The Korean fern brake side dish GoSaRi NaMul is one of the most common Korean holiday side dishes. You can make this anytime you want, but usually in Korea we eat this during the holidays, such as Lunar New Year (SeolNal) or Korean thanksgiving (ChuSeok). This dish doesn’t need many ingredients, which means the main flavor comes from the fern brake. It has a soft texture and it is a little chewy with a unique flavor that is good. You can use this for your bibimbap also.
Yield: 1 Quart
Short Korean Lesson
- Unni (언니) = Older Sister (Used by Females)
- Oppa (오빠) = Older Brother (Used by Females)
Video Instructions
Main Ingredients
- 2 Handfuls Dried Fern Brake (2oz)
- ½ Medium Size Onion
Seasoning Ingredients
- 2½ Tbsp Soup Soy Sauce
- 1½ Tbsp Minced Garlic
- 2 Tbsp Oil (Canola or Vegetable)
- ½ tsp Sesame Oil (Optional)
- 1 tsp Sugar
- 3 Tbsp Water
Directions
Soak 2 handfuls (2oz) of dried fern brake in water for about 5 to 6 hours, or overnight for the best results.
After soaking, the fern brake will be bigger and softer. However depending on how dry the fern brake is, it still might not be soft enough to cook.
If it is still tough after you soaking it, boil the pieces for about 10 to 15 minutes on high.
Cut ½ of an onion into ¼-inch pieces.
Drain the water from the boiled fern brake. In a pan, add the fern brake and some of the seasoning ingredients: 2½ Tbsp, 2 Tbsp of oil, 1 tsp of sugar, and 3 Tbsp of water. Fry for 3 minutes on high.
Add the onion and 1½ Tbsp of minced garlic. Fry for 10 more minutes on medium-high.
When it is almost cooked, add ½ tsp of sesame oil. It is optional.
It is done. Woohoo~ another delicious side dish~ hehe 🙂
Enjoy~~~ 😉
Hi Aeri,
Thank you for this new post. I happened to have bought a bag of fernbake from the Korean grocery store the other day.
Am soaking the fernbake right now for cooking tomorrow.
One question though, my fernbake has some kind of flower on the end of it. Cannot see the pic well, do you leave those flowers or do you cut them off?
Thanks!
Hi Jenn,
You don’t have to remove that part. Usually it’s not that much… just use all that you got from the bag..I hope you like this recipe.. please let me know how it turned out.. enjoy..thanks 🙂
Hi Aeri,
It’s me again….reporting back!
I soaked the gosari last night and although it was soft, it was still somewhat tough.
Ended up taking your advice and boiling it for around 15 minutes.
It smelled very nice during cooking and I have it slightly cooling for tonight’s dinner. Just had a very small bite and liked it, but I still have to cook the rice and prepare the rest of the dinner!
Thanks for sharing this recipe.
hi Jenn,
haha.. reporting back.. I love it !!!
especially good report is awesome.. hehe thanks again ~~~ what will be your next Korean dishes to try ?? 😉
Hi Aeri,
Thanks so much for this recipe. I tried making this side dish before but it was not very nice. When I was in Korea, I really loved Kosari Namul!
Also, Aeri, I’m sorry I did not enter your Egg Heart Competition. I have been unwell and had to go into hospital. 담낭염을 고생였기 때문에 병원에 입원했어요. So, I’m taking things a bit easy for awhile.
I hope you and your lovely family are well.
xxxxxx
hi Suzanne Sutherland,
Oh.. I hope you like this recipe then..
oops.. you were sick ??? How do you feel now.. are you okay ??? I really really hope that you are good now.. or getting better.. yes.. take it easy.. I will have more contests in the future.. Thanks for your message. I will wait for your good news.. (You are fully recovered… you are healthy..something like these..)
i have always wanted to know how to make this. tried before but my na mul turned out too coarse even after many hours of soaking so i will try this again. also, i can’t remember the proper name but is this na mul same thing as sweet potato stems? by the way, we should mention that for your korean lesson of big sister/brother, we should note that those are titles coming from a female perspective, right? guys would not be using those terms?
hi sandy,
I hope this recipe works for you. aha.. we have different namul use sweet potato stems..I will post it someday also. Oh.. yes.. thanks for your good point about that.. I will add it too. thank you very much. 🙂
Aeri,
Thank you for posting this kosari namul recipe. I recently made namul with water packed kosari but I think the dried one has a better texture. Bryson is so cute!
hi csyama,
Oh.. dried one is better ?? I’ve never bought water packed gosari..and wondered if it will be easier and better to use that..hehe thanks for good tip. 🙂
Thank you for this recipe.Of Korean ancestry, born and raised in Hawaii, no one has been able to clearly explain how to make this delicious namul.Many, many thanks.
Seattle
hi Grace Lee,
Nice to meet an another Korean..hehe I hope you can try many Korean food through my blog. thanks 🙂
I love this dish. It’s so simple yet it has so much flavor. I buy the ferns packaged in liquid. I think they taste more soft.
Aeri, I would love to email you a pic of my daughter but she has bad eczema(etopy(?)). I can’t seem to get a decent picture of her. Her skin is red from the rash and her face is puffy. She’s so itchy that she cries alot. =( Your son looks sooo adorable. I’m very jealous at his nice skin. =P
I still look 3 months pregnant!! I guess we need to exercise but I’m too tired and you probably are too. I go on the weight scale periodically and I’ve been losing weight but I just can’t tell where!! My stomach still looks big.
Mimi
hi MrsDarth,
Sorry for late reply.. as you see, my blog had some problems..
I didn’t get any e-mails from you..I didn’t tell you my address ?? ^^;; Mine is blog@aeri.biz
Bryson had some skin problem too… especially when the air was very dried… fortunately, it’s much better now.. It will go away, once the weather becomes better and she grows… I concerned about his skin too.. so I know how you feel. Keep focus on moisturizing… She will have pretty skin again soon.
Right, we need to exercise. I don’t want to have “ajumma” belly… but I feel like..I have now.. ㅜ.ㅜ and my arm muscles are getting bigger. @,@ hehe.. Let’s EXERCISE !!! 😀
Hope you can rest some time by now.
Hi Aeri,
I love GoSaRi NaMul! Until now I didn’t know what the name was. My Halamuni used to make it. I’ve started making it (guessing on the ingredients) Only thing I didn’t have was the onion but I’ll be sure to use it next time. I also sprinkle a little red chili powder for some kick. Thank you for all these wonderful recipes
hi Bo,
Oh.. halmuni food .. yummy ~~~ 😀
thanks for your comment.
Hi Aeri!
Every time I go home I have my mom make Gosari for me!! It’s the best! She makes my dad bring tons back from Cheju when ever he goes!! Thanks to the recipe I can make some for myself! I bought a bag of gosari yesterday at the Korean store, wish me luck!!
Thanks for the great recipes!
hi Lina,
Yes, I love gosari side-dish also. I hope you like this recipe.. good luck. thanks 😀
Gosari!!!! My fave 😉 I also love to have them on my bibimbap!! Yum yum
hi layping,
hehe… I missed your comments like this.. 😀
Hi Aeri, what is the difference between gosari and gobi? Can you cook them the same way? Thank you!
hi Jennifer,
oops.. sorry I don’t know what gobi is.. it’s Korean food ???
Yes, it’s Korean. I’ve heard it called “gobi” and “mul gobi.” Someone recently told me gobi is called fiddlehead fern in English. They look very similar to gosari, but I think they are technically different.
hi Jennifer,
lol you know some Korean food that I don’t.. I’ve never tried it before.. so I just researched what gobi is.. yes you are right.. it’s a Korean vegetable dish look similar with gosari..but it’s different.. it’s softer than gosari..and the taste is different.. but it seems like that the way to make dish with gobi is similar with gosari. thanks to you I learned new thing.. hehe
hi
i love your blog. i am a frequent visitor & i am an indian. i have a question , i watch lot of korean dramas their they serve lot of side dishes do they make it everyday or make ahead & keep in the fridge. if that is the case how they could reheat it or eat it cold. i know lot of questions but i don’t have any korean friend to ask. i’m a working mom & i want to feed my family well like korean do. pl help me
thanks a lot in advance.
suji
hi suzan,
Nice to meet you. I have some very nice Indian friends… and we love Indian food..
aha.. yes we eat lots of side-dishes in Korea.. some of the side-dish will be different kinds of kimchi..which you can keep for a quite long time in the refrigerator..and some of the side-dishes also can be stored in a refrigerator for one or 2 weeks.. sometimes even longer than that depending on the dish.. so you will get some of that side-dishes.. seasoned and roasted dried seaweed will be one of common side-dish.. you can prepare or buy ahead and eat for several weeks.. plus.. each day or meal.. you can prepare quick fresh side-dishes.. that will give your menu get variety.. usually those dishes will be eaten for a day or 2 days. again..it’s depending on dish.. some you have to reheat on a stove or microwave (usually meat side-dishes)..some you can just eat from refrigerator.. ^^
thanks dear, thank you so much
Thank you for your hard work in helping explain and open the world of Korean cooking. Downloaded your mini-cookbook and plan to cook the book. Thanks again for sharing.
Hi Aeri !
I like your blog and cooking videos. I have tried boiling the Fernbrake but the smell is too strong for me. Is there any way that I can reduce it and have it odorless. I like the texture of the vegetable, very chewy and has lots of fibre in it. Can I soak it with some chopped garlic and ginger to address this? Or is there any better way in Korean style?
hi JKasturi,
Oops.. sorry..but it’s normal to get the smell when you boil the fernbrake.. once it’s boiled..when you eat.. it’s not too bad.. so I will ask you.. if you can just endure a little..
or.. if you can … if you buy already boiled and soaked in water from a korean grocery store.. it will work better for you. thanks 🙂
Hi Aeri, me again 🙂 I’m just wondering how long can you keep this in the fridge? I hav them in the fridge for couple of days now as I went somewhere for vacation and didn’t finish it, n
Hi Aeri unnie, it’s me again 🙂 I’m just wondering how long can I keep this in the refrigerator? I hav them in my fridge for more than a week now and cause I went on vacation couple days after I make them and couldn’t finish it 😕 now, I don’t know if it’s just me, but it kind of have some weird smell so I’m not sure should I throw it out >< helppp!! 😮
hi JWAN,
oops.. sorry for late reply.. I don’t keep this side-dish more than a week.. it’s not rotten..but the taste will not be good anymore..
Hi Aeri
If I’m not mistaken it is a type of fern – we just pinch about 3″ of the young tip of the plant. It is abundant in wet weather.
I never knew that fernbrake can be dried like that. In fact I discovered them at the Koren Mart in my neighbourhood (with white flowers).
It has a lot of fibre and very nutritious. I’m looking forward to try the dried form.
Thnx for helpful cooking tips – regards to you and family too.
Hi, Aeri! In which step I need to add soy sauce? Thanks:)
hi irina,
Oops..that was my mistake..thanks..
I missed to add the soy sauce part.. it will be with the other seasoning ingredients..such as sesame oil.. sugar and water..I corrected it and updated it… please check it again.thanks
i tried to make a fern brake namul using the boiled fern brake packs that are in the refrigrated section at Hmart. It was still sorta green when i bought it. i boiled it almost an hour and it just never less then tough. I just wasn’t impressed with the overall taste or texture. Maybe the dried would turn out better?
It can be .. it is not for your taste.. because it has own unique flavor.. if you get a chance… get some dried one and try too.. you might like that better too.. thanks 🙂
Hi Aeri, I was browsing sites pertaining to ferns, and found yours. (I was hiking in KyeongSangPuk-do yesterday amd found a really interesting fern….can’t find any pictures of it, even on Google.
Anyway, I was reading some of your posts. Down this page, a person asks about kobi…mul kobi, I think. My thoughts….she is asking about mul kogi….. a fish. I think she was a little mixed up. I bring in KoSa-di for my Korean wife, and we enjoy….this year, I was still picking edible kosa-ri in July. Really late, but we had the weather for it. Always best, right after it first comes in, in April. (BTW, I live in PyeongTaek, KyeongGi-do. Love it here. Good site you have here, and delicious food. Bill
Hi Bill,
Nice to meet you. 🙂 Wow, you are living in Korean. I envy you about it then. hehe.. Hope you have lots of good time over there. Thanks