Korean cooking for total noobs.
Gim is as basic as butter. You know how if you have butter and bread in the house, there’ll always be something to eat? It’s like that with dried seaweed sheets- but even more versatile! You can even eat them straight out of the bag as a snack! Every Korean I know always has Gim … Read more
Tteokbokki has got to be one of the most popular Korean foods in and out of Korea. In Korea, it’s a cheap and cheerful snack enjoyed by kids and adults alike from street stalls and lunch restaurants. Outside of Korea, chewy rice cakes swimming in a sweet-and-spicy sauce (often depicted in Kdramas) have garnered a … Read more
Once you master the art of kimchi paste making, you can kimchify any and all of your favourite vegetables. Case in point, what we did here in a flurry of night activity. However, I would like to add that this particular example is atypical and I don’t suggest you do the same unless you enjoy … Read more
HemoHim is a health supplement sold by Atomy (a Korean MLM or direct-sales like Amway). It uses the extracts of 3 medicinal plants that grow in Korea and formulates a health booster that has the “Power that Awakens Tired Immune Cells”. Nice selling line, huh? “Hemo” refers to Hemoglobin (protein molecules within red blood cells … Read more
What is Korean Banana Milk? Banana milk in Korea began in the early 1970’s as a partnership with government policy to encourage milk consumption and dairy farming. Binggrae created a tasty milk product coupled with the best fruit (at the time, bananas were precious imported fruits) that would also appeal to children. What a great … Read more
What is Choco Pie? This is Korea’s version of Moon Pie (1917!). The story goes that Orion’s (at that time called DongYangJegwa) head of research had the idea for this delectable cookie snack after a business trip took him to Georgia, US. While there, he experienced a chocolate covered cookie in a hotel cafe. What’s … Read more
Here’s another dried ingredient that looks weird and intimidating but serves as an easy bar snack or soup component. Enter Alaskan Pollock, now a type of cod (source). You’ve probably had it fresh- most likely with butter and capers or as fish & chips. Pollock is seriously Korea’s favourite- it’s sometimes even referred to as … Read more
Pescatarians rejoice! There is an umami-rich, flavour-boosting stock option 🤑 that’s entirely fish based (anchovies!). And if you’re leaning into the less meat-eating lifestyle and into Korean food, you’ll love this gross looking dried ingredient. Only 1 ingredient, simply dried, it’s preservation in its oldest form and the only thing you need to make a … Read more
Korea’s uber-popular black bean noodles are ironically a Chinese-Korean fusion dish developed by Chinese restauranteurs in Korea who adjusted their menu to local tastes. It actually doesn’t exist in China or “authentic” Chinese restaurants anywhere in the world (Only in Korean-Chinese restaurants 😂). You can think of General Tso’s Chicken and how it’s an American … Read more
If you’re at all interested in traditional Korean eating, you should watch this episode from Netflix’ Korean TV show (The Hungry and The Hairy). It’s in Korean, but Netflix supplies excellent subtitles. I found it very compelling because they show glimpses of how Korean nobility must have eaten hundreds of years ago. I know I … Read more