Korean foods have become just as lively and exciting due to their robust flavors. The primary ingredients of the food are rice, meat, a variety of sauces, and spices. However, most people worldwide have been awestruck by the vibrant display and flavors. A wide variety of food is available, whether you prefer sweet, savory, or spicy foods.
Let’s discuss the top Korean foods you should try..
Bibimbap
Bibi means to mix and bap means rice! Hence mixing cooked rice with the world’s most healthy and tasty food is the whole idea here. This famous Korean food is more like a delicious fried rice mixture with loads of veggies or meat. One can prepare it as a vegetarian or non-vegetarian dish depending upon your choice. Plain rice topped with vegetables of choice, meat or raw egg, nuts, dry fruits, sesame oil, chili paste, soy sauce, and so much more mixed together to make this delicious meal. Nutritious and filling, isn’t it?
Tteokbokki
This one is a favorite of so many! Tteokbokki or boiled rice cakes served with fish cakes, green onions, garlic, and so much more. The main ingredient of tteokbokki is a sauce, made of a broth from dried kelp, anchovies, and mushrooms. Don’t let the red color of this dish fool you. People who can’t handle spicy food can also enjoy the mesmerizing flavor of tteokbokki. This dish can be sweet to extremely spicy, depending upon the sauce flavor you choose.
Kimchi
The first thing that comes to mind after reading or hearing the word Korean is Kimchi! İt’s basically cabbage but not regular old sautéed cabbage, Korean Kimchi has a mind-blowing spicy, sweet, tangy flavor to it. One can serve Kimchi as a side dish, and the cook can incorporate it into every other Korean dish, be it Jjang, bibimbap, gimbap, bulgogi, etc., İt’s also served as a pickle to make your taste buds come alive. Usually, the pickle version contains seafood, radish, ginger, sugar, salt, sauces, cabbage, onions, and other veggies. One leaves it to ferment from days to years. The more mature Kimchi, the better!
Samgyeopsal
Koreans Love pork! Their style of BBQ requires some culinary skills. Meat cooked on a grill and wrapped with lettuce or sesame leaves. They smear it in a mixture of soya bean paste (ssamjang) and chili paste (gochujang) with pepper and sesame oil. Serve it with sliced onions, lettuce leaves, and raw garlic kimchi. It comes with some sauces (fish, raw garlic, soya, etc.) Among all Korean foods, the atmosphere in samgyeopsal diners is amazing and youthful. Working adults prefer this dish most of the time as it provides the taste and the nutrition one needs.
Jjajangmyeon
Jjajangmyeon is spicy, tasty, thick wheat noodles with salty black bean paste, vegetables, meat, sugar, soy sauce, salt, and green onions, sometimes one can use undercooked eggs as well. This particular dish hits the taste buds so well! Not just the taste but the shine these noodles give when presented is not something we get to see every day. Whatever is missing in the previous dishes can be fulfilled with this single dish.
Mul Naengmyeon
Often called cold noodle soup– this dish is your savior during summers and is also a game changer. It’s a tasty, sweet, cooling meal! Mul Naengmyeon is served with clear radish or beef broth. These buckwheat or potato starch noodles are usually handmade. One can serve this dish with green onions, Kimchi, meat slices, or boiled egg as a topping. Besides other sweet cool dishes we all have during summer, mil naengmyeon is something new you should give a try.
Gimbap
One of the famous Korean foods is often confused with sushi rolls (Japanese) because of the similarities in their looks. A type of seaweed rice rolls that contain cabbage, salted carrots, pickled radish, fried egg, meat slices (if you like), Kimchi, cucumber cooked rice, spinach, tuna, and the never-ending list. But the more, the merrier! You can select the ingredients according to your wish.
To conclude, I must say that Korean food is a must-try for food lovers. Relish authentic Korean cuisine with all your heart to give your taste buds a unique experience.
