Spicy “Korean-Style” Shaved Carrot Salad

The provenance of the carrot salad called koreyskaya morkovka (which translates from the Russian as “Korean carrots”) is murky, but it is said to have originated with ethnic Koreans in Russia. It’s a spicy, garlicky, tangy-sweet, slaw-like affair. To give the dish more substance, we turned it into a shaved carrot salad, as we learned in Argentina. A sharp Y-style vegetable peeler makes it easy to shave the carrots into long, thin ribbons. We pour the hot dressing mixture over the ribbons and let the salad marinate for at least 1 hour (or up to three days). This slightly softens the carrots and allows them to absorb the seasonings. Use Korean red pepper flakes (gochugaru) if you can find them; if not, cayenne pepper works, but use half the amount.