The original forerunner of this salad is popular in Almaty, the ex-capital of Kazakhstan, where it is known as a 'Korean salad' and it is true that in the bazaars the purveyors of such salads, along with tofu, soy sauce and chop-sticks, are usually ethnic Korean ladies. These ladies, however, usually have names like Ludmilla and Tatyana and have never been to Korea in their lives. In many cases they are the descendants of forced migrants who were unfortunate enough to be victims of Joe Stalin's paranoia.
This is a nice salad - even nicer, I think, with the addition of walnuts and coriander (my invention) - just don't expect to see it on the menu if you go to Korea on holiday.
Ingredients4 or 5 largish carrots
4 or 5 cloves of garlic
A small handful of shelled walnuts
A bunch of fresh green coriander
Juice of half a lemon
1 tablespoon of vegetable oil (sunflower, if you want to be picky)
A pinch of salt
Grate the carrots, finely chop the walnuts and garlic and chop the coriander in a cup with scissors (see the section on 'herbs and spices' if you're not sure how to do this) Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl with a couple of forks and leave in the fridge for an hour before serving. If you're fussy about presentation, transfer the salad to a clean bowl and garnish with a sprig of coriander and a wee slice of lemon.