Easy Korean Recipes

People who are not familiar with oriental cuisines often mix up Korean food with Chinese and Japanese. In reality, even though the Korean cuisine is partly influenced by Chinese and Japanese cooking, Korean food also has its very own unique taste and cooking techniques. The Koreans are famous for their fondness of beef and considerable use of sesame. To describe Korean food in a few words, I will have to say it is very hearty, less greasy than Chinese and more spicy than Japanese. In this hub, you will find some easy and authentic Korean recipes including the popular bul gogi, Korean salad, dumpling soup and of course the unomittable kim chee. Enjoy!

A very famous Korean dish. The secret is in the soy-sesame marinade. If you barbecue the meat, it’s called “bul gogi.” But if you choose to stir fry it instead, that will be “gogi bokum.”

Ingredients (for about 4 servings)

1 tbsp. crushed toasted sesame seeds

1 ½ lbs. Sirloin beef

6 tbsps. soy sauce

2 tbsps. sugar

2 tbsps. sesame oil

2 green onions, thinly sliced

2 tsps. minced garlic

pepper

Preparation

- Cut meat into long thin strips (about 1/8 inch thick).

- Combine sesame seeds, soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, onions and minced garlic in a large bowl.

- Add meat to the mixture. Cover and refrigerate for 1 ½ - 2 hours.

- Barbecue the marinated beef strips until browned on both sides. Sprinkle with pepper.

- Serve with kim chee and steamed rice.

This savory soup is a classic Korean dish with bold seasoning of sesame, which makes it distintcly different from the Chinese dumpling soup. In Korea, they call it “mandoo”.

Ingredients (for about 4 servings)

¼ cup crushed toasted sesame seeds

2 cups bean sprouts

1 tbsp. vegetable oil

½ lb. Ground beef

½ lb. Firm tofu, mashed

1 tsp. minced garlic

½ cup sliced green onion

2 tbsp. soy sauce

½ lb. Wonton wrappers

6 cups beef broth

2 cups water

salt and pepper

Preparation

- To make the filling, heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add beef and stir fry until beef is cooked.

- Add tofu, garlic, 2 teaspoons of sesame seeds, bean sprouts, ¼ cup of sliced onion and soy sauce.

- To make each dumpling, place a teaspoon of filling in the center of a wonton wrapper. Fold in half to form a triangle. Moisten the edge with water and press the edge to seal.

- Boil broth and water in a large sauce pan over high heat. Add about one third of the dumplings.

- When dumplings are tender, remove from broth with a slotted spoon and set aside.

- Repeat with the rest of the dumplings.

- When all dumplings are done. Put them back in the broth and remove from heat.

- Stir in the remaining sesame seeds and onion. Add salt and pepper to taste.

A traditional Korean meal cannot be complete without kim chee, a palatable combination of fiery-hot pickled vegetables. It is, in fact, served with every meal in Korea even breakfast. Conventionally, the Koreans make kim chee in the autumn, in batches large enough to last through the winter and spring. Here in America you can buy kim chee at most oriental stores. Spiciness and pungency widely vary from brand to brand. By making your own homemade kim chee, however, you can control the degree of hotness and fermentation. Plus, it is cheaper and pretty easy to make.

Ingredients

1 medium-size napa cabbage

¼ pound daikon, sliced into thin strips

3 green onions, coarsely chopped

3 tsps. minced garlic

3 tsps. cayenne pepper (or less if you want the kim chee to be milder)

2 ½ tsps. salt

3 tsps. sugar

Preparation

- Chop cabbage into small chunks and mix with 2 teaspoons of salt in a large bowl.

- Let stand at room temperature for about 4 – 5 hours or until cabbage wilts.

- Rinse and drain.

- Put cabbage back into the bowl, then add daikon, onions, garlic, cayenne pepper, sugar and the rest of the salt.

- Put the mixture into a 1-quart jar. Cover with lid or plastic wrap.

- Let the kim chee ferment at room temperature to your liking. (The duration of fermentation may vary, depending on the temperature. In warm weather, fermentation usually takes 1 –2 days. In colder weather, it may take up to 4 days.)

To complete a Korean meal nicely and deliciously, end it with a warm cup of tea. I recommend the Korean ginger tea to aid your digestion after a good meal.

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