40 Korean foods we can't live without
Street food, comfort food, spicy stews for masochistic mouths: These 40 dishes are essential to the Korean heart, soul and digestive tract
Hangover? Forget hair of the dog, sip blood of the ox.
1. Hangover stew (해장국)
Given Korea’s dedicated drinking culture, it’s not surprising that Korea’s hangover-curing culture is equally as developed, from pre-drinking drinks to post-drinking drinks to a glorious array of spicy and steamy stews and soups.
Made from a beef broth, with cabbage, bean sprouts, radish and chunks of congealed ox blood, the deeply satisfying taste does wonders to kick-start your sluggish brain in the morning.
Chungjinok has been making haejang-guk since 1937, so they must be doing something right. 24 Jongno 1-ga, Seoul (청진옥, 서울특별시 종로1가 24 ); +82 2 735 1690
The most popular "Kim" in Korea.
2. Kimchi (김치)
Dating to the Shilla Dynasty (approximately 2,000 years ago), kimchi is the beloved spicy sidekick at every Korean table. It's made by salting and preserving fermented cabbage in a bed of pepper, garlic, ginger and scallion.
Feeling adventurous? Exchange your regular red cabbage kimchi for ggakdugi (chopped radish kimchi), a popular side at gimbap restaurants. Yeolmumul kimchi is a less spicy kimchi made with young radish stalks floating in a tangy soup.
For a selection of handmade kimchi, try online kimchi sellers Real Kimchi.
3. Soft Tofu Stew (순두부찌개)
Soft tofu, clams and an egg in spicy broth? This popular stew is a classic example of unexpected flavor combinations yielding delightful sensations.
The soft tofu -- which breaks into fluffy chunks in the stew -- holds the flavor of the clam and serves as a relief from the overall spiciness.
Proper sundubu-jjigae comes in a traditional earthenware pot designed to retain heat. The egg is cracked into the stew after serving, and cooks inside the bowl.
Jaesun Sikdang has the Korean blogosphere buzzing with appreciation for its ambitious menu: four types of sundubu jjigae, all for less than ₩6,000. 182-3 Nonhyun 1-dong, Gangnam-gu (제순식당, 서울특별시 강남구 논현1동 182-3); +82 2 514 3864
So juicy and fatty, you won't even need condiments.
4. Samgyeopsal (삼겹살)
The best part of eating in a samgyeopsal restaurant is the atmosphere -- a rollicking party punctuated by soju shots, pork strips sizzling on a grill and shouts for “one more serving, please!”
Served with lettuce, perilla leaves, sliced onions and raw garlic kimchi, it's smudged in ssamjang (a mix of soybean paste called 'doenjang' and chili paste called 'gochujang') or salt and pepper in sesame oil.
Bulzip Samgyeopsal in Hongdae serves delicious pork barbecue 24 hours a day. Seokyo-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul (벌집 삼겹살, 서울특별시 마포구 서교동); +82 2 323 3384; www.bulzip.co.kr
Greasy and thick? Must be borrowed from Chinese cuisine.
5. Jjajangmyeon (짜장면)
Although originally a Chinese dish, Koreans have taken the noodles and created a thicker, yummier version that holds only a vague resemblance to its Chinese predecessor. (Think of New Yorkers and the wonders they’ve done with pizza.)
It would not be an understatement to say Korean diets would not be the same without this dish -- most Koreans eat it at least once a week, and have their favorite jjajangmyeon delivery shop on speed dial.
Yangjagang, 660-15 Sinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu (양자강, 서울특별시 강남구 신사동 660-15); +82 2 543 2233
6. Chimaek (치맥)
Chimaek, short for “chicken, maekju (beer)” is actually not a dish, but an institution. This glorious pairing features two surprisingly mundane foods: fried chicken and beer.
Neither half, chicken nor beer, is particularly remarkable on its own. But their popularity as a joint entity demonstrates a glorious combination devoured by millions of Koreans every weekend.
The Frypan in Sinchon takes chimaek very seriously: 2-2 Changcheon-dong, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul (더 후라이팬, 서울특별시 서대문구 창천동 2-2번지); +82 2 393 7707
The international symbol for student and single life.
7. Instant noodles (라면)
The international symbol for student and single life.
Anyone can follow the directions on the back of the ramyeon package to boil water and sprinkle in the spice packet, but connoisseurs will add extras like canned tuna, eggs, and cheese for enhanced flavor.
Need some pointers on how it’s done? Try Ilgongyuk Lamyun in Hongdae, named for the time of day when ramyeon supposedly tastes the best: 106 for 10:06 pm. Their upgraded ramyeon dishes are replete with everything from bean sprouts and tofu to mussels and sea mustard. And as if that isn’t enough, all meals come with a complimentary supply of eggs, glutinous rice, and toast.
2/F Prugio Sang-ga, 486 Seokyo-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul (일공육 라면, 서울특별시 마포구 서교동 486번지 푸르지오 상가 2층); +82 3142 1241
8. Kimchi Stew (김치찌개)
A lesser-known fact about kimchi is its versatility as an ingredient in a whole slew of derivative dishes, which comprise a category of their own.
In kimchi jjigae, red cabbage kimchi is chopped, sautéed in oil, and cooked with tofu, cellophane noodles, pork (sometimes tuna), and other vegetables.
Despite the stew's debt to kimchi, you know it has come into its own when it’s served with kimchi as a side dish.
Try Gwanghwamunjip Kimchi Jjigae for kimchi jjigae as kimchi jjigae was always meant to be: obscenely orange and obscenely delicious. 43 Dangju-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul (광화문집 김치찌개, 서울특별시 종로구 당주동 43); +82 2 739 7737
9. Army Stew (부대찌개)
This hodgepodge stew of sausages, Spam, American cheese, instant noodles, tteok, and assorted vegetables dates back to the aftermath of the Korean War.
Because meat was scarce, cooks found creative replacements in the surplus foods from the American army base stationed in Seoul, hence the stew's name.
Although meat has since then become plentiful, a buddae jjigae without Spam is unimaginable.
Buddae jjigae Jeongjaengteo serves an updated, modern variation of buddae jjigae. 25-34 Chungmuro 1-ga, Jung-gu, Seoul (부대찌개 전쟁터, 서울특별시 중구 충무로1가 25-34); +82 2 464 5564
What can't they ferment over there?
10. Soy sauce crab (간장게장)
Ganjang gejang, or crab marinated in soy sauce, can be so addictive that it’s often affectionately called “rice thief,” the joke being that you keep eating more rice just so that you can have more gejang since it’s just that good.
Slightly tangy, tantalizingly bitter, pungent and cold, the taste may come as a shock for first-timers. But among Koreans, gejang has been carving out a niche for itself as more of a centerpiece than a sideshow to other seafoods.
Pro Ganjang Gejang in Sinsa-dong is over a quarter of a century old. 27-1 Jamwon-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul (프로간장계장, 서울특별시 서초구 잠원동 27-1); +82 2 543 4126
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