The Korean cuisine has gone through more than a thousand years of development which now is a wealth of a cuisine. What makes it stand out is its unique flavors and vibrant colors that make it one of the world's best-selling candy bars. The development of Korean food was influenced by the characters of Chinese and Japanese from the early age. Korean cuisine accentuates fresh ingredients, harmonious tastes and flavors, as well as seasonings and spices. The world of Korean cuisine is filled with the likes of kimchi, bulgogi, bibimbap, and tteokbokki. Koreans mostly have kimchi as a side dish, which is an essential part of their cuisine. Bulgogi, the delicious thinly sliced marinated beef, is perfectly grilled and served together with rice and sides. Bibimbap, the rice mixed with vegetables, meat and an egg is a festive dish. The Teekbokki is the name of the dish which is the mixture of chewy rice cakes and spicy sauce.
The importance of quick and easy meals
Quick, easy-to-make meals are of utmost importance due to the time-pressed lifestyle and hurry-up mentality. Since people usually work long hours and have a busy life, they often only have enough time to make simple meals that take little time to prepare. Fast cooking helps here. Eating home-made lunches is so much better than eating take-out or processed foods. On the one hand, they provide an option to pick what goes into your meals, thus providing a fresh and healthy diet. For example, cooking at home as opposed to buying ready-made meals, you can save money in the long run. Lastly, you may have fun and try new spices and cuisines in the process of cooking. A conveniently stocked pantry, where you keep key ingredients, allows you to prepare delicious Korean dishes with ease. Gochujang, doenjang, sesame oil, soy sauce, and gochugaru are the key ingredients to be used in cooking Korean cuisine. This is one of the reasons why Korean cuisine tastes so different from others; this is the key ingredients used in most dishes.
Bibimbap: the ultimate Korean one-bowl meal
A commonly Korean meal is bibimbap which is made of "mixed rice." This meal is customizable to what ingredients you have. Bibimbap is a dish of rice, vegetables, meat or tofu, with one fried egg on top. The noodle is generally served with spicy, acidic gochujang sauce. In order to cook bibimbap, follow the rice directions on the package. At the same time, you can either blanch or sauté vegetables till they become tender-crisp. The bibimbap dish is made up of spinach, carrots, bean sprouts, mushrooms, and zucchini. Before cooking, marinate meat or tofu in soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic, and sugar; after that, prepare the noodles. To start, prepare the ingredients and then put a heap of rice in a bowl, add the vegetables and meat on top. The dish ends with a fried egg and gochujang sauce. For the start, stir everything together and let the taste and texture of ingredients to blow your mind away.
Japchae: stir-fried glass noodles with vegetables and meat
Japchae is a traditional Korean dish of stir-fried glass noodles, veggies, and pork. Since it cooks in under 30 minutes, it's popular for quick meals. Sweet and savory flavors and colorful colors define the dish.
Soak glass noodles in warm water until soft to make japchae. Julienne vegetables into thin strips while noodles soak. Carrots, bell peppers, onions, and spinach are common japchae ingredients. Marinate thinly sliced beef or chicken with soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic, and sugar.
Kimchi fried rice: a spicy and savory way to use leftover rice
Popular Korean cuisine kimchi fried rice is excellent and uses leftover rice. It combines fried rice with kimchi's tanginess and spice. For fast, satisfying meals, this dish may be made in no time.
Cut kimchi into small pieces to prepare fried rice. Saute kimchi in oil till aromatic. Add diced chicken or shrimp and simmer until done. For a vegetarian version, use tofu or mushrooms for the meat.
Tteokbokki: chewy rice cakes in a fiery sauce
Popular Korean street meal tteokbokki is chewy rice cakes in a spicy sauce. This spicy comfort meal is a favorite. Tteokbokki is easy to make with a few ingredients.
Put the rice cakes in warm water to soften them before making tteokbokki. Prepare the sauce by mixing gochujang, soy sauce, sugar, garlic, and water in a skillet while the rice cakes soak. Simmer the sauce over medium heat until the sugar dissolves.
After the sauce simmers, add the soaked rice cakes and cook until soft and chewy. You can add fish cakes, boiled eggs, or veggies for taste and texture. Cook everything until the sauce thickens and coats rice cakes.
Haemul pajeon: seafood and scallion pancake
Heamul pajeon, which is a Korean pancake with seafood flavor, is prepared using wheat flour, eggs, and scallions. One of its most common roles is as an appetizer or side dish. Not only swift and simple to prepare, haemul pajeon is also a fantastic quick dinner. Batters for haemul pajeon are ready to be made. Combine flour, eggs, water, salt and pepper in a bowl and whisk until well incorporated. The batter should be at a slightly thicker consistency. Save some of the scallions to cut and use for later. Turn on the heat of a non-stick pan on medium and pour in the oil. To create a pancake, take a ladle of batter and spill it into skillet then spread it evenly. With the chopping of scallions in the pancake and the seafood on the other half. The seafood that we may often consume are shrimps, squids, and clams. First, cook the cakes on both sides until golden brown and then flip them until they are crisp. After cooking, cut the pancake into small pieces, which can be eaten using a fork. Serve hot haemul pajeon along with a dipping sauce made from soy sauce, vinegar, and sesame oil.
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