BEST KOREAN FOODS II

Japchae( Stir Fried Noodles)

Japchae belongs to the well-known dishes within and outside Korea. Tasting it will prove it. Japchae is originally done without noodles; it has been created for a King by one of his chefs. The King fell in love with the dish that it became prominent in the whole Korea. Recently noodles became part of the dish and they have been important elements of it. The type of noodles used are made of sweet potato starch thus japchae has a unique chewy texture. The vegetables are cooked lightly to retain the flavors. This is a typical substitute to the common stir fry prepared at home whenever we want “Chinese”.

 Yangnyeom Tongdak (Seasoned Fried Chicken)

You must try this Korean fried chicken believe. Once you take a bite of a piece of this chicken you can taste the sweet, sticky, spicy red sauce. Your teeth will grind through a crunchy triple cooked batter which then leads to the extremely flavorsome and moist chicken within. This really belongs to the greatly enjoyable Korean foods. Several Korean shops sell their own variety of yangnyeom tongdak which they deliver ’til late at night. The homemade version of the dish is still better. Because of the use of ketchup, the recipe shows Koreans’ will to reinvent foreign flavors.

Bibimbap ( Mixed Rice)

“Bibim” denotes “mixed” and “bap” implies “rice”. All the ingredients but the meat are cooked ahead and are placed on the steamed rice while they are at room temperature. The meat is then quickly fried and a sunny-side up egg is placed at the top. Usually, bibimbap is prepared by adding gochujang or Korean hot pepper paste). You use the spoon to mix everything altogether.

Bulgogi (Marinated Beef BBQ)

Bulgogi is an incredibly versatile way of creating a beef dish. This is tried by a lot of westerners eating in Korean restaurants.  In the west, people commonly enjoy bulgogi on Korean barbecue, while in Korea this just belongs to the several ways on eating it. It can be prepared as a basis for a different dish or into stew.  Being a versatile marinated meat, it can probably be used as a substitute to pulled pork for a western style sandwich. Bulgogi is an extremely thin beef slices marinated in a mixture of soy sauce, garlic, pear juice etc. It has many uses and recipes. The product is a savory, sweet and soft meat slice. Th good thing about it is that it is remarkably healthy and low in fat.

Kimchi (Fermented Cabbage)

Kimchi is referred to as Korea’s national dish. In Kimchi, the cabbage has been coated leaf by leaf in a savory spicy mixture of pear juice, chives, onion, garlic, pepper flakes and more. It can be eaten at once (fresh and not fermenteds). If not it may be left out of the refrigerator. As the fermentation goes, it acquires a sour and rich taste. It lasts for several months and it is used as base for some other dishes like kimchi stew and also as filling for Korean sushi or kimbap. Being an essential dish in Korea, it is served for breakfast, midday meal and dinner. Premade kimchi are sold at local Korean groceries.

Read Part 1 BEST FOODS IN KOREA.