I never much cared for the circus, as a kid. My parents took us to see the Ringling Brothers once or twice, but… it just wasn’t really my thing.

I’d much rather see ice skating or ballet or musicals… those were more my style.

But the first time I saw Cirque du Soleil… I was obsessed.

The sets, the costumes, the artistry, the talent… I couldn’t get enough.

I’ve seen almost all of them at this point, but the first Cirque show I fell in love with was Varekai. I wanted nothing more than to be Olga Pikhienko, the contortionist and handbalancer who played the lead role of La Promise.

Never mind that I had no clue how to even train contortionism, and even for a dancer, I’m pretty darn inflexible.

For the last decade or two, my family has gone to see every Cirque show that comes through Southern California.

But, I was always so stuck on the idea of being a dancer, that it never even occurred to me to seek out somewhere I could train in the circus arts.

I’ve posted this before and I’ll probably post it again, because I love this so much and we continue to eat it all the time.

We always eat it with that spinach and chickpeas dish, but honestly it’s good with rice and just about anything!

The spicy, savory, crunchiness of it is a great addition to any meal.

Mumallaengi-muchim (seasoned dried radish strips)

from Maangchi

Ingredients

• 5 oz dried radish strips
• 1 tsp vegetable oil
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 green onions, chopped
• 6 tbsp gochugaru
• 4 tsp toasted sesame seeds
• 4 tbsp fish sauce
• 6 tbsp rice syrup

Cooking Directions

1. Wash and drain the dried radish strips in cold water a few times. Soak in cold water for 7-8 minutes.
2. Strain and squeeze out excess water.
3. Heat a pan over medium high heat and sauté the dried radish strips with 1 tsp vegetable oil for 1 minute. Remove from heat and set aside.
4. Combine garlic, green onion, gochugaru, sesame seeds, fish sauce, and rice syrup in a mixing bowl and mix well.
5. Add the dried radish strips and mix well by hand.
6. Serve as a side dish with rice. The dried radish kimchi can be stored in the fridge for up to 1 month.

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