1.Hangover stew (해장국)
Given Korea’s dedicated drinking culture, it’s not
surprising that Korea’s hangover-curing culture is equally as developed,
from pre-drinking drinks to post-drinking drinks to a glorious array of
spicy and steamy stews and soups.Made from a beef broth, with cabbage, bean sprouts, radish
and chunks of congealed ox blood, the deeply satisfying taste does
wonders to kick-start your sluggish brain in the morning.
2. Kimchi (김치)
Dating to the Shilla Dynasty (approximately 2,000 years ago), kimchi is the beloved spicy sidekick at every Korean table. It's made by salting and preserving fermented cabbage in a bed of pepper, garlic, ginger and scallion.Feeling adventurous? Exchange your regular red cabbage kimchi for ggakdugi (chopped radish kimchi), a popular side at gimbap restaurants. Yeolmumul kimchi is a less spicy kimchi made with young radish stalks floating in a tangy soup.
3. Soft Tofu Stew (순두부찌개)
Soft tofu, clams and an egg in spicy broth? This popular
stew is a classic example of unexpected flavor combinations yielding
delightful sensations.
The soft tofu which breaks into fluffy chunks in the
stew -- holds the flavor of the clam and serves as a relief from the
overall spiciness.
Proper sundubu-jjigae comes in a traditional earthenware
pot designed to retain heat. The egg is cracked into the stew after
serving, and cooks inside the bowl.
4. Samgyeopsal (삼겹살)
The best part of eating in a samgyeopsal restaurant is the
atmosphere -- a rollicking party punctuated by soju shots, pork strips
sizzling on a grill and shouts for “one more serving, please!”
Served with lettuce, perilla leaves, sliced onions and raw
garlic kimchi, it's smudged in ssamjang (a mix of soybean paste called
'doenjang' and chili paste called 'gochujang') or salt and pepper in
sesame oil.
5. Jjajangmyeon (짜장면)
Although originally a Chinese dish, Koreans have taken the
noodles and created a thicker, yummier version that holds only a vague
resemblance to its Chinese predecessor. (Think of New Yorkers and the
wonders they’ve done with pizza.).It would not be an understatement to say Korean diets
would not be the same without this dish -- most Koreans eat it at least
once a week, and have their favorite jjajangmyeon delivery shop on speed
dial.
6. Chimaek (치맥)
Chimaek, short for “chicken, maekju (beer)” is actually
not a dish, but an institution. This glorious pairing features two
surprisingly mundane foods: fried chicken and beer.
Neither half, chicken nor beer, is particularly remarkable
on its own. But their popularity as a joint entity demonstrates a
glorious combination devoured by millions of Koreans every weekend.
7. Instant noodles (라면)
Anyone can follow the directions on the back of the
ramyeon package to boil water and sprinkle in the spice packet, but
connoisseurs will add extras like canned tuna, eggs, and cheese for
enhanced flavor.
8. Kimchi Stew (김치찌개)
A lesser-known fact about kimchi is its versatility as an
ingredient in a whole slew of derivative dishes, which comprise a
category of their own.
In kimchi jjigae, red cabbage kimchi is chopped, sautéed
in oil, and cooked with tofu, cellophane noodles, pork (sometimes tuna),
and other vegetables.
Despite the stew's debt to kimchi, you know it has come into its own when it’s served with kimchi as a side dish.
9. Army Stew (부대찌개)
This hodgepodge stew of sausages, Spam, American cheese,
instant noodles, tteok, and assorted vegetables dates back to the
aftermath of the Korean War.
Because meat was scarce, cooks found creative replacements
in the surplus foods from the American army base stationed in Seoul,
hence the stew's name.
Although meat has since then become plentiful, a buddae jjigae without Spam is unimaginable.
10. Soy sauce crab (간장게장)
Ganjang gejang, or crab marinated in soy sauce, can be so
addictive that it’s often affectionately called “rice thief,” the joke
being that you keep eating more rice just so that you can have more
gejang since it’s just that good.
Slightly tangy, tantalizingly bitter, pungent and cold,
the taste may come as a shock for first-timers. But among Koreans,
gejang has been carving out a niche for itself as more of a centerpiece
than a sideshow to other seafoods.
11. Tteokbokki (떡볶이)
This iconic red-orange street food is so popular there’s
an entire town in Seoul just devoted to the steamed and sliced rice
cakes (tteok), cooked with fish cakes (oden) and scallions in a sweet
and spicy sauce made of chili paste.
Chefs have been known to put all sorts of things inside
the sauce, from the black soybean paste to plain old ketchup. Call us
masochists, but one thing is certain: the more pepper, the better.
12. Gopchang (곱창)
Gopchang refers to the small intestines from pork or
cattle, which, chopped into rounded sections, can be cooked into soups,
stir-fried, or grilled.
13. Samgyetang (삼계탕)
Continuing along the masochistic strain, Koreans have a
saying that goes, “fight heat with heat.” What that means is Koreans
love to eat boiling hot dishes on the hottest summer days.
The most representative of these is samgyetang, a thick,
glutinous soup with a whole stuffed chicken floating in its boiling
depths.
The cooking process tones down the ginseng’s signature
bitterness and leaves an oddly appealing, aromatic flavor in its stead a flavor that permeates an entire bird boiled down to a juicy
softness.
14. Bibimbap (비빔밥)
This Korean lunch-in-a-bowl mixes together a simple salad
of rice, mixed vegetables, rice, beef, and egg, with sesame oil and a
dollop of chili paste for seasoning. Although Korean kings from
yesteryear would probably be shocked at how the royal dish has become so
ingrained into the palate of the masses, we love how cheaply and
quickly we can devour our favorite lunch.
15. Gimbap (김밥)
The process of making gimbap resembles the Italian
glasswork technique of millefiori, and indeed, the finished gimbap often
looks too pretty too eat.
Sautéed vegetables, ground beef, sweet pickled radish, and
rice, rolled and tightly wrapped in a sheet of laver seaweed (gim), and
then sliced into bite-sized circles.
16. Doenjang (된장)
When people think Asian cuisine, they often think soy
sauce. But soy sauce is actually a byproduct of this soybean product, a
paste made from dried and fermented soybeans in a process too
complicated to describe here.
This brown, textured paste is not the prettiest food in
the world, and like Australian vegemite, the taste takes some getting
used to. But once that taste is acquired, good luck trying to make do
without it.
17. Gamjatang (감자탕)
Most gamjatang places are open 24 hours, because Koreans
tend to crave this stew in the early hours of the morning as an
alternative to hangover stew.
This hearty dish features potatoes (gamja), scallions,
ground perilla seed, and bits of pork cooked in a pork bone broth. The
real appeal of this stew lies in the unique taste of the perilla seed,
which is perhaps more important to the flavor than the meat.
18. Haemul Pajeon (해물파전)
Crunchy and filling, Korean pancake tastes best when it
comes studded with shellfish, cuttlefish, and other varieties of
seafood, to make haemul (seafood) pajeon.
And with its traditional companion of Korean rice wine, makgeolli, pajeon makes the perfect meal for a rainy day.
19. Jjambbong (짬뽕)
This dish is the soupier, spicier counterpart to
jjajangmyeon and together they form the core of Korean Chinese home
delivery cuisine.
20. Sundae (순대)
Another street food, sundae is a type of sausage, similar
in content to blood pudding, with roots in Mongolian cuisine. “Real”
sundae is pig intestine with a stuffing of cellophane noodles,
vegetables, and meat, but even if you eat the street vendor version,
which uses a synthetic replacement for the pig intestine, you will still
be able to enjoy the lungs and liver on the side. Yum.
21. Kongguksu (콩국수)
This seasonal dish might taste bland to some, but once you
learn to enjoy the subtle flavor of the bean, you will acquire a taste
for this cold, creamy, textured noodle dish that no other dish will be
able to satisfy in the summer.
And if the pale, spring green julienned cucumbers placed
on the hand-ground, snow-white soybean doesn’t tip you off, kongguksu is
a highly nutritious dish that also happens to be vegetarian-friendly.
22. Kalguksu (칼국수)
Bad kalguksu can be very bad. But good kalguksu is divine.
Although most kalguksu places will add mushrooms, sliced
pumpkin, and seafood or chicken to the basic ingredients of noodles and
broth, at the end of the day kalguksu is about the pleasure of the
plain.
23. Ox Bone Soup (설렁탕)
This ox bone soup is easily recognizable by its milky
white color and sparse ingredients. At most, seolleongtang broth will
contain noodles, finely chopped scallions, and a few strips of meat.
Yet for such a frugal investment, the results are
rewarding. There is nothing like a steaming bowl of seolleongtang on a
cold winter day, salted and peppered to your taste, and complemented by
nothing more than rice and ggakdugi kimchi.
24. Tteokguk (떡국)
Originally tteokguk was strictly eaten on the first day of
the Korean New Year to signify good luck and the gaining of another
year in age. The custom makes more sense if you think in Korean:
idiomatically, growing a year older is expressed as “eating another
year.”
But this dish of oval rice cake slices, egg, dried laver
seaweed, and occasionally dumplings in a meat-based broth is now eaten
all year round, regardless of age or season.
25. Doenjang jjigae (된장찌개)
This humble, instantly recognizable stew is one of Korea’s most beloved foods.
The ingredients are simple: doenjang, tofu, mushrooms,
green peppers, scallions, and an anchovy or two for added flavor. Add
rice and kimchi on the side and you have a meal no other side dishes
necessary.
While its distinctive piquancy might throw some off, that very taste is what keeps it on the Korean table week after week.
26. Galbi (갈비)
Galbi, which means “rib,” can technically come from pork and even chicken, but when you just say “galbi” sans modifiers, you’re talking about thick slabs of meat marinated in a mixture of soy sauce, chopped garlic, and sugar and grilled over a proper fire.
Of course, beef galbi can be used to make soup (galbitang)
and steamed galbi (galbijjim). But these dishes, while excellent in
their own right, are overshadowed by their grilled leader.
27. Chuncheon dakgalbi (춘천 닭갈비)
On the other end of the galbi spectrum is the low-budget student favorite Chuncheon dakgalbi.
In this dish, chunks of chicken are marinated in a sauce
of chili paste and other spices, and stir-fried in a large pan with
tteok, cabbage, carrots, and slices of sweet potato. Because of the tendency of the red dakgalbi sauce to
splatter, it’s common to see many diners wearing aprons over their
clothes as they cook and eat.
28. Bossam (보쌈)
As is frequently the case with many Korean meat dishes, Bossam at its core is simple: steamed pork.
But key to this dish is that the steamed pork is sliced into squares
slightly larger than a bite, lovingly wrapped in a leaf of lettuce,
perilla, or kimchi, and daubed with a dipping sauce. There are two
traditional options: ssamjang, made of chili paste and soybean paste
(doenjang), or saeujeot, a painfully salty pink sauce made of tiny
pickled shrimp.29. Agujjim (아구찜)
Agujjim, also known as agwijjim, is a seafood dish that
consists of anglerfish braised on a bed of dropwort and bean sprout. It
is as spicy as it looks: the entire dish is a bright reddish color, from
the chili powder, chili paste, and chili peppers used in the
seasoning.
The white, firm flesh of the anglerfish, which is quite
rightly called the “beef of the sea,” is meaty and filling. And the
tangle of dropwort and bean sprout that make up the majority of the dish
aren’t just there for decoration: the dropwort is tart and the bean
sprouts crunchy.
30. Japchae (잡채)
Japchae, a side dish of cellophane noodles, pork, and
assorted vegetables sautéed in soy sauce, makes its most frequent
appearances at feasts and potlucks.
There are no precise rules governing the precise
assortment of vegetables in japchae, but most recipes won’t stray far
from the standard collection of mushrooms, carrots, spinach, onions, and
leeks.
31. Dubukimchi (두부김치)
This appropriate combination of blanched dubu (tofu),
sautéed kimchi, and stir-fried pork is a threesome made in heaven. The
dubu, which has the potential to be bland on its own, has the pork to
add substance and the kimchi to add flavor.
Another stalwart companion to alcohol, especially at more
traditional bars and restaurants, dubukimchi makes soju almost
palatable.
32. Hobakjuk (호박죽)
Nothing says "get well soon" like a bowl of golden porridge. This viscous, yellow-orange juk, or porridge, gets its distinctive color and flavor from the pumpkin, its namesake and its main ingredient. The pumpkin is peeled, boiled, and blended with glutinous rice flour, and the result is a bowl of porridge so creamy, golden, and sweet that in some ways it seems more pudding than porridge. Hobakjuk is often served as an appetizer to meals, or as a health food: it is supposedly beneficial to those suffering from intestinal problems.
The specifics of medicinal science aside, it’s not difficult to imagine that this mellow, mildly flavored meal can heal.
33. Gyeranjjim (계란찜)
This side dish, in which an egg is beaten into a bowl,
lightly salted and steamed into a spongy, pale yellow cake, is
absolutely essential when eating spicy food.
Similar in consistency to soft tofu (sundubu), but with
more flavor, gyeranjjim is sometimes made with diced mushrooms, carrots,
zucchini, leeks, and sesame seeds sprinkled on top.
34. Naengmyeon (냉면)
In Korea we wait for summer just so we can start eating
naengmyeon every week. The cold buckwheat noodles are great as a
lightweight lunch option or after Korean barbecue, as a way to cleanse
the palate.
Mul naengmyeon, or “water” naengmyeon, hailing from North
Korea’s Pyeongyang, consists of buckwheat noodles in a tangy meat or
kimchi broth, topped with slivers of radish, cucumber, and egg, and
seasoned with vinegar and Korean mustard (gyeoja).
35. Dotorimuk (도토리묵)
This light brown jello, made of acorn starch, is served
cold, frequently with a topping of chopped leeks and soy sauce as a side
dish, or as an ingredient in Dotorimuk salads and dotorimukbap
(dotorimuk with rice).
Like tofu, dotorimuk, while nutritious and vegan-friendly,
can taste bland on its own. The flavor, which is unique, can only be
described as acorn -- bitter rather than nutty. But although dotorimuk
may be an acquired taste, most dotorimuk dishes have a host of
appetizing spices and condiments to help the process along.
36. Mudfish Soup (추어탕)
This spicy soup has a consistency closer to that of stew.
Although mashed and boiled to the point where it is unrecognizable,
chueotang is named for the freshwater mudfish (chueo) that constitutes
the main ingredient.
But the selling point of this soup is the coarse yet
satisfying texture of the mudfish and the vegetables mung bean
sprouts, dried radish greens, sweet potato stems, and most of all the
thin, delicate outer cabbage leaves.
37. Bulgogi (불고기)
If galbi represents Korean barbecue, then bulgogi’s
playing field is Korean cuisine as a whole. This well-known sweet meat
dish, which has existed in some form for over a thousand years, was
haute cuisine during the Joseon Dynasty.
The dish is also a fusion favorite: bulgogi-flavored
burgers are part of the menu at fast food franchise Lotteria, and there
have also been sightings of other adaptations like the bulgogi panini.
38. Ppeongtwigi (뻥튀기)
If you’ve ever been lucky enough to get stuck in daytime
Seoul traffic, you will see the ppeongtwigi sellers emerge from nowhere
and park themselves in the center of the highway. Their fearlessness is a
sure sign that your car won’t be budging for a while yet.
Ppeongtwiti is onomatopoeic. The ppeong represents the
sound that rice makes as it pops, and there really isn’t much else to
the snack but that popping.
39. Nakji bokkeum (낙지볶음)
In this enduring favorite, octopus is stir-fried with
vegetables in a sauce of chili paste, chili powder, green peppers, and
chili peppers ingredients that would be spicy enough on their own,
but which all congregate to create one extra fiery dish.
When it’s done right, the chewy, tender octopus swims in a
thick, dark red, caramelized sauce, so good that you can ignore the
fact that it sets your mouth aflame to keep eating.
40. Bingsu (빙수)
In this delectable summer dessert, sweetened red beans
(pat) and tteok are served on a bed of shaved ice (bingsu). Variations
will include condensed milk, misutgaru, syrup, ice cream, and corn
flakes.
Then there are, of course, the variations on the bingsu, where the pat is sometimes entirely replaced by ice cream or fruit.
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