Top 10 Korean Food Recipes – You Must Try at Home

top-ten-korean-food-recipes

Introduction

South Korea, a country of beauty, tradition, wealth, food, and culture. This Asian country has a versatile variety in food culture. Their food is famous outside their country too. Some Korean food culture is practiced for 2,000 years from the royal families in Korea.

You can describe yummy Korean food as, healthy, nutritious with a savory taste. I had the luck to taste the mouth-watering delicious food in Korea and I don’t want my lovelies to miss the chance to taste the foods. So, if you visit South Korea, you should try the Top 10 Korean dishes on my list. You’ll find the foods from the street food shop to 5-star restaurants.

But if you can’t visit, then don’t worry today I’ll give you the top 10 Korean food recipes you can easily try at home. So, let’s dig into the main part.

Top 10 Korean Food Recipes You Must Try

1. Kimchi 

kimchi

Genre: Side Dish

Starting with the 2,000 years existing traditional cuisine, kimchi. This is the signature Korean dish. The main ingredient of this dish is Korean Cabbage. You can eat this dish with rice, noodles, meat or soup.

You can also many dishes with kimchi itself like kimchi fried rice, kimchi stew, kimchi pancake. The Korean dining table is incomplete without this item. Now recipe of the famous kimchi –

How to Cook Kimchi?

Cooking Time: 5-6 Days(Fermentation Process)

Ingredients

• A large cabbage
• Garlic
• Ginger
• Large Onions(Scallions)
• Fish Sauce
• Chili Flakes

Cooking Instruction

  1. Cut the cabbage leaves into 1-inch size. Take one by one layer of leaves and cut it.

  2. Now wash the cabbage pieces into a big bowl and throw 3 spoons of salt in it.

  3. Now fill the cabbage bowl with water that submerges the whole cabbage pieces. Let the cabbage soak for 7-8 hours. Don’t forget to put a lid/ plate on the bowl.

  4. After 7-8 hours, drain the water from the cabbage. Store the brine water in another bowl.

  5. Take garlic, ginger, fish sauce, and chili flakes into a food processor and blend them into a paste. It’ll use as the paste to coat kimchi.

  6. Now, cut the large onions, radish, carrot, any other vegetables(you can add sea fish like squid) into 2 inches.

  7. Finally, add the vegetables and paste into the cabbage bowl and begin to mix them all with a light hand. Don’t forget to wear gloves.

  8. If needed add salt or chili flakes more.

  9. Take a large-sized jar and put the kimchi into the jar. Keep 2 inches of space on the top of the jar as when it’ll ferment, a liquid will spread on the top.

  10. After settling the kimchi pour some of the brine into the jar to cover the cabbage.

  11. Leave the jar in a dark and cool place for 4-6 days. It’ll get softer when the fermentation starts.

2. Bulgogi

bulgogi

Genre: Side Dish

Bulgogi is a food that contains Korean beef, different vegetables with a smokey grilling flavor. This is also a side Korean dish served with rice. Sometimes people also eat this dish with leafy vegetables like spinach or lettuce wrapped with the meat with some spicy sauce and kimchi.

I already have an article about how to make Korean BBQ meat or Bulgogi. You can check the recipe from there. The link is given below –

How to Cook Bulgogi?

3. Japchae

japchae

Genre: Snack

Japchae is also called Korean Glass Noodles. These noodles have transparent color that’s why it’s called glass noodles. These noodles are made of sweet potato. The recipe for these noodles is also very simple and easy but mouthwatering. Here’s the recipe –

How to Cook Japchae?

Cooking Time: 30 Minutes

Ingredients

• Korean Glass Noodles
• Carrot
• Mushroom
• Spinach
• Bell pepper
• Thin meat slice
• Egg
• Garlic
• Black pepper
• Sesame Oil
• Soy sauce
• Brown Sugar
• Salt
• Rice Wine

Cooking Instruction

  1. At first, marinate the meat slice with soy sauce, minced garlic, black pepper, rice wine, and sesame oil, and leave the meat to get marinated for 15 minutes.

  2. Boil the spinach leaves and drain the water from the leaves and wash them with cold water. Squeeze water lightly from the spinach. Now, mix some minced garlic, sesame oil with salt, make a paste and coat the spinach leaves with it.

  3. Make a paste with soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil, and black paper. Grab the ingredient vegetables and coat it with the half sauce. Leave them to get marinated.

  4. Now boil the glass noodles for 6-8 minutes and drain the water. Wash the noodles with cold water. Then, use the rest half of the point “3” sauce to coat the noodles. Mix them evenly.

  5. Beat one egg with some salt and black pepper. Then fry the egg well into a pan and set it aside.

  6. Fry the other vegetables- mushrooms, carrot, capsicums into the oil. Stir fry into medium heat until the vegetables get soft.

  7. Then, fry the marinated meat into a pan and fry until it’s fully cooked. Put the meat in a bowl.

  8. Lastly, stir fry the marinated noodles and coat them well with the sauce. Fry for 2 minutes.

  9. Now mix all the meat, vegetables with noodles. Cut the egg into a thin slice and serve!

4. Bibimbap

 

Genre: Main Course

In Korean, “Bap” means rice. So, the main ingredient of this food is rice. It’s a savory tasted food with stomach filling. Bibimbap can be served in a vegetarian and non-vegetarian way too.

Bibimbap was used to be a royal dish, but for years after years, it became a lunch or dinner item for Korean people. The recipe goes here

How to cook Bibimbap?

Cooking Time: 1 hour

Ingredients

• Cooked Rice• Minced Beef
• Minced Garlic
• Sesame Oil
• Soya Sauce
• Sugar
• Sesame Seeds
• Gochujang
• Apple Vinegar
• Mushrooms(Normal & Shiitake)
• Spinach
• Bean Sprout
• Carrot
• Eggs

Cooking Instruction

  1. Marinate the minced beef in soy sauce, garlic, sesame oil, and sugar for 30 minutes. Then, fry the meat properly in a pan for 5-7 minutes.

  2. Boil the spinach and bean sprouts and season them with sesame seeds.

  3. In a frying pan, stir fry the carrots and mushrooms with a pinch of salt. Fry for 2-3 minutes.

  4. Fry an egg with the sunny side up. Or you can fry the egg as you want.

  5. Add gochujang, sugar, sesame oil, water, apple vinegar, minced garlic with sesame seeds. Make a smooth paste.

  6. In a big bowl, take 2 scoops of rice. Then add the meat, sauce, vegetables, spinach side by side. Place the egg on the top. Mix the whole bowl and eat!

5. Kimbap

 

kimbap

Genre: Main Course

Kimbap is a very popular signature dish of Korea. It’s also made with rice. It looks like Japanese sushi rolls. This bite-sized cut dish is made with some savory ingredients. Here’s the recipe.

How to cook Kimbap?

Cooking Time: 45 Minutes

Ingredients

• Dried Seaweed Sheets
• Rice
• Carrot
• Spinach
• Crab Stick
• Ham
• Yellow Radish Pickle
• Sesame Oil
• Salt

Cooking Instruction

  1. Wash and boil the spinach. Then wash the boiled spinach into cold water and squeeze the extra water. Season the spinach with salt and sesame oil.

  2. In a frying pan, lightly stir fry the carrot, crab stick, and kimbap ham for 1 minute.

  3. Beat an egg and fry it well on both sides. Then cut the egg into thin slices on the chopping board.

  4. Take 2 scoops of rice and mix it with some salt and sesame oil.

  5. Take a bamboo mat and place a dried seaweed sheet on it. Put the rice on it and spread it evenly in a thin layer on the sheet. Keep a space of 2-3 inches at the top of seaweed.

  6. Put the ingredients one by one, side by side, then roll the seaweed. If it’s not sealing the seaweed then spread some water at the top of the seaweed and roll it.

  7. Brush some sesame oil on the top of the seaweed and cut the roll into bite-size. Serve with kimchi or bulgogi!

6. Jjajangmyeon

 

Jjajangmyeon

Genre: Snack

I’m already drooling while writing about Jjajangmyeon. Though it’s not of full Korean origin, rather a Chinese chef introduced this dish in Korea. From then, Korean people made their recipes for this food. So, it’s a Korean-Chinese fusion dish.

There is no Korean movie or drama, you won’t see where they don’t eat these savory tasted noodles. It’s a quick, cheap, and stomach-filling snack. Let’s make it.

How to cook Jjajangmyeon?

Cooking Time: 45 Minutes

Ingredients

• Jjajangmyeon Noodles/Ramen
• Potatoes
• Cabbage
• Button Mushrooms
• Diced Pork/Beef
• Onions
• Zucchini
• Black Pepper
• Minced Garlic
• Salt
• Rice Wine
• Sugar
• Chicken Stock
• Korean Black Bean Paste
• Potato Starch
• Water

Cooking Instruction

  1. Wash the pork/beef and marinate it with black pepper, salt, rice wine, and minced ginger. Mix them very well and keep them aside to rest for 15 minutes.

  2. Slice the mushrooms into thin pieces and cut the vegetables- potato, zucchini, and onion into small cubes. Then, cut the cabbage into small pieces.

  3. On a pre-heated frying pan, add the black bean sauce and stir vigorously. Then, add sugar and stir for 2 minutes. Let the paste rest for a while.

  4. Add the marinated pork/beef and fry until it’s fully cooked. After the meat is fully cooked, add the vegetables except for cabbage & mushrooms into the meat. Cook for 5 minutes.

  5. Add the cabbage and mushrooms into the vegetables and meat and cook thoroughly. Now, add the cooked paste from 3 into the vegetables. Mix everything with the paste and fry for 2 minutes.

  6. Then, pour the chicken stock, rice wine, and water to boil and simmer into medium heat for 6-7 minutes.

  7. Now mix potato starch with water and pour it into the black sauce mix. It’ll thicken the mix and give a delicious texture. If you don’t have potato starch, add you can use cornflour with water in the same way.

  8. Boil the noodles properly and wash them with cold water and drain the water. Then, place the noodles on a plate.

  9. On the noodles, pour the sauce. At last garnish with a half-boiled egg. Mix the sauce with the noodles and dig in!

7. Tteokbokki

 

Tteokbokki

Genre: Snack

Tteokbokki is the easiest recipe that anyone can make. The most well-known and mouth-watering dish in Korea. This is mainly sweet and chewy rice cakes with some thick delicious spicy sauce and sometimes with cheese too. The recipe is here-

How to cook Tteokbokki?

Cooking Time: 20 Minutes

Ingredients

• Korean Rice Cakes
• Korean Fish Cakes
• Korean Soup Stock(Boil Dried Kelp & Dried Anchovy)
• Onion
• Korean Chili Flakes
• Korean Chili Paste
• Sugar
• Soy Sauce
• Minced Garlic

Cooking Instruction

  1. Soak the rice cakes into warm water until they get fully soft.

  2. Mix the Korean Chili paste, Korean Chili Flakes, sugar, garlic with soy sauce. Make a smooth paste.

  3. Now use the soup stock in a pot with medium-high heat. Now add the “2” paste and continuously stir the broth with a spatula. Once the mixture is well boiled, then add the rice cake with fish cake and onion.

  4. Boil the rice cake until it’s fully cooked and thickens the texture of the broth. Cook for 7-9 minutes.

  5. add sesame oil and green onions and stir once again and your delicious Tteokbokki is ready.

8. Sundubu Jjigae(Tofu Stew)

 

tofu-stew

Genre: Side Dish

I didn’t know tofu can be tasted this marvelous until I had tasted Sundubu Jjigae. This spicy soft tofu soup is made with some easy handy ingredients but tastes like heaven. It’s served with rice or kimchi. Here’s the recipe for you.

How to cook Sundubu Jjigae?

Cooking Time- 20 minutes

Ingredients

• Korean Soft Tofu(Sundubu)
• Clean Calms
• Fresh Shrimp(without head & shells)
• Mushrooms(Shiitake & Enoki)
• Green Onions
• Korean Soup Stock(Boil Dried Kelp & Dried Anchovy)
• Korean Chili Paste/Chili Flakes
• Korean Fish Sauce
• Minced Garlic
• Soy Sauce
• Black Pepper
• Salt
• Sesame oil
• Cooking Oil

Cooking Instruction

  1. Pre-heat a pot into medium-high heat and add cooking oil with chili flakes and minced garlic. Fry it but don’t burn the mixture.

  2. Add shrimps and calms into the mixture and coat them well. Then, add fish sauce and soy sauce to it and stir.

  3. Then, add Dried Kelp & Dried Anchovy, stock and boil until it bubbles vigorously.

  4. Add the tofu, raw egg, mushrooms and cook the whole mixture for 3-4 minutes. Garnish with sesame oil and green onions at last. Serve with rice!

9. Korean Fried Chicken

 

top-Korean-food-chicken-fry

Genre: Snack

Korean chicken fry isn’t like all the American recipes we follow. They make their fry in a juicy plus crispy way. It’s the most popular Korean food in America. Let’s see their special recipe –

How to cook Korean Fried Chicken?

Cooking Time- 30 minutes

Ingredients

• Chicken Drumsticks/Wings
• Minced Garlic
• Salt
• Balck Pepper
• Soy Sauce
• Rice Wine
• Potato/Corn Starch
• Tomato Sauce
• Korean Chili Paste
• Sugar
• Honey
• Sesame Oil
• Cooking Oil

Cooking Instruction

  1. At first, in a clean bowl mix the chicken pieces with salt, black pepper, and rice wine. Mix each piece very well.

  2. They coat the chickens into potato/corn starch separately.

  3. In a saucepan, pour oil and heat the oil to fry the chickens. Fry the chicken until they are golden brown. Fry in medium-low heat.

  4. Now take a pan mix tomato sauce, sugar, honey, chili paste, soy sauce, sesame oil, and garlic. Heat the pan very low flame and stir it until it gets a bit thicker.

  5. Take a big mixing bowl, place the fried chicken in the bowl and pour the sauce on the chickens. It gives a crispy and juicy vibe!

Suggestion for you – White Turkey Chili with Cream Cheese 

10. Patibingsu

Genre: Dessert

Wrapping up my list with another sweet-tooth food item, Patibingsu. It looks like a mountain of ice shavings and sweet toppings. It has ice shavings with some delicious toppings and fruits decorated.

It’s an Asian culture to share dessert from the same bowl, that’s why it’s served as a mountain! Here’s how it’s made.

How to Cook Patibingsu?

Cooking Time: 10 Minutes

Ingredients

• Ice Cubes
• Condensed Milk
• Strawberry
• Mango
• Blueberry
• Kiwi
• Banana
• Jelly/Jam

Cooking Instruction

  1. Grind the ice cubes smoothly into a food processor.

  2. Place the smooth ices into a bowl and add your favorite fruits into the bite-size cuts. Lastly, garnish with condensed milk. Add mochi if you have it at home. Have a bite then!

Frequently Asked Question on Most Korean Food Recipes

What are the most popular Korean dishes?

Korean dishes have the most versatile type in Asia. Here are some popular Korean dishes-

  • Bulgogi
  • Kimchi
  • Korean Fried Chicken
  • Pajeon(Korean Seafood Pancake)
  • Sundubu Jjigae
  • Samgyeopsal

What is the famous food in South Korea?

All the famous food in South Korea is savory, affordable, easy to digest, spicy, and nutritious. Here are some of the South Korean famous food list –

  1. Bibimbap
  2. Tteokbokki
  3. Patbingsu
  4. Japchae
  5. Hangover Stew
  6. Jjajangmyeon

What is the name of Korean food?

Some Korean dishes name sounds like similar or familiar with American dish. As Korean is a bit tongue twister language, so some dishes name sounds quite difficult to pronounce for foreigners. Anyways, here are some Korean food name-

  • Samgyeopsal
  • Haemul Pajeon
  • Tteokbokki
  • Jjajangmyeon
  • Sundubu Jjigae
  • Bibim Nengmyun

What is Korean staple food?

Like Chine, Japan, India, and Bangladesh, the Korean staple food is also Rice. It’s a common Asian thing. In Korean food culture, rice is served as the main food with meat, fish, stew, vegetables like kimchi as side dishes. It helps to get a proper healthy and balanced diet every day.

The Verdict

Well, we’re very long away from the starting and you know about the top 10 Korean food recipes. I have tried to explain the recipes in a straightforward direction. I hope you have understood the cooking processes. So, which one you are going to try first? Don’t forget to share your experience with us.

Read Also – Healthy Oil-Free Corn Chips

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *