenjang guk (soybean paste soup), bibimbap, buchimgae (vegetable pancake), namul, muchim, and tea in Korea. Making kimchi, jangahjji or pickled vegetables, and porridge with shepherd’s purse are also delicacies. People usually use shepherd’s purse for its refreshing scent but it’s actually an excellent source of nutrients as well. It contains many different vitamins and minerals, and also has a high protein content compared to other wild herbs and vegetables. It’s also rich in amino acids like arginine and methionine; minerals, including calcium, zinc, and manganese; and proline, which is known to release stress. In Oriental medicine, it is also said to clear up the eyes and strengthen the stomach and liver. Shepherd’s purse is a healthy ingredient that’s also used as a medicine to treat dysentery, diarrhea, and bleeding.
When choosing shepherd’s purse, pick out the ones that have straight and white roots with leaves that have a dark green hue. The ones with smaller leaves and stems that have a richer scent are much softer and taste better. Avoid ones with thicker roots as they have a higher chance of having a tough texture. Shepherd’s purse is an ingredient that may be difficult to prep. Because all of its parts, including the leaves, stems, and roots, are meant to be eaten, you have to make sure to remove seed leaves as well as unhealthy leaves and rinse all the dirt out. Shepherd’s purse has a lot of fine roots, so you have to make sure to rinse them thoroughly until the water cleaning them is free of dirt. Lightly scratch the shepherd’s purse fine roots off in the final step.
It would be best to eat shepherd’s purse right after buying it, but if you have a lot of it, you can store it in the fridge by dividing the bunch into small portions without cleaning the dirt, wrapping them in paper towels or newspaper, and packaging them in airtight plastic bags or vacuum seal bags. This way, the shepherd’s purse will be kept fresh for 2-3 days and won’t lose its characteristic scent. For longer-term storage, thoroughly prep and clean the shepherd’s purse, remove moisture and keep them in the freezer after portioning and packing them in airtight bags. If you want to keep the volume low, parboil the shepherd’s purse in boiling water for 1-3 minutes, rinse them in cold water, remove moisture, and put them in the freezer after packing them in airtight bags.
Just because it’s an ingredient used since the old times, that doesn’t mean you can just enjoy it in traditional Korean foods, right? Why don’t you try adding shepherd’s purse to an easy and quick Western pasta recipe and bring springtime vibes to your dining table?
