Korean food and specialties

In this article, we will continue our acquaintance with the topic: Korean food and specialties. A large part of Korean cuisine consists of simple dishes known for their strong, pungent taste and smell. Many Korean banchans rely on fermentation for flavor and preservation, resulting in a tangy, salty, and pungent flavor.

Subscribe to our pages to not miss new recipes

Some dishes (such as Jeonju City with Bibimbap) are particularly associated with certain regions, either as a place of origin or a regional variety of food. Restaurants often use these famous names on their signs or menus (such as “Suwon galbi”).

The Romanization of Korean words can vary greatly, with g/k (e.g. galbi/kalbi), j/ch, d/t, and b/p often used as synonyms. Therefore, I apologize in advance for possible inaccuracies when writing the article: “Korean food and features of dishes”, the beginning of the review in the article “Korean cuisine”.

all Recipes | Корейська їжа та особливості страв - булгогі — Bulgogi (불고기): Thinly sliced or shredded beef.

Main meat dishes

In traditional restaurants, waiters cook meat in the center of the table on a charcoal grill, and banchan and separate bowls of rice are placed in front of each diner. At lunchtime, the cooked meat, cut into small pieces, is placed in fresh open lettuce leaves along with rice, thin slices of garlic, ssamjang (a mixture of gochujang and dwenjang) and other seasonings.

Bulgogi (불고기): Thinly sliced or shredded beef marinated in soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic, sugar, green onions, and black pepper, grilled (sometimes at the table). Bulgogi literally means “fiery meat”. Variations include pork (Dweji bulgogi), chicken (Dak bulgogi) or squid (Ojingeo bulgogi).

Galbi (갈비): pork or beef ribs cooked on a metal plate over coals in the center of the table. Thickly sliced bulgogi, diners often refer to galbi as “Korean barbecue.” Served with or without seasonings. A variant using seasoned chicken is called (Dakgalbi).

Jokbal (족발): pork legs served with red salted shrimp sauce.

Samgyopsal (삼겹살): Unseasoned pork bacon cut from the belly, served in the same way as galbi. Sometimes grilled with kimchi troughs on both sides. It is usually grilled with garlic and onions, dipped in ssamjang and wrapped in lettuce leaves.

Hoe (pronounced “hweh”) \hö\ (회): A raw seafood dish dipped in gochujang or wasabi (hot radish paste) soy sauce, served with lettuce or sesame leaves.

Sannakji (산낙지) or live octopus that is served alive and moving on the plate.

Makchang (막창): Grilled pork intestines cooked as samgyeopsal and galbi. Often served with a light duenjang sauce and chopped green onions. Popular in Daegu and the surrounding Gyeongsang region.

Gobchang (걱창): Similar to makchang, but made with pork (or bull) small intestines.

Royal dishes

Gujolpan (구절판): Literally “nine-section plate”, a complex dish consisting of a variety of vegetables and meats served with thin pancakes. Served only on special occasions, such as weddings associated with royalty.

Sinseollo (신선로): A delicious dish of meat and vegetables cooked in a rich broth. Served in a large silver vessel with a hole in the center, burning coals are placed to keep the dish hot throughout the meal.

Soups and stews

Sundubu Jigae (된장찌개): or soybean paste soup, usually served as a main dish or with meat dishes. Contains a variety of vegetables, shellfish, tofu and sometimes small mussels, shrimp and/or large anchovies. Anchovies are typically used to prepare the base before other ingredients are added.

Cheonggukchang jchigye (청국장찌개): A soup made with a strong smelling thick soybean paste.

Gamjatang (감자탕, “braised pork loin”): Spicy soup with pork loin, vegetables (especially potatoes), and hot peppers with split loins. Often eaten as a late-night snack, but also served for lunch or dinner.

Haejanguk (해장국)
A favorite hangover cure, usually consisting of meaty pork loin, dried cabbage, curdled ox blood (similar to blood pudding), and vegetables in a hearty beef broth. Legend has it that shortly after World War II, the restaurant that invented the stew was the only place open in the Johnno neighborhood when the 4 a.m. curfew was lifted.
Korean food and features of dishes, all Recipes 11.2022

all Recipes | Корейська їжа та особливості страв: хеджангук, похмільний суп — Haejanguk (해장국): hangover soup

Janchi guksu (잔치국수): A light noodle soup in a seaweed broth served with fresh condiments, usually kimchi, thinly sliced egg, green onions, and cucumbers.

Chonggol (전골): A traditional spicy Korean stew consisting of various types of seafood and vegetables, typically served on a hot plate.

Kimchi Chigye (김치찌개): A soup made mainly of kimchi, pork, and tofu. A regular lunch or accompaniment to a meat dish, often in a stone pot still boiling when served.

Mayuntang (매운탕): Refreshing, spicy and tangy fish soup.

Samgetang (삼계탕): A soup made with Cornish chickens stuffed with ginseng, scallion, sweet rice, zizypus, garlic and chestnuts. It is traditionally eaten in the summer.

Saleontang (설렁탕): Beef leg bone soup boiled for over ten hours until milky white. It is typically served in a bowl with glass noodles and chunks of beef, with chopped green onions and black pepper as seasoning.

Sundubu Chigye (순두부 찌개): A thick, spicy stew with soft tofu. Traditionally, a raw egg is added to food while it is still cooking.

Builds Jigae (부대찌개, “stewed army team”): Shortly after the Korean War, because of meat shortages in Seoul, some people used surplus food from US Army bases, such as hot dogs and canned ham (like Spam), incorporating it into a traditional spicy soup, creating budae jigae. Still popular in South Korea, the dish now often includes ingredients such as instant ramen noodles.

Mixed rice – stew

Bibimbap (비빔밥, “mixed rice”): rice seasoned with vegetables, beef, and egg and served with a dollop of chili paste. A variation of this dish, dolsot bibimbap (돌솥 비빔밥), is served in a heated stone bowl, a raw egg cooked against the sides of the bowl. Yuho (육회), a popular version, consists of raw beef strips with a raw egg, a dollop of soy sauce mixed with Asian pear and kochujang mixed in a large bowl and eaten with a spoon.

Hudeopbap \hweh-dup-bahp\ (회벮밥): Rice seasoned with diced raw fish, fresh vegetables, and chochujang.

all Recipes | Корейська їжа та особливості страв - кімчі — Kimchi (김치): vegetables (usually cabbage, white radish or cucumber)

Banchan (side dishes)

Kimchi (김치): Vegetables (usually cabbage, white radish, or cucumber) usually fermented in a brine of ginger, garlic, green onions, and chili peppers. With a seemingly endless variety, kimchi can be used as a side dish or cooked into soups and rice dishes. Koreans traditionally make enough kimchi to last the entire winter, although with refrigerators and commercial bottled kimchi, this practice has become less common. Kimchi is cited for its health benefits—which are controversial. Some studies have shown that the nitrate and salt levels in kimchi cause stomach cancer, although consumption of shellfish and fruit has been found to act as a protective agent against stomach cancer. Paradoxically, studies have also found that kimchi is a preventive factor for stomach cancer.

Kongnamul (콩나물): Soybean sprouts, typically eaten in boiled and seasoned banchan. Soy sprouts are also the main ingredient in kongnamul-bap (sprouts over rice), kongnamul-guk (sprout soup) and kongnamul-gukbap (rice in sprout soup).