10 Great Korean Dishes You Must Try

Let’s start this quintessential Korean food list with the country’s signature side dish, kimchi. Honestly, for most foreigners, Korean cuisine is actually synonymous with this sour and spicy dish. Talking about its preparation! It is made by mixing fermented vegetables, mainly cabbage, radish and scallions with a seasoned paste of red pepper, ginger, garlic and salted shrimp. Well, it is the basic recipe, but there are more than 200 varieties of kimchi in Korea. And you can eat them with fried rice, soups, dumplings or even on its own.

For those who love noodles, an order of japchae, one of the most loved Korean noodle dishes, is a must. Sweet potato noodles when stirred with shredded vegetables, soy sauce and a pinch of sugar give a mouthwatering plate of japchae. It is usually served as a side dish during lunch and dinner. Believe us when we say that the sweet taste and chewy texture will keep you craving for more!

Talking about the best Korean dishes and missing out on samgyeopsal is not possible! To prepare this dish, grilled slices of pork belly are dipped in a seasoning of pepper, salt mixed and sesame seed oil. These slices are then wrapped in lettuce with some shredded onions and garlic pieces. Here comes the fun part! The dish is grilled right on your table for that smoky and authentic taste when you order it in a restaurant.

A bowl of filling starch with various ingredients mixed into it, bibimbap is a colourful dish that will make you want to devour it till the last bite. It is a delectable bowl of rice mixed with a bunch of seasoned and sauteed vegetables, soy sauce, fried egg and a hot chilli paste, known as gochujang. Also, it can be served as a vegetarian dish sans any meat, in case you are looking for vegetarian options!

If you are looking for the best Korean meals for a satisfying breakfast, this one is sure to fuel your early-morning errands. It is a popular savoury pancake with seafood and scallions as the main ingredients. These pancakes are prepared with rice flour and egg batter mixed with green onions and seafood (shellfish, oysters, shrimp and squid). Believe us, the soft and chewy texture will delight your taste buds.

Another pancake on the list, but this time a little sweeter, hotteok! This popular Korean street food is crispy outside and filled with gooey delicacy inside. Every bite will melt in your mouth! Hotteok (also spelt as Hoeddeok) is prepared by filling a circular dough with a mixture of brown sugar, cinnamon, honey and peanuts. These are then cooked on a griddle for an irresistible flavour. So, if you have a sweet tooth, this yummy Korean food is worth trying.

In the mood for some light Korean snacks? We suggest trying the gimbap. Gimpab is a seaweed roll filled with rice, meat, eggs and stir-fried vegetables. Basically, Gim is dried sheets of seaweed and bap translates to rice, hence the name. These are served as bite-sized rolls along with kimchi. Very colourful and delicious, gimbap is the perfect go-to snack to satiate all your hunger cravings. Oh, we almost forget, the meat in the traditional gimbap is sometimes replaced with tofu to prepare a vegan delicacy. So, if you were in search of vegan Korean food, you know what to order.

To call tteokbokki the holy grail of Korean street food will not be an exaggeration! This dish is made of steamed rice cakes, fish cakes, scallions, sweet red chilli sauce and soybean paste. It is served with lots of mozzarella cheese, ramen or boiled egg on top. No wonder why it is super delicious and highly addictive. Even if you are full, you will not be satisfied with a single serving.

Get ready to relish a bowl of distinctive flavours with sundubu-jjigae. This dish is loaded with delicious seafood, tofu, vegetables, and gochujang (chilli paste). It is served in a large stone bowl with a raw egg on the top. Honestly, there are several variations of this dish. No matter which one you choose, the soup is very refreshing.

You must have got some inspiration for starting your journey to the irresistible wonder of Korean cuisine. So, next time you wanna go on a culinary journey, instead of going to your favourite chaat stalls or biryani places, try the lip-smacking Korean dishes. Your taste buds will not be disappointed!