Korean Food Recipes

Mussel stew is quite popular as a drinking side dish (with soju) in Korea. Mussels (Honghap, 홍합) are very cheap in Korea, you can get 1 kg of unshelled mussels for about 3000 won (US $3.20). Though, it took a fair bit of time to clean them for cooking. “Cheap to eat, but hard work.” Anyhow, since it’s so cheap and best time to have, I decided to make some spicy mussel stew (Honghap Jjim, 홍합찜). Just you know, if you buy this dish at a restaurant, it will cost about 12,000 to 15,000 won. (US $12.65 – 15.80) So it is better to cook it yourself to save some penny. 😉 INGREDIENTS FOR 2 PEOPLE (YOU WILL NEED A POT AND A WOK) (Preparation time – 1 hours 30 mins, Cooking time – about 5 minutes) 500 g mussels 1 green chili 1 tsp garlic, thinly sliced 2 Tbsp gochugaru (Korean chili flakes) 1 Tbsp gochujang (Korean chili paste) 2 Tbsp soy sauc 1 Tbsp honey 5 cups water PREPARATION Clean the mussels individually with a rough cloth or brush. Soak the mussels in cold water for about 1 hour. (Add som

Korean pork belly (Samgyeopsal: 삼겹살)  Koreans love Samgyeopsal. Samgyeop means three layer so Samgyeopsal means three layered meat. This meat is typically used on a BBQ. It is popular in both the non-marinated and marinated way. Sirloin (Deungshim:등심)  or Tenderloin (Anshim: 안심)  Beef sirloin or tenderloin is commonly used when making Bulgogi (Korean marinated BBQ beef, 불고기), Miyeok-guk (Korean seaweed soup, 미역국) and  Japchae (Korean glass noodles, 잡채). 

Sea kelp (Dashima: 다시마)  Sea kelp (also known as Kombu) is mainly used when making stock (Korean style dashi). You buy dried sea kelp and soak it in a bowl of water for 1 hour (or more) to use. In this case, you’re mainly using the water that’s been sitting with the sea kelp not the sea kelp itself. You can also use sea kelp when making deep fried sea kelp side dish. Sea mustard (Miyeok: 미역) Sea mustard (also known as Wakame) is mainly used in Korean seaweed soup (aka Korean birthday soup). You buy dried seaweed and soak it in a bowl of water for 10-15 mins then it will swell and is ready for use. You can also buy fresh sea mustard (Mul miyeok, 물미역) in Korea and this is often used when making side dishes. Dried anchovy (Marun Myeolchi: 마른 멸치)  Large dried anchovy is used when making stock (Korean style dashi). Small to medium dried anchovy is used when making braised or stir fried Korean side dishes. Seaweed (Gim: 김)  Non-seasoned seaweed is most commonly used when making Kimbap (김밥, K

Napa cabbage/ Chinese cabbage/ Wombok (Baechu: 배추)  Napa cabbage is most commonly used when making Kimchi, which means it is a VERY important ingredient. Napa cabbage is also used in a sautéed side dish, in napa cabbage soup (Baechuguk) and it can also be used as a wrap (Ssam, 쌈). Perilla leaves (Gganip: 깻잎)  Perilla leaves are used in a pickled side dish, in stir fry and as a wrap. They are part of the mint family and have a strong aroma. They are similar to Japanese shiso, but they are known to have a different flavor and shape. Garlic (Manul: 마늘)  Unless it’s a dessert dish or plain steamed rice, you should expect to add some garlic in practically every Korean dish – soup, stew, side dishes, main dishes. I normally buy a glass bottle of minced garlic (250g) from a Korean grocery store and it usually lasts me about 2 to 3 months. Ginger (Saenggang: 생강)  Ginger is also another vegetable commonly used along side garlic. (Though it’s less frequently used than garlic). Ginger is typicall

Short grain white rice (Ssal: 쌀)  Short grain white rice is a typical Korean rice species. Once cooked, the rice grains sticks to each other. It has a slightly shiny look and slightly sweet taste. Japanese sushi rice is also short grain rice and this can be used alternatively. At present, I’m using Australian brand medium grain white rice simply because this is a cheaper alternative to Korean rice or Japanese rice. Though I find this quite inferior to Korean or Japanese rice.  Sweet potato noodles /Korean glass noodles (Dangmyeon: 당면) Sweet potato noodles are clear dried noodles made with sweet potato starch. They are most commonly used in Korean mixed noodles and vegetables (Japchae). The noodles come in large dried bundles and they are hard to separate. However, there is also a pre-cut version that are really easy to use as well. So look out for those if you can. To cook, you soak them in warm water for several minutes or boil depending on the recipe. They are  similar to cellophane

Korean chili paste/Hot pepper paste (Gochujang: 고추장)  Does it need further explanation?  Gochujang is probably the most famous Korean condiment. It goes in side dishes, soup & stew, main dishes, marinade etc. It is made from fine Korean chili powder, glutinous rice, fermented soybeans and salt. While it’s spicy, it also has a very subtle sweet note. Nowadays, there are various versions of gochujang (ie. extra spicy gochujang, less spicy gochujang and beef seasoned gochujang etc), however my recipes are based on the standard version of gochujang. Soybean paste (Doenjang: 된장)  Korean soybean paste is often compared with Japanese miso paste. It is made with fermented soybeans over a period of time. It has natural pungent smell and flavor. It is mainly used in soup & stew but it can also be used as a sauce when making side dishes. As with gochujang, there are various versions of soybean paste available (e.g. soybean paste mixed with seafood extract) however my recipes are based on

Soy sauce (Ganjang: 간장)  There are a few different kinds of soy sauce available in Korea. Each of those have a different name based on the ingredients used and/or the method of brewing. I will cover that in more detail in a separate post some other time as it can be lengthy. For my day to day cooking needs (e.g. stir fry, braising etc), I use 100% naturally brewed soy sauce – Kikoman brand. If you’re looking to buy a Korean brand of this kind, Yangjo Ganjang (양조간장) is the name you should be looking for. For soup and stew, I use soy sauce that’s made for soup. It’s saltier than other kinds of soy sauce but the color is lighter. It can be also be used as an alternative to salt and it adds deeper umami. Rice wine/cooking wine (Mirim: 미림)  I use rice wine particularly when marinating meat for a BBQ. It gets rid of the meat smell and it’s also known to add a slightly sweet note to the main dish. Japanese Mirin (미린) does the same job. Korean fish sauce (Aecjeot: 액젓)  Korean fish sauce is typ

Korean chili powder / Hot pepper flakes (Gochugaru: 고추가루)  Most Korean spiciness comes from this magic powder called gochugaru. It is essentially made with dried Korean red chilies. It mainly comes in two different formats – fine and coarse. Fine chili powder is mostly used when making gochujang and coarse chili powder covers the rest of Korean cooking needs. So I buy coarse chili powder more frequently and store it in my fridge as it can get mouldy if you don’t store it well (e.g. storing it at room temperature). If your gochugaru starts hardening, you can use the food processor to separate it again. Just a few seconds of pulse will fix it. Roasted sesame seeds (Bokken chamggae: 볶은 참깨)  Roasted sesame seeds are usually used in a dish as a garnish. It adds a nutty warm flavor and nice crunchy texture to the dish. Typically it is used in Korean vegetable side dishes (Namul, 나물) and also in dipping sauces. I use both Korean (left) and Japanese (right) brand depending on the sesame seeds

Easy Jajangmyeon (Korean noodles in black bean sauce) recipe! Have you ever tried Korean black bean sauce noodles (Jajangmyeon, 자장면 or Jjajangmyeon, 짜장면) before? WHAT IS JAJANGMYEON It is a popular noodle dish served with black bean sauce, which consists of chunjang (춘장, a salty black soybean paste), diced pork (or other kinds of meat) and vegetables. You can find it easily at a Korean Chinese restaurant. While there are many theories about when it was first introduced to Korea, officially the first known Jajangmyeon is from a restaurant called Gonghwachun (공화춘) in Chinatown of Incheon, Korea back in 1905. It was introduced by Chinese merchants but the flavor evolved to suit Korean’s taste buds over time. It is a very common and easily accessible dish now. But when I was a child I only ate this on special occasions such as school carnival day or school entrance and graduation ceremony day. So you’ll understand how special this Jajangmyeon is to me and also to most Koreans. WHAT IS KORE