Fernbrake or Bracken, Gosari 고사리
Young stems of Fernbrake or Bracken ("gosari") are commonly used as the main wild edible greens in Korea. Fernbrake is used to make Namul, korean vegetable side dishes or used in soup or stews. It is also one of the main ingredients for the most popular Korean dish, bibimbap. Fernbrake is called "the beef of the mountains" due to the high protein content. It is also good for diet and constipation relief because it's high in dietary fiber. However, it is better to eat bracken cooked since the raw ones contain thiaminase, which decomposes vitamin B1. It is usually sold dried so you should soak it in water and blanch it before cooking.
You can buy Gosari online here.
Sourcing & Selecting
Local Korean grocery market
You can buy Gosari online here.
Soak dried bracken in cold water for at least 3 hours. (Overnight is ideal.) |
|
Wash thoroughly twice. Cut in half. |
|
Blanch in boiling water until soft (if soaked over night, blanch for 3-5 min, if soaked for 3 hours, blanch for 15 min). If you don’t have time to soak it, you can get away with blanching it for a longer time until soft. |
|
Rinse in cold water twice. Squeeze out water. (Don’t squeeze too hard. It may get too mushy.) |
|
It’s now ready to be used in cooking. Note: Some people reverse the process (i.e., Blanch first and soak overnight. Then wash.) Depending on how dry the gosari is and how long you soak, the blanching time may vary. It also depends on your preference on the texture. If you don’t soak or blanch enough, it will be tough. If you overdo it, it will be mushy. |
|
Niacin 0.20mg
Sodium 1.00mg
Protein 3.90g
Glucide 5.10g
Retinol 0.00μg
β O Carotene 0.00μg
Vitamin A 34.00μgRE
Vitamin B1 0.07mg
Vitamin B2 0.10mg
Vitamin B6 0.21mg
Vitamin C 26.00mg
Vitamin E 4.00mg
Dietary Fiber 3.71g
Zinc 0.44mg
Folic Acid 34.30μg
Phosphorus 84.00mg
Lipid 0.30g
Iron 1.50mg
Potassium 415.00mg
Calcium 14.00mg
Cholesterol 0.00mg
Ash 1.20g
(of 100 grams of bracken)
