15 Iconic Korean Food Dishes and their descriptions - teenflixs

15 Iconic Korean Food Dishes

Korean cuisine has dozens of dishes to try, and each word has variations depending on the region or ingredients it is prepared.

These that we will see below stand out in-home recipes or those most repeated and offered in Korean restaurants, either within Korea or abroad.

I will share the most typical Korean dishes with you. If, after knowing them, you want to prepare them at home, look for the recipes on YouTube or in cooking blogs looking for the appropriate name.

Speaking of names, as you will see in terms of the Korean dishes below, depending on the ending of this, you can deduce if it is based on rice or noodles, it is a soup or a stew. The names will look something like this.

Bap (밥) → rice-based

Myeon (면) → based on noodles

Tang (탕) → served in soup

Jjigae (찌개) → served as a stew

So let's see those dishes that make Korean cuisine popular,

1. Kimchi

If there is a typical dish on the Korean table, it is kimchi (김치). This is a side dish consisting of sautéed and fermented vegetables—usually cabbage and radishes —tossed with a spicy paste containing chili, garlic, chives, ginger, fish oil, and others according to variety.

Given its ingredients, its flavor is salty and spicy, and its smell is quite strong and peculiar. It is primarily tabled as banchan  (a variety of dishes served alongside cooked rice). However, it can also be the base of the main dish, such as kimchi jjigae, a famous kimchi stew, and kimchi fried rice.

If you go to a Korean restaurant or another country, you will most likely be served kimchi with your meal.

2. Bibimbap

Bibimbap ( 비빔밥 ) is probably one of the most internationally known Korean dishes.

Bibimbap translates as "mixed rice with meat and assorted vegetables." Although there are various versions of this dish depending on the region, it is usually served as a bowl of warm white rice topped with namul (stir-fried and seasoned vegetables), gochujang (chili paste), or doenjang (fermented soybean paste).

A raw or fried egg and stripped meat (usually beef) are common additions.

One of the popular ways to serve it is in a heated stone or clay cup. This is known as Dolsot Bibimbap (돌솥비빔밥), and with the heat of the cup, the rice is crunchy.

It is one of my favorite dishes in Korean cuisine.

3. bulgogi

Bulgogi (불고기), literally “fire meat,” is made of thin strips of meat marinated with sugar, sesame oil, soy sauce, and garlic.

The meat is generally beef, and the strips are typically roasted on a barbecue or a grill. However, they are also usually sautéed in a pan.

Bulgogi can be eaten with lettuce leaves or over a bowl of white rice accompanied by kimchi.

It is undoubtedly one of the most traditional Korean dishes.

4. Gimbap

Gimbap ( 김밥 ) is a Korean dish made with cooked rice ( bap ) accompanied by vegetables, fish, or meat wrapped in a sheet of dried seaweed ( gim ).

Some varieties of gimbap include cheese, squid, kimchi, bulgogi, pork chop, pepper, or spicy tuna. It can also be made solely with vegetables such as yellow radish, carrot, spinach, or cucumber.

It is usually served sliced ​​and makes an excellent snack or light lunch.

5. Tteokbokki

Tteokbokki (떡볶이) is one of the most popular Korean street foods you'll find in Korea.

It is a cylindrical-shaped white rice cake simmered and usually seasoned with gochujang (chili paste).

Tteokbokki can be accompanied by fish cakes, boiled eggs, and small pieces of onion.

If you like spicy, challenge yourself to try Tteokbokki ! one of the spiciest dishes in Korean food.

6. Mandu

Mandu (만두) is how dumplings are known in Korean food.

They can be stuffed with pork, beef, and chicken with vegetables or just be filled with vegetables.

In addition to having various presentations according to how the stuffing is wrapped inside the rice casing, mandu can be prepared in various ways: it can be boiled, fried, steamed, or served as a soup ( manduguk, mandu soup). ).

In a restaurant, mandu is considered an appetizer or side dish and is served along with soy sauce.

Eating mandu soup ( manduguk ) is a tradition during the lunar new year celebration in Korea.

7. Galbitang

Galbitang ( 갈비탕 ) is a Korean soup made with beef ribs. Galbi means beef ribs in Korean, and tang means soup.

The baby back ribs are simmered for over 1 hour along with vegetables such as radishes, green onions, garlic, and herbs.

The result is an appetizing soup with tender meat that falls off the bone easily.

It is usually served accompanied by rice, kimchi, and a garnish of chopped green onion, salt, and pepper.

This short rib soup is particularly perfect for when you're feeling low on energy!

8. Japchae

Japchae ( 잡채 ) is another of the most typical dishes of Korean cuisine. It literally means mixed vegetables, although the main ingredient of this dish is glass noodles made from sweet potato.

Traditionally, the noodles are stir-fried in sesame oil and combined with thin strips of beef or pork and several vegetables (such as carrots and spinach). It is finally lightly sweetened with sugar, flavored with soy sauce, and served decorated with sesame seeds.

You can eat it as an appetizer or on a bed of rice as a main dish.

9. Samgyeopsal

Samgyeopsal (삼겹살) literally means pork belly in Korean and is usually eaten grilled.

Since the act of cooking and eating is done at the table, it is a social meal that Koreans love to share.

Samgyeopsal slices are grilled in a special pan designed to remove fat and then enjoyed wrapped in bits of lettuce with other accompaniments such as kimchi, garlic, onion, and mushrooms.

It is one of the cuts of meat that is most enjoyed in a Korean barbecue.

10. Samgyetang

Samgyetang (삼계탕), or ginseng chicken soup, is a dish made with a whole young chicken stuffed with garlic, rice, jujube, and ginseng.

Interestingly, Koreans eat this dish during the hottest days of summer as a way to maintain energy and replenish nutrients lost through sweat and physical activities.

Eating a whole chicken may seem like a challenge, but it's so tasty it's totally worth it to get something plump.

11. Naengmyeon

Literally translated as cold noodles, naengmyeon (냉면) is a dish of thin noodles served cold.

There are two main types of naengmyeon depending on how it is served: mul naengmyeon (물냉면) is served in a clear broth, usually beef or radish water and kimchi, and bibim naengmyeon (비빔냉면) is served with a chilly red spicy sauce but no broth.

The noodles are handmade and made from buckwheat flour and potatoes or sweet potato starch. They can be served topped with sliced ​​cucumbers, Korean pears, radishes, beef (cooked but cold), and boiled egg.

As you can imagine, being a cold Korean dish, it is popular in hot and humid summer.

12. Budae Jjigae

Budae jjigae (부대찌개) is a fusion dish in Korean cuisine that incorporates American processed meats such as spam, ham, bacon, and sausage into a Korean stew with kimchi and noodles.

Its origin is quite curious and, at the same time, nostalgic: after the war between the Koreas in the 50s, food was extremely scarce. Processed meats from US Army bases near Seoul became a good source of food for Koreans.

It was then that by combining those meats with Korean ingredients such as kimchi and instant noodles, the first Korean-American fusion dish was created, which is this and which literally means " Army Stew " and in English, " Army Stew."

Since then, this hotpot has grown in popularity and evolved into an iconic Korean culinary dish.

13. Jajangmyeon

Jajangmyeon (자장면), also called jjajangmyeon (짜장면), is a popular Chinese-Korean dish of noodles covered in a thick black sauce made from chunking (black salty soybean paste), pork (or other) and chopped vegetables.

A curious phenomenon of the last few decades is eating jjajangmyeon during Korean Black Day. Have you heard about this day?

Korean Black Day is celebrated on April 14 among single people who did not receive any gifts on Valentine's Day (February 14) or White Day (March 14).

So then, singles get together with their friends on Black Day and eat jjajangmyeon as a symbol of singleness.

14. Jjimdak

Jjimdak (찜닭) is a delicious Korean braised chicken dish. Jjim generally refers to dishes that are steamed, stewed, or braised in a sauce, and dak means chicken.

One of the most popular versions of preparing this Korean dish is known as Andong Jjimdak (안동찜닭), Andong being the Korean city where this dish originated.

Jjimdak is savory, slightly salty, and sweet with a subtle hint of spiciness. Along with the chicken, Jjimdak has glass noodles, potatoes, chili peppers, and other vegetables such as carrots, onions, and mushrooms as ingredients.

If you like chicken, this is going to be a Korean dish that you will love to try!

15. Sundubu Jjigae

Sundubu-jjigae (순두부찌개) is a popular hotpot in Korean cuisine. Sundubu (순두부) or Soondubu is how soft tofu is known in Korea, and this is the star ingredient in this stew.

There are several ways to make sundubu jjigae depending on what other ingredients are added: it can be with kimchi, beef, pork, seafood, or a combination of all. It is also prepared either with Korean red chili sauce ( gochujang ) or with chili peppers for a spicy touch.

When served, a raw egg is added to cook while the stew bubbles with heat and is eaten with white rice and banchan (side dishes).

Along with kimchi stew ( kimchi jjigae ), tofu stew is one of the most popular in Korean cuisine.