It is so easy to fall in love with Korean food. A variety of food ranging from boiling stews to meat grilled in front of you on the table, to spicy foods like kimchi, is mouth-watering and delicious!
After covering the basics of Korean cuisine and some of the essential dishes from South Korea, we are sharing the best tasting dishes that you should try at least once!
Kimchi (김치)
Any South Korean food list is going to start with kimchi! It’s not a complete dish, but it is a quintessential part of the Korean meal. There are many different variations, but the most common version is prepared with napa cabbage, which is fermented with spices. You can even eat plain rice with kimchi and it’ll be fulfilling. You can read more about kimchi in this post.
Pork Bulgogi (Daeji Bulgogi 불고기)
It is Korean barbeque meat usually made from beef, but it can also be made with thin strips of chicken or pork. The dish is made by marinating the meat in sweet soy sauce with garlic and sesame oil.
Samgyeopsal (삼겹살)
It’s the favorite dish amongst foodies that are grilled right in front of you on the table. Thick, fatty slices of meat are cooked on a grill at the diner’s table. This grilled meat is served with garnishes of lettuce leaves, garlic, and ssamjang (chili paste).
Fried Sweet Potato Noodles (Japchae 잡채)
Korean stir-fried translucent noodles are chewy and are made from sweet potato. They are prepared with slivers of carrots, cucumber, onions, mushrooms, and sometimes meat. The noodles are fried in sesame oil and are then garnished with sesame seeds.
Korean Mixed Rice (Bibimbap 비빔밥)
Bibimbap is like fried rice, but mostly it is rice mixed with salad. Rice is on the bottom of the bowl, different sautéed vegetables, eggs, and toasted seaweed flakes are placed on the top. The dish is garnished with sesame seeds. Bibimbap can be served either hot or cold.
Mandu Dumplings (Jjinmandu 찐만두)
Korean mandu dumplings are just like Chinese dumplings; wrappers are stuffed with a variety of ingredients. You can find dumplings stuffed with pork, carrots, onions, cabbage, and even mung bean noodles. You can get the dumplings in two forms, steamed and deep-fried.
Kimbap or Gimbap (김밥)
You can have kimbap as a meal or a go-to-snack. Like the Japanese sushi rolls, kimbap is an assembly of rice, Korean pickled vegetables, spinach, and other ingredients that are all wrapped in sheets of toasted seaweed.
Seasoned Korean Fried Chicken (yangnyeom-chikin 양념 치킨)
It is a popular snack and appetizer. The spicy Korean fried chicken is double deep-fried, and then it is coated with sticky, sweet, and spicy sauce.
Mung Bean Pancake (Bindaetteok 빈대떡)
It’s a variation of South Korean pancake, which is salty and filled with many different ingredients. Bindaetteok is made from mung bean, green onions, and kimchi.
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Soft Tofu Stew (Sundubu Jjigae 순두부찌게)
It’s a flavorful dish made from soft tofu, some seafood, and kimchi soup. You can enjoy it with a side of steamed rice and pickled vegetables.
What’s your favorite South Korean food? Please share it in the comments below.
Great content! Super high-quality! Keep it up! 🙂