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Ueong jorimBraised burdock root

Thin sticks of burdock root braised in soy and sugar until they are dark, glossy and chewy are one of the banchan Korean mothers make in a big batch on a weekend; they keep for a week and go into the lunch boxes of schoolchildren in Seoul and into gimbap rolls. The flavour is earthy, sweet and savoury, with a little stickiness from rice syrup. A portion is about 95 kcal. The common mistake is adding the sweetener too early, which makes the burdock hard; braise in the soy first, and add the syrup at the end for the shine. Chef's tip: soak the cut burdock in water with a splash of vinegar for 10 minutes; it stops it turning grey and takes away the bitter edge.

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Kongnamul bapSoybean sprout rice

In Jeonju and Jeonbuk, the province famous for its soybean sprouts, kongnamul bap is the humble one-pot supper of winter: rice steamed with a thick layer of crunchy sprouts on top, so they wilt into the grains and give them a sweet, nutty flavour. Each person spoons on a sharp yangnyeom-jang, soy sauce with spring onion, garlic, chilli flakes and sesame, and mixes it through. A portion is about 300 kcal. Many homes add a little minced beef; this version keeps it vegetable-only. The common mistake is using the usual amount of water; the sprouts release a lot of liquid, so cut the water by about a fifth, or the rice turns mushy. Chef's tip: don't lift the lid while it cooks; the sprouts give off a raw, beany smell if the steam escapes halfway.

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Gondeure bapThistle greens rice

Gondeure, a mountain thistle that grows on the steep slopes of Jeongseon in Gangwon, kept villagers fed through lean springs, and gondeure bap is now what visitors travel to Jeongseon's five-day market to eat: rice cooked with the soft, dried greens and a little perilla oil, served with a soy, spring onion and sesame sauce. It is earthy, mild and fragrant, a little like artichoke. A portion is about 320 kcal. Dried gondeure must be soaked overnight and boiled for 20 minutes beforehand, which is not counted; Korean grocers also sell it ready-boiled and frozen. The common mistake is not squeezing the greens well, which makes the rice wet and soft. Chef's tip: toss the squeezed greens with a spoon of perilla oil and soup soy before they go on the rice; they season the grains as they steam.

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PatjukRed bean porridge

On Dongji, the winter solstice, Korean families eat a bowl of deep red patjuk: the colour was believed to drive away bad spirits on the longest night, and grandmothers still flick a little on the gate. Adzuki beans are boiled soft, pushed through a sieve and simmered with rice into a thick, earthy porridge, and little balls of glutinous rice dough called saealsim, one for each year of your age by tradition, are cooked in it. It is lightly salted; in Jeolla people add sugar. A bowl is about 380 kcal. The most common mistake is not stirring the bottom once the rice goes in; the thick porridge catches and burns quickly. Chef's tip: throw away the first boiling water of the beans; it removes bitterness and makes the porridge taste cleaner.

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Sigeumchi doenjang gukSpinach soybean paste soup

Spinach doenjang-guk is one of the soups that appears most often on Korean breakfast and dinner tables in winter, when the short, sweet Pohang spinach called pohang-cho arrives from the east coast: a clear, savoury broth of fermented soybean paste with spinach, tofu and spring onion, eaten with rice and kimchi. It is usually made with anchovy stock; this version uses kelp and dried shiitake, so it is vegetarian. A bowl is about 60 kcal. The common mistake is boiling the doenjang hard for a long time, which makes it bitter and dulls its fragrance; dissolve it in, then simmer gently. Chef's tip: push the doenjang through a small sieve into the pot; it dissolves without lumps and leaves the husky bits behind.

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JapgokbapMultigrain rice

In Korean homes today, the bowl of rice beside the stew is more often japgokbap than plain white: short-grain rice cooked with a handful each of barley, brown rice, black rice, millet and beans, which turns it purple-grey, chewy and nutty. Supermarkets in Seoul sell ready-mixed bags of japgok for the rice cooker, and the habit goes back to times when rice was rationed and stretched with other grains. A portion is about 270 kcal, with far more fibre than white rice. The beans and brown grains need soaking: 4 hours or overnight (not counted). The common mistake is cooking it with the water for white rice; whole grains need about a quarter more. Chef's tip: soak the beans and brown grains separately from the white rice, which only needs 20 minutes; that way nothing ends up hard or mushy.

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Aehobak bokkeumStir-fried courgette

Aehobak, the pale green Korean courgette, is in every market from Gwangjang in Seoul to Busan's Jagalchi all summer, and a quick stir-fry of it is one of the banchan most often on the family table and in school lunches. Half-moon slices are lightly salted, then stir-fried with garlic until just tender and glossy, and finished with sesame. Many homes season it with saeujeot, salted shrimp; this version uses salt and a little soy instead, so it is vegan. A portion is about 45 kcal. The common mistake is overcooking, which leaves limp, watery slices; cook it hot and fast and take it off while the slices still have a little bite. Chef's tip: salting the slices for 10 minutes and patting them dry keeps them firm and stops the pan filling with liquid.

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Bugeo gukDried pollack soup

In Seoul, little restaurants near Mugyo-dong have served bugeo-guk since dawn for decades to office workers recovering from the night before, and at home it is the light, fortifying soup for any cold morning: shreds of air-dried Alaska pollack fried briefly in sesame oil, then simmered with radish and tofu into a milky, savoury broth, with beaten egg swirled in at the end. It is clean and comforting. Fish and egg are the allergens. A bowl is about 130 kcal. The most common mistake is using the dried shreds straight from the bag; soak and squeeze them first, or they stay tough and the soup is salty. Chef's tip: fry the pollack in sesame oil until it smells toasty before adding water; it is what turns the broth white and rich.

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Buchu muchimSeasoned garlic chives

In Korean barbecue restaurants from Mapo in Seoul to Busan's Haeundae, a little bowl of dressed garlic chives comes to the table with the grilled pork, and at home buchu muchim is the five-minute banchan made when there is a bunch of chives in the fridge. The flat chives are cut into lengths and tossed raw with gochugaru, soy, vinegar and sesame; they have a punchy garlic-onion bite that cuts through rich meat or a simple bowl of rice. A portion is about 40 kcal. The usual mistake is mixing it hard, which bruises the chives and makes them bitter and slimy; toss lightly with your fingertips. Chef's tip: dress the chives with the oil first, then the salty and sour parts; the oil coats them and keeps them crisp longer.

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Sangchu geotjeoriFresh lettuce salad

Geotjeori is "fresh kimchi", made to be eaten the same day, and lettuce geotjeori is the summer version Korean families throw together in ten minutes when the leafy red lettuce from the garden or the market in Suwon is piling up: torn leaves and spring onion tossed in a garlicky gochugaru and soy dressing. It goes with grilled meat, bibimbap or just rice. Many homes add fish sauce; this vegan version uses soy and a little more sesame. A portion is about 45 kcal. The most common mistake is dressing it in advance; lettuce goes soggy within minutes, so mix it at the table. Chef's tip: dry the leaves very thoroughly in a salad spinner; any water left on them dilutes the dressing and stops it clinging.

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ErdäpfelstrudelSavoury potato strudel

Austrians, especially in the Mühlviertel of Upper Austria and the Waldviertel, make savoury strudels as often as sweet ones, and Erdäpfelstrudel is a farmhouse favourite for a meatless Friday or a cold evening. Thin pastry wraps a filling of potatoes, fried onion, sour cream, marjoram and parsley, baked until crisp and golden and sliced with a green salad or a dill and sour-cream dip. Bought filo makes it easy at home. The mistake to avoid is a wet filling, which turns the pastry soggy underneath. Chef's tip: cool the filling completely before rolling; warm filling makes the layers stick and tear.

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Chwinamul muchimSeasoned aster greens

Chwinamul, the wild aster that grows on the mountains of Gangwon and the slopes around Jirisan, is one of the most loved spring greens in Korea, sold by grandmothers at village markets in April and dried for the namul of Daeboreum, the first full moon of the lunar year. Blanched and squeezed, it is seasoned with soup soy sauce, garlic and sesame oil and has a deep, herbal, slightly bitter flavour that wakes up the rice. A portion is about 45 kcal. If you can't find chwinamul, use spinach or watercress, blanched for less time. The common mistake is not squeezing the greens well, so the seasoning slides off; press them firmly in your fist. Chef's tip: season with your fingertips, rubbing the dressing gently into the leaves; Korean cooks call it son-mat, the taste of the hands.

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KongguksuCold soybean noodle soup

When the monsoon heat settles over Seoul in July, queues form outside old noodle houses near City Hall for kongguksu: thin wheat noodles in an ice-cold, thick, nutty broth of soybeans boiled and blended with their skins, topped with cucumber and sesame. It is plain, rich and very cooling, and people season it at the table with salt (in Seoul) or sugar (in Jeolla). A bowl is about 520 kcal, a full meal with plenty of protein. Soak the soybeans overnight first, not counted in the times. The most common mistake is overboiling the soybeans, which gives a fermented, "meju" smell; boil them for exactly 10–12 minutes and taste one: it should be cooked but not soft. Chef's tip: blend a handful of pine nuts or toasted sesame with the beans; it makes the broth even creamier.

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Sogogi mugukBeef and radish soup

Sogogi muguk is the soup of ordinary Korean mornings and of the ancestral memorial table in Gyeongsang homes, where a clear version is offered on rites days: thin slices of beef brisket or round sautéed in sesame oil with squares of Korean radish, then simmered in water until the radish turns translucent and the broth sweet and beefy. It is seasoned only with soup soy sauce, garlic and salt and eaten with rice and kimchi. A bowl is about 160 kcal. The common mistake is skipping the sauté: frying the beef and radish together in sesame oil first is what makes the broth rich without hours of simmering. Chef's tip: cut the radish into thin, flat squares, not chunks; they cook quickly and release their sweetness into the soup.

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Mu namulStir-fried radish strips

Mu namul is the soft, white radish side dish that appears among the banchan of a Korean home table in autumn and winter, when the fat Korean radishes are at their sweetest, and it is always part of the namul set laid out for Chuseok and ancestral rites in Andong and Seoul. Thin matchsticks of radish are stir-fried with garlic and a pinch of salt, then steamed briefly in their own juice until tender and translucent, and finished with sesame. It is mild, sweet and very gentle on the stomach. A portion is about 50 kcal. The most common mistake is cutting the radish against the grain, so it breaks into short bits; cut lengthways, along the grain, so the strands stay long. Chef's tip: salt the radish first and let it sit for a few minutes; it releases water that it then cooks in, so you need almost no oil.

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Minari muchimWater dropwort salad

Minari, Korean water dropwort, grows in the wet fields of Cheongdo and around Daegu, and in early spring Koreans eat it raw and crunchy as a sharp, peppery salad: the stems are tossed in a sweet-sour dressing of gochugaru, vinegar, garlic and a touch of sugar, with thinly sliced onion. It is served alongside grilled pork belly or a fish stew to freshen the palate. A portion is about 50 kcal. If minari is hard to find, use watercress or celery leaves with stems. The common mistake is dressing it too early: the leaves wilt and weep within half an hour, so toss it just before eating. Chef's tip: soak the cut minari in iced water for five minutes first; it turns very crisp.

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Bánh bột lọcTapioca dumplings with prawn and pork

Huế's market stalls pile up flat banana-leaf packets of bánh bột lọc for an afternoon snack, unwrapped at the table and dipped in sweet, chilli-hot fish sauce. Inside each is a chewy, see-through tapioca dough with a single prawn and a nugget of pork belly cooked down with fish sauce and annatto, so you can see the orange filling glowing through. The prawn and pork are cooked before wrapping, then steamed again. Chef's tip: mix the tapioca starch with boiling water, not warm; with water that is not hot enough the dough stays crumbly and splits around the filling.

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Miến gàChicken glass noodle soup

Hanoi eats miến gà on chilly winter mornings and the day after Tết, when every kitchen has chicken broth left from the altar bird. The chewy, translucent mung bean noodles soak up a clean, gingery broth, topped with shredded chicken, spring onion, rau răm and fried shallots; a squeeze of lime and a few slices of chilli finish it at the table. It is light enough for breakfast and gluten free. Chef's tip: soak the noodles and blanch them separately just before serving; cooked in the broth, they drink it all and swell into a soggy tangle.

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Nước rau máPennywort juice

Saigon street carts blend nước rau má to order through the hottest part of the afternoon, pouring the bright green juice into plastic cups over crushed ice for office workers and students. Pennywort (rau má) tastes fresh, grassy and very slightly bitter, and southerners drink it to 'cool the body' in the dry season; some stalls blend in cooked mung beans or a splash of coconut milk to make it richer. Look for bunches of rau má in Vietnamese and South Asian grocers, where it is also sold as gotu kola. Chef's tip: strain twice through a fine cloth and drink it within the hour; left standing, it separates and darkens to a dull khaki.

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Trà atisôArtichoke tea

Artichokes arrived in the cool Đà Lạt highlands with French planters, and today the town's markets sell dried artichoke leaves, stems and flower buds for tea along with fresh heads for soup. Local cafés serve it hot on misty mornings and iced in the afternoon, slightly sweet, earthy and pleasantly bitter, and many Vietnamese drink it as a gentle tonic after rich meals. This version brews fresh globe artichokes with their stems; a 30 g bag of dried trà atisô works the same way. Chef's tip: skip the aluminium pan; artichokes react with it and the tea turns grey and metallic.

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Nộm hoa chuốiBanana blossom salad

Hanoi cooks make nộm hoa chuối on hot summer days and as a sharp, crunchy partner to boiled meats at family gatherings, when a banana blossom from the market is sliced paper-thin into acidulated water. The pale purple-white shreds taste faintly nutty and astringent, softened by a sweet-sour fish-sauce dressing, carrot, rau răm and plenty of toasted peanuts and sesame; many households add poached chicken or pig's ear. Chef's tip: slice the blossom straight into lime water and keep it submerged; sliced banana blossom left in the air blackens within minutes.

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Bánh giòPork rice dumplings

On cold Hanoi mornings vendors cycle round the old quarter with a steaming basket of bánh giò, banana-leaf pyramids of soft, almost pudding-like rice dough around a filling of minced pork, wood ear mushroom and a quail egg. They are breakfast, a late-night bite after the bars, and something to grab at the station. The batter is cooked on the stove first so it can be spooned into the leaves, and the pork filling is fried through before the parcels are steamed. Chef's tip: stir the batter until it is as thick as soft mashed potato before wrapping; if it is still runny it leaks out of the cones and the dumplings collapse.

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Gỏi gà bắp cảiChicken cabbage salad

Gỏi gà turns up wherever Vietnamese families gather around a pot of chicken: alongside cháo gà at a weekend lunch, at death anniversaries and at roadside chicken restaurants on the way out of Saigon. Shredded poached chicken is tossed with fine cabbage, onion pickled briefly in vinegar and a fistful of peppery rau răm, then dressed with lime, fish sauce and sugar, so it is lean, crunchy and full of herbs. Chef's tip: soak the sliced onion in vinegar water for 10 minutes; raw onion left as it is overwhelms the delicate chicken.

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Nước sâmCooling herbal drink

Big glass jars of amber nước sâm sit on pavement stalls all over Hồ Chí Minh City, ladled over ice for anyone who has eaten too much fried food or spent too long in the sun. The brew is gently sweet and earthy, with honeyed dried longan, the liquorice note of monk fruit and fresh sugarcane, and Chinese-Vietnamese herbalists sell ready-mixed bags of the dried roots. Make a big pot: it keeps for four days in the fridge. Chef's tip: simmer, never boil hard; a rolling boil pulls bitterness out of the roots and turns the drink cloudy.

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