Appetizers have become an important part of every special meal, be it with family or friends. Having a combination of spicy, flavorful and healthy dishes gives a perfect start to any meal. Below we have a very popular Korean Pickle known as Kimchi that has a twist to the original recipe.
Main course plays a very important part of a family dinner or a party. When you do have a lot of appetizers, it's good to keep the main course to one dish meals that's easy to eat and serve as well.
Desserts are everyone's favorite and we believe that parties can't end without them. They clean the palate and brings a refreshing end to a meal. We have given you a choice of three desserts, depending on the number of people you can choose to make one or more. We personally love to make them in smaller portions.
A meal in Korea is like a window into the local culture, where sharing food is core to a harmonious society, and meals are designed to be enjoyed by many people. This makes eating out a stomach-pleasing experience and soul-warming event that can be lots of fun and lead to some amazing nights out.
With more than 20,000 fried chicken restaurants in Korea, this is definitely one of the national dishes.
Chuncheon dakgalbi is another of those traditional Korean dishes for those people who love fried meat. This dish combines marinated chicken with vegetables, rice cake ( tteok 떡 ), chilli paste sauce, and other spices. You can also add noodles and cheese.
There are many kinds of noodle soups in Korea, but kalguksu is definitely one of the best. Perfect during winter, this hot, steaming broth is simple but can refresh any weary traveller. It is also deceptively filling and hard to finish.
Tteokbokki is a blend of steamed and sliced rice cakes ( tteok 떡), fish cakes ( odeng 오뎅), and scallions in a sweet and spicy sauce with plenty of chilli paste. If you’re eating in a restaurant, then add in some cheese and noodles for a filling meal.
Samgyetang, a meal in a bowl, contains a whole small chicken packed with rice, garlic, jujube, and ginseng. The thick soup absorbs all of this whilst cooking, leaving a soft, tender chicken and an aromatic, hearty broth. Perfect!
Don’t be surprised by how much you get. However, food can get expensive, especially if you want to eat foreign foods. You’re in Korea and so I’d really recommend trying the local foods before looking for something more familiar.
Korean cuisine is largely based on rice, vegetables, seafood and (at least in the South) meats. Traditional Korean meals are named for the number of side dishes (반찬; 飯饌; banchan) that accompany steam-cooked short-grain rice. Kimchi is served at nearly every meal.
Grains have been one of the most important staples of the Korean diet. Early myths of the foundations of various kingdoms in Korea center on grains . One foundation myth relates to Jumong, who received barley seeds from two doves sent by his mother after establishing the kingdom of Goguryeo. Yet another myth speaks of the three founding deities of Jeju Island, who were to be wed to the three princesses of Tamna; the deities brought seeds of five grains which were the first seeds planted, which in turn became the first instance of farming.
Vegetables such as cucumbers, carrots, and cabbage use gochujang as a dip. Gochujang is a common seasoning for foods such as Korean barbecue including pork and beef. One popular snack food that is very commonly eaten with gochujang is bibimbap. Bibimbap includes rice, spinach, radish, bean sprouts.
The climate of Korea is characterized by four distinct seasons–spring, summer, autumn and winter–yielding a diverse array of seasonal foods. Even the same ingredients may have different tastes and nutrients in each season, which produces a variety of flavor variation within recipes. Unlike the abundant food materials available in the hot, humid summers and clear, dry springs and autumns, cold winters see Koreans eating dried vegetables and kimchi instead of fresh vegetables. Jeotgal, a salted fermented fish, was developed by the ancestors in the southern region of Korea as a way to preserve fish for a long period of time during the cold winters and hot summers. However, recent climate changes have introduced a subtropical climate to the peninsula, changing the types of seasonal food materials available.
On Dongjinal, a Korean traditional holiday which falls on December 22, Korean people eat donji patjuk, which contains saealsim (새알심), a ball made from glutinous rice flour. In old Korean tradition, patjuk is believed to have the power to drive evil spirits away.
Encompassing a wide range of temperate climates, The Korean Peninsula supports the growth of many cultivated and wild fruit species. Asian pears of numerous varieties, apples, melons and berries and more are typical of summer and fall produce.
Korea is located on the Korean Peninsula, which extends southward from the northeastern region of the Asian continental landmass. It shares its border with China and Russia to the north but is otherwise surrounded by water, resulting in a flourishing fishing industry. Forested, mountainous terrain covers 70 percent of the nation, yielding a variety of wild edible greens that are also grown in dry-field farms. Korea’s major rivers, including the Nakdong River, the Han River and the Geum River, tend to flow westward along the mountain ranges, creating well-developed plains in the peninsula’s western region. The conditions in the western and southern regions of the peninsula are therefore favorable to rice farms, while dry-field farms predominate in the northern and eastern regions. Korea’s eastern coast has a smooth coastline, but the southern and western coasts have jagged coastlines with many islands. This provides an ideal environment for exploiting a rich variety of marine products. Due to the varying geographical features and climates of the four regions of Korea, they have resulted in differing regional cuisines. Despite the development of transportation increasing contact between regions, and making local cultures less distinct, many of the unique local specialties and distinct styles of each province still remain.
You can adjust the number of dishes you make from the menu depending on the number of your guests, and double or triple the recipes as necessary. The number of servings is provided in each recipe. These dinner menus can be served family style or buffet style.
Hobak mandu (Zucchini dumplings): Make this in advance and freeze until ready to use.
The most important part of any Korean meal – breakfast, lunch, or dinner – is rice. It’s more than just the main dish, it’s the foundation of the meal. With a few possible substitutes: noodles, porridge, dumplings, or rice cake soup, every meal is built around rice, and without it, I don’t even feel like I had a meal at all! You might have to ask for it in a restaurant, but at home it’s the most important part of the meal and must be served.
The Korean word for cooked rice, bap, also means “meal.” That’s how important it is!
This easy Korean dinner party menu includes rice, broiled salmon, noodles (chapchae), braised short ribs (galbi jim), kimchi and spinach side dishes, bean sprout soup, and barley tea. Everything but the salmon and short ribs can be made well in advance, and even these two gorgeous main dishes require very little hands-on time.
Barley tea the most popular beverage in Korea and is served hot, warm, or cold over ice. It is easy to make and requires just two ingredients: roasted barley and water. You simply bring to a boil, simmer for 20 minutes, and then serve.