14 Classic Korean Recipes For Beginners (2024)

FAQs

What are typical Korean daily meals? ›

A typical Korean meal consists of a bowl of rice, a bowl of soup or stew, and some side dishes as accompaniments. But within that basic structure, there is a deliciously wide variation of dishes for every season and palate.

Succulent, juicy beef, bulgogi is one of the most popular Korean dishes in the world. The marinated beef is usually grilled with onions and garlic (...that mouth-watering aroma!). You then can eat the beef with ssamjang (spicy paste) wrapped in lettuce.

Nongshim Shrimp Crackers

Everyone will agree that Nongshim Shrimp Crackers is the most famous snack in Korea. These delectable chips are created by parching shrimp-flavored chips over salt, creating a flavor that appeals to everyone, regardless of age or gender.

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.

One popular choice for a morning meal in Korea is comforting rice porridge, such as pumpkin porridge, which offers a satisfying and flavorful start to the day. A traditional Korean breakfast typically consists of a complete set of 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.

Kimchi Jjigae

This hearty and spicy stew is prepared with Kimchi, tofu, and vegetables and is also known as Spicy Tofu Stew. The probiotics in Kimchi supports gut health, leading to clear skin, while tofu offers protein for skin repair and rejuvenation.

Korean comfort foods include dishes like Kimchi Jjigae (kimchi stew), Samgyeopsal (grilled pork belly), Dolsot Bibimbap (hot stone pot rice), Tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes), Sundubu Jjigae (spicy tofu stew), Japchae (glass noodle stir-fry), Kimbap (sushi rolls), and Hoddeok (sweet pancakes).

"Kimchi is our soul food in Korea, our national dish, and there is never a meal in our family when kimchi is not on the table," she said. "I would go as far as to say that if there was no kimchi with the meal, I do not think I would be able to eat."

Do Koreans eat rice with every meal? ›

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.

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.

According to the survey, Korean-style chicken (29.4%) was the most frequently consumed Korean food by foreigners in the past year, followed by kimchi (28.6%) and Korean ramen (26.9%). In terms of preference, Korean-style chicken (16.5%), ramen (11.1%), and kimchi (9.8%) were the top choices.

Banchan are served in small portions, meant to be finished at each meal and replenished during the meal if not enough. Usually, the more formal the meals are, the more banchan there will be. Jeolla province is particularly famous for serving many different varieties of banchan in a single meal. Banchan.

Banchan is typically served first, before the main dishes arrive, so they're often mistaken for appetizers.