Korean Cuisine : An introduction to Korean Food

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• published: 19 May 2014
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I miss Korea these days for a lot of reasons; however, maybe none more significant than the food. As a lover of Korean cuisine I'm constantly craving certain Korean foods such as Pajeon, Bibimbap or Kimchi fried rice. Whenever possible I try to get my fix at Korean restaurants overseas; however, it is often not as good, authentic or as cheap as it is in some of my favorite Korean restaurants in Seoul. I'm hoping I'll soon be able to return to Korea to eat my way around the country. In the meantime, enjoy this Korean cuisine guide featuring some of my favorite Korean dishes and restaurants in South Korea: 1) Kimbap (김밥), aside from Korean street food, is the cheapest Korean cuisine you can purchase. Our favorite Korean Gimbap restaurant was located just around the corner from Audrey's Korean apartment in Yongin. We ended up going there often. Typically I'd order Kimchi fried rice and she'd get Korean tuna soup. Known in Korean as Kimchi bokkeumbap (김치 볶음밥) this was my favorite Korean style fried rice. Audrey on the other hand, couldn't get enough of Kimchi Chamchi Jjigae (김치 참치찌개). 2) To ward off the frigid Korean winters we'd typically go out for some Gamjatang (감자탕) - hearty Korean stew. Similar to Haejeongguk, this spicy pork bone soup featured plenty of vegetables, wild sesame seeds and potatoes 3) For Valentines day we decided to skip the chocolate and candy and instead treat ourselves to a Korean feast set meal. Hanjeongsik (한정식) is a full-course Korean meal with a varied array of banchan (반찬 - side dishes). This is the kind of meal where' you'll want to skip breakfast and dinner for. 4) As is the case in many other countries, Chinese cuisine - that is unique to that particular country and not traditional mainland Chinese cuisine - exists in South Korea. In other words, the Korean Chinese food you try while in Korea is unique to Korea and does not exist in China. We got to try some of our personal favorites: Jajangmyeon (자장면) noodles in a black bean paste and Tangsuyuk (탕수육). Greasy goodness! 5) In Korea, certain dishes are suited towards certain activities and/or weather. When it's raining outside and/or if you're climbing a mountain than it is common to eat Korean style seafood pizza (also known as Korean seafood pancakes. The Korean name is Haemul Pajeon (해물파전) and it is best paired with a milky fermented rice alcohol known as Makgeolli (막걸리). 6) Korean tea houses are a perfect way to relax and warm up on a frigid winter day. Our favorite kinds of Korean tea are usually of the fruity variety. Insadong (인사동), in the heart of Seoul, is a good option for visiting a Korean tea house. 7) Our favorite Korean restaurant, located nearby my apartment in Pyeontaek, was a place we often frequented for dolsot bibimbap and sundubu jjigae; however, we finally decided to try its signature dish: Dakdoritang (닭도리탕) - a hearty and spicy Korean chicken stew. The only regret we had about this meal is that we hadn't tried it sooner! 8) Late at night, our favorite meal in Korea is Korean barbecue. A place nearby my apartment specialized in Samgyeopsal (삼겹살) and galbi (갈비) where we'd often go to feast! It's the perfect caveman meal focusing almost exclusively on meats and veggies with very few carbohydrates. 9) We've been saving this video for near the end - it's our favorite Korean restaurant. With such delicious food and lovely service we ate here often. We show you our favorite dishes dolsot bibimbap (돌솥 비빔밥) - a mixed rice and veggie dish - and sundubu jjigae (순두부찌개) - a tofu based soup. 10) Fancy Korean hot pot? Shabu-shabu (샤부샤부) is just what you're looking for. The fun in this meal is similar to that of a Korean barbecue where you get to cook your food at your own table. This is part 2/2 of my Korean food and restaurant series. Do you think I covered the best in Korean cuisine? What did I miss? What is your favorite Korean dish? This is part of our Travel in Korea series. We're making a series of videos showcasing Korean culture, Korean arts, Korean foods, Korean religion and Korean people. Proudly presented by: http://nomadicsamuel.com & http://thatbackpacker.com This video features music -various artists and various songs - available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Commercial license.