40 Korean foods we can't live without - 2/4
40 Korean foods we can't live without - 2/4
11. Tteokbokki (떡볶이)
This iconic red-orange street food is so popular there’s an entire town in Seoul just devoted to the steamed and sliced rice cakes (tteok), cooked with fish cakes (oden) and scallions in a sweet and spicy sauce made of chili paste.
Chefs have been known to put all sorts of things inside the sauce, from the black soybean paste to plain old ketchup. Call us masochists, but one thing is certain: the more pepper, the better.
Sindang-dong Tteokbokki Town, Sindang 1-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul (신당동 떡볶이타운, 서울특별시 중구 신당1동)
12. Gopchang (곱창)
Gopchang refers to the small intestines from pork or cattle, which, chopped into rounded sections, can be cooked into soups, stir-fried, or grilled.
Grilled, gopchang is yet another important aspect of Korean barbecue culture. Chewy without being rubbery, it’s a bit more festive than samgyeopsal, although it’s still a staunchly earthy food.
And as most office workers in Korea can tell you, it’s divine with soju.
For something even more out of the ordinary, try gopchang with wine at Seolhalmeoni Gopchang. 227 Hyoje-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul(설할머니 곱창, 서울특별시 종로구 효제동 227); +82 10 9486 1229
13. Samgyetang (삼계탕)
Continuing along the masochistic strain, Koreans have a saying that goes, “fight heat with heat.” What that means is Koreans love to eat boiling hot dishes on the hottest summer days.
The most representative of these is samgyetang, a thick, glutinous soup with a whole stuffed chicken floating in its boiling depths.
The cooking process tones down the ginseng’s signature bitterness and leaves an oddly appealing, aromatic flavor in its stead -- a flavor that permeates an entire bird boiled down to a juicy softness.
Head over to the popular Tosokchon Samgyetang near Gyeongbok Palace for some healthy boiled bird--keep in mind, however, that with great fame come long lines. 85-1 Chebu-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul(토속촌 삼계탕, 서울특별시 종로구 제부동 85-1); +82 2 737 7444
14. Bibimbap (비빔밥)
This Korean lunch-in-a-bowl mixes together a simple salad of rice, mixed vegetables, rice, beef, and egg, with sesame oil and a dollop of chili paste for seasoning. Although Korean kings from yesteryear would probably be shocked at how the royal dish has become so ingrained into the palate of the masses, we love how cheaply and quickly we can devour our favorite lunch.
Bibimbap restaurant Gogung in Myeongdong has a tempting menu of beautifully arranged bibimbap. 12-14 Chungmu-ro 2-ga, Jung-gu (고궁, 서울특별시 중구 충무로2가 12-14); +82 2 776 3211
15. Gimbap (김밥)
The process of making gimbap resembles the Italian glasswork technique of millefiori, and indeed, the finished gimbap often looks too pretty too eat.
Sautéed vegetables, ground beef, sweet pickled radish, and rice, rolled and tightly wrapped in a sheet of laver seaweed (gim), and then sliced into bite-sized circles.
Kkoturi Gimbap has gimbap so good that even the ends (which are usually regarded as largely useless, like the crusts on a sandwich) are treasured by their patrons. At least, that’s their claim. #101 Koggiri Sangga, 615-1 Sinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul (꼬투리 김밥, 서울특별시 강남구 신사동 615-1 코끼리상가 101호); +82 2 515 1259
16. Doenjang (된장)
When people think Asian cuisine, they often think soy sauce. But soy sauce is actually a byproduct of this soybean product, a paste made from dried and fermented soybeans in a process too complicated to describe here.
This brown, textured paste is not the prettiest food in the world, and like Australian vegemite, the taste takes some getting used to. But once that taste is acquired, good luck trying to make do without it.
Few restaurants serve doenjang on its own, but the Solnamugil Doenjang Yesul serves doenjang bibimbap. 103-8 Myeongryun 4-ga, Jongno-gu, Seoul (솔나무길된장예술, 서울특별시 종로구명륜4가 103-8); +82 2 745 4516
17. Gamjatang (감자탕)
Most gamjatang places are open 24 hours, because Koreans tend to crave this stew in the early hours of the morning as an alternative to hangover stew.
This hearty dish features potatoes (gamja), scallions, ground perilla seed, and bits of pork cooked in a pork bone broth. The real appeal of this stew lies in the unique taste of the perilla seed, which is perhaps more important to the flavor than the meat.
Geumgangsan Gamjatangi is said to be a favorite of Korean actor Jo In-seong. 345-18 Myeongil-dong, Gangdong-gu, Seoul (금강산 감자탕, 서울특별시 강동구 명일동 345-18); +82 2 442 7714
18. Haemul Pajeon (해물파전)
Crunchy and filling, Korean pancake tastes best when it comes studded with shellfish, cuttlefish, and other varieties of seafood, to make haemul (seafood) pajeon.
And with its traditional companion of Korean rice wine, makgeolli, pajeon makes the perfect meal for a rainy day.
“Pajeon Alley,” by Kyunghee University, houses some of the most crowded pajeon places in Seoul, and up there at the top is Nageune Pajeon. 139-3 Jegi-dong, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul (나그네 파전, 서울특별시 동대문구 제기동 139-3); +82 2 926 9077
19. Jjambbong (짬뽕)
This dish is the soupier, spicier counterpart to jjajangmyeon and together they form the core of Korean Chinese home delivery cuisine.
But although noodles dominate in terms of sheer quantity, the onions and chili oil that flavor the soup are what really demand your attention. With copious amounts of chili oil-saturated onions and other vegetables on top of the noodles, few are able to finish this dish in its entirety, but many try.
Hongshiwon, Bongchun-dong 871-77, Gwanak-gu, Seoul (홍시원, 서울특별시 관악구 봉천동 871-77 ); +82 883 4339
20. Sundae (순대)
Another street food, sundae is a type of sausage, similar in content to blood pudding, with roots in Mongolian cuisine. “Real” sundae is pig intestine with a stuffing of cellophane noodles, vegetables, and meat, but even if you eat the street vendor version, which uses a synthetic replacement for the pig intestine, you will still be able to enjoy the lungs and liver on the side. Yum.
To sample other varieties of this beloved food, try Wonjo Sundae Town in Sillimdong, where you can pick and choose between several floors packed with soondae sellers. Sillim-dong 1640-31, Gwanak-gu, Seoul (원조 순대타운, 서울특별시 관악구 신림동 1640-31); +82 2 884 7565