Korean Foods

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Refreshing on a hot summer day or soothing on a cold winter one, this sweet ginger tea is full of nutrients and vitamins. Wonderful chilled, this tea has also been used for centuries as a natural cold remedy. If you are making a warm version during the winter and don’t have access to the pears, then you can use dried persimmons, a couple tablespoons of honey, and a dash of cinnamon. Ginger is also used in Asia to aid digestion and many other ailments.
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
3/4 cup peeled and sliced ginger
16 oz water
1 orange, peeled and sliced and 1 Tbsp orange zest
2 Asian pears, peeled, cored, and quartered
1/2 cup sugar
sliced strawberry (optional garnish)
pine nuts (optional garnish)
Preparation:
In a medium pot, add zest, ginger, water and bring to a boil.

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A simple and easy way to make Korean-style frozen yogurt at home. Tart, lightly sweet, and healthy, Korean frozen yogurt is the perfect snack or dessert. But the popular Korean chains like Pinkberry and Red Mango charge around $5 a cup, so this Do-It-Yourself recipe saves you gas and cash.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup plain lowfat yogurt
1/2 cup lowfat vanilla yogurt
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup frozen or fresh strawberries or blueberries
toppings of your choice (fresh or frozen fruit, dried cereal, etc)
Preparation:
Mix together, blending ingredients thoroughly.

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These doughy pastries filled with sweet red bean paste are normally sold in Korea by street vendors. To make the fish shape at home, you need a special appliance similar to a waffle-maker. I don’t have that, but I am able to buy them steaming hot at Korean stores and freeze them at home, or if need be, buy the pre-frozen boxed bungeoppang at the Korean grocery store. Once frozen, they take mere minutes to steam on the stove or microwave. A healthy and delicious snack or dessert, their chewy, sweet, and slightly crispy texture make them a big crowd pleaser and always a hit with the under-10 crowd. There are also custard cream and ice cream versions; the red bean paste is the traditional filling. Read the rest of this entry »

Koreans love broiled fish that is either cooked whole or sliced in half and cooked until the skin is crisp and sizzling. Broiling is an easy and mess-free way to make almost any type of fish, and a side dish portion is easily done in the toaster oven on the broil setting. I usually ask the people at the fish counter to remove the spine, head, and tail so that I’m left with two halves of the mackerel with the skin on.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Ingredients:
8 ounces mackerel, whole or de-boned with head and tail removed
1 Tbsp salt
Preparation:
Heat broiler.

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This delicious broiled salmon is easy to prepare and impressive looking for dinner guests if you use either salmon steaks or a side of salmon. Good for Korean meals and also with American sides or salads, it’s a very versatile recipe which is also wonderful on the grill. For grilled salmon, prepare as directed and grill for about 5 minutes per side.
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Ingredients:
5 Tbsp soy honey glaze
1 lb salmon (fillets or steaks)
Preparation:
Preheat the broiler and coat pan with cooking spray.

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This is not a traditional Korean recipe, but these spring rolls are made with perilla leaves and kochujang (spicy Korean chili pepper paste), two common Korean ingredients. I first made these spring rolls because I once found myself with all the ingredients for SE Asian spring rolls except for the herbs (Thai basil, mint, cilantro). I had Italian basil, but I also had a bunch of fresh perilla leaves from the garden. Since perilla leaves are in the mint family, I just knew it would work. With the addition of spicy chili paste (kochujang) into the peanut dipping sauce, I gave one of my favorite foods a little kick.
Prep Time: 40 minutes
Ingredients:
12 rice paper wrappers for spring rolls
4 ounces rice vermicelli noodles, cooked and cooled
12 perilla leaves
12 lettuce leaves, red or green leaf
1/2 cup carrots, julienned
12 large shrimp, peeled, halved, cooked, and cooled
FOR DIPPING SAUCE:
1 Tbsp peanut butter
2 Tbsp Hoisin sauce
1 Tbsp Kochujang
Water as needed
Preparation:
Dip rice paper wrapper into a bowl of warm water.

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I usually like to make this with fresh flounder or cod but almost any white fish works well in this recipe. The best option is a fresh fish with delicate white flesh like flounder, cod, pollack, sea perch, halibut, orange roughy, and yellow croaker but even frozen fish tastes good cooked this way. The thin coating of egg and flour make it easy to eat and prepare. Good with spicy dipping sauces or just soy sauce, kids and even meat-eaters love this sauteed fish.
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:
1 lb white fish fillets, rinsed and patted dry
3 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
3 Tbsp flour
2 eggs
Preparation:
Salt fish on all sides.

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Korean deep fried shrimp is easy to make and has a thin and extra crispy batter. Korean deep frying mix, which can be found in many Asian grocery stores, is a mix of flours and seasonings that make frying simple. These deep fried shrimp (saewoo twigim) can be made in 15 minutes but are so delicious that I like to serve them as one of the main dishes for guests or special occasions.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Ingredients:
1 pound shrimp, peeled and de-veined
2 eggs, beaten
2 cups Korean deep frying mix powder*
Vegetable, peanut, or canola oil to deep fry
Preparation:
In a deep fryer, large wok, or deep pot, heat up oil to 375 degrees.

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Bibimbap is delicious, gorgeous on the plate, and easily tweaked for different palates and spice levels. I’ve included 6 vegetables in this recipe, but you can easily make it with just 3 or 4 or what you happen to have in your fridge. Koreans usually eat this rice dish with some beef, but I usually top mine with just an egg fried sunny side-up.
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Ingredients:
2 cups medium-grain Korean (or Japanese) rice
1 large cucumber, sliced into thin strips
1.5 cups bean sprouts, parboiled and squeezed of excess water
1.5 cups spinach, parboiled and squeezed of excess water (3/4 lb before cooking)
2 carrots, julienned
4 shiitake mushrooms, rehydrated if dried and then sliced
1 zucchini, sliced into thin strips
1/2 lb meat (optional, both and cooked ground meat work well)
Fried egg as a topping (optional)
2 Tbsp sesame oil
Sesame seeds
Preparation:
Cook rice in rice cooker or on the stove.

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