Korean Food Recipes

Give life to your Korean soup by learning how to make Korean soup stock (aka Korean style dashi stock)!  WHAT IS DASHI? Dashi is Japanese soup stock, which is used as a base stock in a Japanese soup dish. It is also used in some side dishes and in noodle dishes etc. Dashi is like a backbone of Japanese cuisine. So why am I talking about Japanese food – dashi here? Well, there is dashi in Korean cooking as well. In Korea, we call this yuksu (육수), however, dashi (다시) is also a commonly used terminology as well. KOREAN SOUP STOCK Among others, dried kelp and dried anchovy stock (Dashima Myeolchi Yuksu, 다시마 멸치 육수) is the most commonly used soup stock in Korean cooking. For even more complex flavor, some Koreans add dried shiitake mushroom, the white part of green onion (close to the root) and/or Korean radish (daikon radish) on top of this. As you can see from the picture above, dried kelp and dried anchovy stock is thin water based stock. It has a subtle but savory note. You can use t...

Korean Chinese style king oyster mushroom recipe – King oyster mushrooms and prawn rice bowl! You probably figured by now that we love mushrooms and prawns in this house. They are our fridge staple ingredients. Last night, I made king oyster mushrooms and prawn rice bowl for dinner. They are so easy and quick to make, so it’s a perfect weeknight dinner recipe. Needless to say, it’s loaded with mushrooms and prawns and covered in slight salty savory sauce. I hope you give this a try soon. INGREDIENTS (SERVES 2) 420g prawns, shelled and cleaned 3 medium size king oyster mushrooms, thinly sliced and halved 1/4 onion, thinly sliced 1/4 broccoli, stem removed and floret separated 1/2 yellow capsicum, thinly sliced 1/3 carrot, thinly sliced 1/6 zucchini, thinly sliced 1 1/2 cups water 1 Tbsp cooking oil 2 cups steamed rice 1 Tbsp oyster sauce 2 tsp soy sauce 2 tsp rice wine Starch water (mix of 2 Tbsp potato starch and 2 Tbspwater ) A few sprinkle of ground black pepper 1/2 tsp sesame oil fi...

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...

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)....

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 ...