Acorn Jelly Salad with Korean Melon

Don’t eat this acorn jelly salad unless you want to lose weight and improve your digestion. Historically Koreans have been eating acorns for centuries because they’re healthy and Koreans had to be resourceful but in recent years, this acorn jelly has become a popular diet food because it’s low cal and relatively high in fiber. It’s typically made with fresh vegetables like lettuce, carrots and cucumber, but you know I had to give it a classic Fruit & Supper twist with honey sweet chamoe aka Korean melon.

Acorns naturally contain tannins which have mild anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties. The process of making acorn flour is very laborious but you can easily buy it at your local Korean grocery store! Acorn jelly is just water and acorn flour, cooked over medium heat for a few minutes, and then cooled. No preservatives, no artificial anything. And since acorn jelly is mostly water, it’s a hydrating and refreshing dish, especially when served with my soy garlic sauce. If you’ve never tried acorn jelly, this is your sign that you absolutely must!

Acorn Jelly Salad (makes about 4-6 servings):

For the acorn jelly:

• 1/2 cup acorn flour
• 3 cups water

For the sauce:

• 1 Korean melon, juiced and reduced down to 2 TBSP melon syrup (skip this step and use 2 TBSP honey or sugar)
• 2 TBSP soy sauce
• 2 TBSP fish sauce
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 TBSP Korean red pepper flakes
• 1.5 TBSP sesame oil
• 2 scallions, chopped
• 1 TBSP sesame seeds

For the salad:

• Arugula or any salad greens you like
• 1 Korean melon, de-seeded and sliced into ribbons
• Edible flowers like borage (optional)

Make acorn jelly. In a small saucepan, mix the water and acorn flour and a pinch of salt until it’s well combined. Cook gently over medium heat until it’s thickened and bubbling, stirring with a spatula constantly, about 8-10 minutes. Pour mixture into a glass container and let cool slightly before covering with plastic wrap and cooling in the fridge for at least 3 hours until it sets.

Make Korean melon syrup. Peel, de-seed, and cube one Korean melon. The core is where a lot of natural sugars are so be careful when de-seeding! Blend the melon in a food processor and then pour purée into a strainer over a small saucepan to collect the Korean melon juice, pressing the pulp through the strainer with a spatula. Reduce over medium low heat until the liquid thickens and reduced by at least half, stirring constantly to prevent from burning. When about 2 TBSP of liquid is remaining, remove from heat and set aside to cool. Alternatively, you could skip this step and just use 2 TBSP honey or sugar. The result will still be absolutely delicious!

Make sauce and assemble. In a bowl, combined all the ingredients for the sauce. It should be quite concentrated as the acorn jelly is mild in flavor. When you’re ready to serve, slice the acorn jelly into easy to eat pieces (I like 2 inch squares) and arrange on top of a bed of arugula and sliced Korean melon. Spoon sauce over acorn jelly and sprinkle the whole dish with more sesame seeds and edible flowers if using and enjoy!