Baek Jong-won's Spinach with Bacon

1. Trim the outer dirty parts and stems of the spinach, then wash thoroughly and remove excess moisture.
2. Mash the whole garlic roughly with the back of a knife and chop coarsely; cut the bacon into bite-sized pieces.
3. Heat a small amount of cooking oil in a pan, then sauté the chopped garlic over high heat until fragrant and golden brown.
4. Add the sliced bacon before the garlic turns completely dark brown, and cook together to allow the fat to render fully.
5. Once the garlic and bacon are nicely browned, add a pinch of seasoning salt and mix well to season the oil evenly.
6. Add the prepared spinach to the pan and gently toss with chopsticks to combine with the base ingredients.
7. As soon as the spinach begins to wilt, turn off the heat or reduce to low and finish cooking using the residual heat.
8. Quickly transfer to a serving dish while the spinach still retains its crisp texture.

Cooking tips 💡

• The root end of spinach contains concentrated sweetness, so do not discard it—just clean the outer surface thoroughly and use the entire stalk for better flavor.
• Prepared garlic burns easily and can become messy, so it’s best to crush whole garlic cloves with a knife rather than using pre-minced garlic.
• You can substitute bacon with smoked duck, sausage, or thinly sliced ham—the rich fat content works equally well.
• Overcooking spinach after adding it will make it tough and watery, so remove from heat while it’s still slightly crisp.