Korea recipes and cooking

Korean food is based on noodles, rice, meat, vegetables and tofu (known as "dubu" Korea). Generally speaking, meals are served with many dishes ("banchan"), as well as rice, soup and kimchi (vegetables fermented, most often of cabbage, but sometimes, cucumbers or radish). Spices and seasonings are used extensively, including doenjang (fermented soybean paste), garlic, ginger, gochujang (red pepper paste), salt and soy sauce.

Some popular Korean dishes include:

-Gamjatang - spicy soup with pork spine, potatoes, onions, chili peppers and other vegetables and sesame seeds.

-The Kimchi jjigae - soup with kimchi, pork and tofu.

-Kongnamul-guk - a soup made from soybeans.

-Jeongol - a stew with seafood and vegetables.

-Maeuntang - Hot fish soup and spicy.

-Bulgogi - literally translated from Korean, Bulgogi means "fire meat". The dish is comprised of beef, strips or finely cut, cooked, then on a grill. Other meats can be substitued for creating variations: chicken ("dak bulgogi"), pork ("dweji bulgogi") or squid ("ojingeo bulgogi").

-Galbi (or Kalbi) - cooked ribs of pork or beef coal.

-Dakgalbi - similar to galbi, but using flavored chicken.

-Jokbal - cooked in soy sauce and spices, deboned and served with a shrimp sauce pig's trotters.

-Samgyeopsal - belly (similar to bacon) pork flavored and seasoned with garlic, salt and sesame oil cooked on a grill. Slices of meat is placed within lettuce or other vegetable sheet together with boiled rice and samjang (a spicy pasta). Green Chiles, garlic sliced raw crossing samjang and spring onion salad are common the accompaniments.

-Makchang - internecine pork on the grill, somewhat similar to chitterlings.

-Hoe - finely sliced raw fish similar to Japanese sashimi. The fish is usually dipped in a sauce, which is a gochujang (red pepper paste) sauce or salsa of wasabi, then wrapped in green spreadsheets and served on a bed of Myeon chogochujang (beyond cellophane).

-Yukhoe - Garlic RAW beef, topped with a raw and seasoned with pepper, egg yolk, onion gochujang (red pepper paste), green, PEAR nashi, sesame seeds and sesame oil, soy sauce and sugar.

-Sannakji - a small Octopus, cut in pieces, lightly seasoned and served. The pieces of Octopus usually still moving on the plate when the dish is served!

-Japchae - boiled potatoes with spinach, beef, onion and carrot noodles.

-Kalguksu - boiled noodles flat, usually in a broth which contains anchovies and courgettes (Zucchini).

-Kongnamul-bap - soy sprouts served over rice.

-Ramyeon - the Korean version of Japanese ramen noodles. Spicy and cooked with meat and vegetables.

-Gujeolpan - literally translated from Korean, Guljoelpan means "dish of nine dishes". This is a very elaborate meal, traditionally eaten by the nobility of Korea, served in a special dish divided into eight sections of octagonal side, each container meats and vegetables of a different type and color, and a ninth centre section containing small pancake.

A sweet dessert made of glutinous rice - flour - Tteok - there are hundreds of different variations.

By S. Tanna. Originally published in http://www.recipesmaniac.com/cook_korean.php - visit this site for more information, photographs and a cook books.

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