14 Classic Korean Recipes For Beginners (2024)

FAQs

What Korean food should I try for the first time? ›

1. Korean BBQ: Sizzle and Flavor. Korean BBQ offers a variety of options, but bulgogi stands out as a crowd favourite. Thinly sliced beef marinated in sweet soy sauce, combined with an assortment of vegetables, and served with an array of side dishes called “ban-chans” will satisfy your taste buds.

Bibimbap, bulgogi, kimchi stew, naengmyeon – these are the classic Korean dishes to try in South Korea or Korean restaurants near you. By Eden Jang / 06 Sep 2020.

One of the most famous and iconic foods in Korea is kimchi. Kimchi is a traditional Korean side dish made from fermented vegetables, most commonly Napa cabbage and Korean radishes, seasoned with various spices, including chili pepper, garlic, ginger, and fish sauce.

Kimchi is one of the most important staples of Korean cuisine. The Korean term "Kimchi" refers to fermented vegetables, and encompasses salt and seasoned vegetables. It is mainly served as a side dish with every meal, but also can be served as a main dish.

The word bibimbap means stirred or mixed rice. It is served as a bowl of rice with more ingredients on it. These ingredients can include some vegetables (spinach, herbs, potherb, and gosari). Beef or seafood can be added too.

Breakfast looks different around the world. In South Korea breakfast may consist of soup, side dishes, and rice. Favorite breakfast soups include galbitang, kongnamul bap, kimchijjigae, or manduguk. There is also a side dish meal called baekban which consists of a small bowl of soup with many side dishes.

All the dishes might be spread across the table, but in Korean food culture, you must start with the soup. You can serve yourself some soup using the serving spoon in the communal bowl. In traditional Korean food culture, you don't lift the bowl off the table in a formal setting.

Similarly to many cultures and countries in other parts of the world, rice is foundational. The centrepiece to all meal in Korea, breakfast, lunch and dinner. It should be noted that Koreans eat more than just one kind of rice. In most Korean restaurants, you will likely find the short grain white rice.

Traditionally the main dish of any Korean meal is rice, which is supported by soup and banchan. However, in Korean restaurants these dishes are often presented to customers as main dishes.

Beef is the most prized of all, with the cattle holding an important cultural role in the Korean home. Beef is prepared in numerous ways today, including roasting, grilling (gui) or boiling in soups. Beef can also be dried into yukpo, a type of po, as with seafood, called eopo.

What is the signature dish of Korean people? ›

'To many people, Korean food seems complicated and probably very difficult, but it is one of the easiest cuisines to cook.

Nongshim Shrimp Crackers

Everyone will agree that Nongshim Shrimp Crackers is the most famous snack in Korea.