Category / KOREAN FOOD

Originally published on December 28, 2014 I love Korean food so much that I would be content to eat only Korean food for the rest of my life. And yet I don’t know how to cook a single Korean dish. This year I’m going to remedy this mismatch. I plan to tackle a different Korean […]

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This may seem unlikely given the fact that I am — uh — an adult, but patbingsu is my favorite food. Yes, a shaved ice dessert is my No. 1 thing to eat. It’s delicious, it’s fun and it makes me happy. When I lived in Seoul, I would trek to Techno Mart, a huge, gadget-selling […]

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Sujeonggwa is a fruit tea (flavored by persimmons and jujubes) that Koreans drink for dessert. It’s considered something of a fancy occasion drink in Korea, perhaps because it needs to be simmered for an hour. So while I won’t be making it for regular family meals, I will take the time to brew it for special events. […]

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I am a big believer in the health benefits of ginger. I drink ginger tea daily and occasionally eat chewy ginger candies. My everyday ginger tea is a ready-made, tea-bag tea; nothing special. When I have more time, I like to make this homemade ginger tea, saenggang cha. Saenggang cha is not just tasty, it’s […]

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To be honest, I’d never seen or tasted daechucho (candied dates) before I cooked them for my Korean Food Project. But I’d heard of daechucho — it is a legitimate Korean dish — and when I found this recipe, I was intrigued by its simplicity and health factor. After making daechucho, I can report that it’s quite tasty. And, […]

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I confess: I have actually never encountered yullan in Korea. Koreans traditionally eat fruit for dessert (or have a sweet drink or some type of rice cake.) But I saw this recipe and I love chestnuts, so I decided to include it in my Korean Food Project. I also liked the facts that the recipe was […]

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Songpyeon was one of the first Korean dishes I ever made, a number of years ago while studying in Korea post-college. At the time, I was staying with a friend’s relatives outside of Seoul for Korean Thanksgiving (Chuseok). Songpyeon is one of the traditional foods Koreans eat during Chuseok. [NOTE: Chuseok typically takes place in either September or […]

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Korean food is labor-intensive. And this is one of the more labor-intensive recipes I’m featuring in my Korean Food Project. Actually, kalguksu is not a particularly complicated noodle soup. It’s making the noodles from scratch that is somewhat strenuous. Why would you do that? Well, kalguksu noodles primarily consist of flour, so making them doesn’t require any special ingredients. For that […]

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Unlike most Korean noodle soups, sujebi is fast and inexpensive to make. Because it’s not at all fancy it’s not the kind of dish you’ll find in Korean restaurants. Fortunately, it’s easy to make at home. Kimchi Sujebi (Spicy Dough Flake Soup) — 김치 수제비 Ingredients 4 c. flour* 10 c. water 4 garlic cloves, minced 1 Tbsp. […]

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Yukgaejang is one of my favorite Korean soups and that’s saying a lot since I love most Korean soups. I like the fact that yukgaejang pairs plenty of spice (red pepper powder and paste) with soft, relatively bland ingredients (beef, eggs, bean sprouts, noodles). It’s also surprisingly easy to cook, given its complex, multifaceted taste. Yukgaejang (Spicy Beef […]

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