[Korean foods] Introducing Famous Korean Appetizer & Dessert & Alcohol

APPETIZER

 

BIN-DAE-TTEOK(빈대떡)

Mung Bean Pancake

 

Bindaetteok literally means "mung bean pancake" in Korean and it is a variety of jeon, a Korean style pancake, similar to pajeon. It is made of ground mung beans, with green onions, kimchi, or peppers cooked in a frying pan. It was originally prepared by frying a mixture of water-soaked and ground mung beans, pork, bracken fern, mung bean sprouts, and cabbage kimchi. Meat, usually pork or beef, can also be added as an ingredient. In Korean restaurants, this dish is served with a small side serving of dipping sauce made of soy sauce, minced green onions, gochugaru (red chili pepper flakes) and some vinegar.

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DAK-DONG-JIB(닭똥집)

Sautéed Chicken Gizzards

 

Dakdongjib is a very popular dish while drinking Korea's iconic alcohol soju. It is made of chicken gizzards which are the digestive tracts that filters out rock, sand, and other foreign objects that may enter the chicken's body. Therefore, it has almost no fat and full of muscle meat so each bite of dakdongjib can get pretty thick and chewy. This is possibly the number one reason why Koreans love this dish and new experience diners may be drawn away. It is generally stir fried with gochujang, savory garlic, onions, bell peppers, and Korean hot peppers but non-spicy versions do exist as well.

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DOO-BOO KIM-CHI(두부김치)

Tofu W/ Fermented Cabbage

 

Dooboo kimchi is a popular appetizer or anjoo (side dish; often in reference to a side dish consumed with alcohol) that is popular while drinking Korean soju. It’s a very simple dish that consists of boiled tofu, kimchi and some meat (optional). Tofu is usually placed alongside kimchi as they are eaten together as a whole.Serving presentation may differ from various restaurants, including Korean bars, but kimchi is normally placed in the center of a plate with tofu slices around the perimeter. To eat, kimchi can be placed on top of the tofu and washed down with a shot of soju, thereafter. The meat ingredient can include beef or pork strips (samgyupsal) but it can be left out to be severed as the perfect vegetarian dish. Lastly, it is garnished with chopped green onions for its final touch.

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GAE-RAN-JIM(계란찜)

Steamed Egg Casserole

 

Gaeranjim is a Korean steamed egg casserole which is quite popular and often eaten as a side dish (banchan). The main ingredients include egg and water with optional ingredients such as green onions, red pepper flakes, salt, ground pepper, sesame seeds and/or other types of vegetables. Water can also be substituted with chicken, beef, or seafood broth to make it more flavorful.Preparing this dish requires whisking eggs and water (or broth) until they are completely blended in a creamy like consistency. Some prefer to add other vegetables such as mushrooms, onions, bell peppers, and sweet corns to add their own twist to this dish. Green onions, red pepper flakes (gochugaru) and sesame seeds are usually added near the end of the cooking process for extra flavors. Cooking gaeranjm requires extreme attention and patience to make sure it is not overcooked or burned. A light and fluffy consistency is usually sought for when making this perfect egg casserole side dish.Popular ways to cook gaeranjim is by placing a bowl with the content mixture inside a pot of boiling water or it can also be cooked by boiling the ingredients in a ddukbaegi (ceramic stovetop-safe bowl) under low heat.

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JEE-PO(쥐포)

Dried Filefish

 

Jeepo is a very popular snack that is enjoyed by Korean of all ages. It's made up of boneless, dried fish meat that are packaged and readily available for purchase in almost all Korean supermarkets. To prepare them, they can be cooked right out of the package over a gas stovetop or using a frying pan on electric stoves and ready to eat under a minute.

 

Both sides are evenly cooked but crispy edges are usually an outcome from scorching them in open flames but favored by everyone. Once cooked, they are usually cut into pieces with a scissor and eaten plain or dipped in mayo and/or gochujang as its dipping sauce.

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KANG-POONG SAE-WOO(깐풍새우)

Spicy & Sweet Shrimp

 

Kangpoong saewoo is another popular appetizer enjoyed by Asians at Korean/Chinese restaurants much like tangsuyuk. It's definitely a crowd-pleaser, consisting of a pile of battered, crispy fried shrimp in a spicy garlic sauce containing hot chili peppers and sprinkles of scallions. It is usually eaten as an appetizer, ample enough for a quartet of diners to share. Shrimps are usually dipped in soy sauce mixed with vinegar and crushed or powder red pepper flakes (gochugaru) which will add additional kick to each bite.

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MAN-DOO(만두)

Korean Dumpling

 

 

Mandoo is a Korean dumpling consisting of minced meat and vegetables wrapped in a thin piece of dough. Popular meat fillings include shrimp, ground beef, pork or fish. And popular vegetables ingredients can include bean sprouts, green onions, shredded kimchi and much more.Korean mandoo can be cooked in several ways where it is simmered in beef stock, steamed or fried. It is usually dipped in soy sauce mixed with vinegar and served with kimchi on the side. Crushed or powder red chili pepper flakes (gochugaru) can be added to the mixture of sauces to add an extra kick. Traditionally, mandoo dumplings were made at home but nowadays, it is readily available in Asian supermarkets and/or convenience stores in the frozen foods section.Mandoo is usually enjoyed as an appetizer or as a snack but almost all Korean families prepares this dish on the first day of any New Year by simmering mandoo's in a beef stock to make mandoo guk.Fact: In Chinese, dumplings are called jiaozi and in Japanese, it's gyoza.

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O-JING-UH(오징어)

Dried Squid

 

Ojinguhs are popular dry food snacks and it’s the closest equivalent of a Korean beef jerky. Instead of beef, however, ojinguh’s are dried squids which are readily available in the packaged goods section of your local Korean supermarket. This snack is enjoyed by Koreans of all ages but especially popular while drinking beer or soju as “anju” or drinking snacks.

 

To prepare them at home, they can be easily be cooked on gas stovetops over low to medium flames and/or using frying pans over electric stovetops. Both sides are evenly cooked and then stripped into thinner pieces to be eaten plain or dipped in mayo and/or gochujang as its dipping sauce. Other popular dipping sauce can be mustard or even tobasco sauce.

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O-JING-UH TI-GIM(오징어 튀김)

Deep Fried Battered Squid

 

Ojinguh tigim is a popular Korean appetizer before a meal or while drinking a cold mekju. Very much like the Western calamari dish, it consists of batter-coated, deep fried squid that are served plain with a dipping sauce. However, unlike popular dipping sauces such as tartar or marinara sauce found alongside calamari, this Korean version is usually served with soy sauce mixed with vinegar and crushed red pepper flakes (gochugaru) which will add some spiciness to each bite.The body (mantle) can be stuffed whole, cut into flat pieces or sliced into rings. The arms and tentacles are also fried since it's edible; the only parts of the squid that is discarded are its beak and gladius.

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PA-JEON(파전)

Korean-Style Pancake

 

Pajeon is a traditional Korean-style pancake which is a very popular appetizer or snack. It is made with pancake mix batter, eggs, and green onions/scallions, served with a mixture of soy sauce & vinegar for its dipping sauce. In translation, jeon (pronounced jun) is the actual battered ingredient and pa means scallions in Korean. The basic type of this dish consists of just scallions along with pancake mix and eggs but endless variation of this dish can exists by simply adding other ingredients such as seafood, kimchi, or vegetables.To cook, the batter is poured into an oiled pan and fried to a golden crisp on a frying pan. Just like a pancake and one of the key to this dish is the egg which contributes to the crispness in texture. The most popular pajeon dish is the seafood hae-mul pajeon, which usually consists of little bits of oysters, fresh baby clams, shrimps and even squids. It’s nothing compared to pancakes most frequently found on North American breakfast tables as a regular pan of pajeon is big enough to feed three hungry mouths.

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TTEOK-BOK-KI(떡볶이)

Spicy Rice Cake W/ Vegetables

 

Tteokbokki is one of Korea's popular snacks that are loved by teenagers as well as adults. It is made from garaetteok, a chewy long cylindrical rice pasta (or "rice cake") that is cut into many pieces and cooked with various ingredients. It is a stir-fry dish which is cooked with gochujang (red chili pepper paste) along with garaetteok, seasoned beef, fish cakes and assorted vegetables such as green onions, carrots and onions.A spicy version of tteokbokki is very popular but less spicy ones can be also requested to meet everyone's taste buds. In Korea, this snack is commonly purchased from street vendors much like hotdog vendors in New York City. However, it can be found in Korean fast food venues as well as some restaurants outside of Korea.

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DESSERT 

 

HO-TTEOK(호떡)

Sweet Syrup Filled Pancake

 

Hotteok is a sweet syrup filled pancake snacks that are very popular during the winter season and which are usually sold by street vendors in Korea. The dough for hotteok is made from wheat flour, water, milk, sugar, yeast and its handful-sized of this stiff dough is filled with a sweet mixture which may contain brown sugar, honey, chopped peanuts, and/or cinnamon. The filled dough is then placed on a greased griddle and pressed flat into a large circle with a special tool made from a stainless steel circle plate with a wooden handle as it cooks.The types of hotteok have been changing continuously throughout the years but many favor the traditional cinnamon and peanut fillings. Many variations have developed since the early 21st century where its dough may be made with green tea, corn, and other ingredients. It is generally believed that hotteok originated from Chinese merchants who immigrated to Korea after the late 19th century. However, unlike many Chinese pancakes which often contain savory meat fillings, traditional Korean hotteok is stuffed with sweet filling to suit the native Koreans’ taste buds. Readily available hotteok is commercially available to purchase in plastic packages at local Korean supermarkets.

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PAT-BING-SU(팥빙수)

Shaved Ice With Sweet Beans And Fruit

 

Patbingsu is a popular shaved ice dessert enjoyed by all ages especially during the hot and humid summer seasons in Korea. It originally began as ice shavings mixed in with sweetened azuki beans known as pat and it was usually sold by street vendors. Nowadays, patbingsu has become a very elaborate summer dessert, often topped with ice cream or frozen yogurt, sweetened condensed milk, fruit syrups, rice cake bits, chewy jelly bits, cereal flakes, and various fruits such as strawberries, kiwi fruit, and bananas.They are available in different flavors where green tea and coffee are some of the popular varieties found at cafés in New York, Los Angeles, or Atlanta. Additionally, due to its extreme popularity, patbingsu is even found on the menus of many Western-based fast food restaurants in Korea such as KFC, McDonald's, and Burger King during summer times. Starbucks Korea also released a frappuccino inspired by patbingsu.

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SHIK-HAE(식혜)

Sweet Rice Drink

 

Shikhae is a traditional sweet Korean rice beverage, usually served as a dessert. In addition to its liquid ingredients, shikhae contains grains of cooked rice and in some cases pine nuts. It is traditionally made by pouring malt water onto cooked rice where it steeps in the rice until it floats to the top of the surface. The liquid is then carefully poured out, leaving the rougher parts, and boiled with sugar.In South Korea and in Korean grocery stores overseas, shikhae is readily available in cans or plastic bottles. One of the largest South Korean producers of this drink is Vilac Company of Busan as well as Yalkut Corporation. Homemade shikhae is often served after a meal at Korean restaurants or at home.

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TTEOK(떡)

Sweet Rice Cake

 

Tteok is a class of Korean rice cakes made with glutinous rice flour (also known as sweet rice or chapssal in Korean), by steaming. Normal rice flour can also be used for some kinds of tteok and there are hundreds of different kinds of tteok eaten year round. In Korea, it is customary to eat tteokguk on New Year's Day and sweet tteok at weddings and/or on birthdays. It is often considered a celebratory food and can range from rather elaborate versions with nuts and fruits down to the plain-flavored tteok used in home cooking. Some common ingredients for many kinds of tteok are mung bean, red bean, and sweet red bean paste. It can also include variations of dried fruits, sesame seeds, oil, and sugar.

 

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ALCOHOL

        

MAK-KO-LI(막걸리)

Korean Rice Wine

 

Makkoli is a traditional alcoholic beverage native to Korea. It is referred to in English as Korean rice wine which is produced through fermenting a mixture of rice grains and boiled water. This combination gives off its milky, off-white color, and sweetness, resulting in about 6.5% to 7% alcohol by volume after its distillation process. It was originally quite popular among farmers in Korea, however, it has recently started to become more popular in cities, especially with the younger generations. Makkoli is popular and commonly consumed while eating pajeon, also known as Korean-style pancakes.

 

Commercially, makkoli is commonly available in plastic bottles or aseptic packaged containers. Traditionally, it is served in a large metal or wooden bowl from which individual cups and bowls are filled using a ladle. In popular restaurants or bars, makkoli can be also served in metallic kettles. As it is an unfiltered beverage, makkoli is generally shaken or stirred before consumed, as the cloudy white portion tends to settle to the bottom, leaving a pale yellow-clear liquid on top.

 

Fact: In Korea, makkoli is often used during ancestral memorial rites.

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MEK-JU(맥주)

Korean Beer

 

 There are numerous alcoholic beverages popular in Korea aside from its traditional liquor soju.

 

 

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SO-JU(소주)

Korean Rice Liquor

 

Soju is the best known liquor from Korea. It is distilled, vodka-like, rice liquor with high potency and often flavored similarly. It is smooth and clean in taste, which makes it easy to drink in combination with various Korean dishes. The main ingredient of soju is rice, almost always in combination with other ingredients such as wheat, barley, or sweet potatoes. Soju is clear-colored and typically varies in alcohol content from 10% to 25% proof. It was first known to have been distilled around 1300 A.D.

 

Soju is the Korean equivalent of the Japanese sake. That said, Jinro is known to be the largest manufacturer of soju which recorded a sale of 70 million cases in 2004. And during that year, more than 3 billion bottles were consumed alone in South Korea!

 

Because of its ready availability and its low price relative to other alcoholic beverages, soju has become one of the most popular alcoholic beverages in both Korea and Asian restaurants & bars offseas. Flavored sojus such as lemon, watermelon and apple are known to be popular. In addition, other alcoholic beverages that are popular from Korea are its mekjus (beers); OB, Hite, and Cass.

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