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611 recipes

Torantang (taro soup)

Torantang is the soup of Chuseok all over Korea: taro is dug up just as the harvest moon festival arrives, and its name, 'egg of the earth', makes it a natural thanks for the year's crops. Elders also say it settles the stomach after days of rich jeon and rice cakes. The broth is clean and gently beefy with a sea-sweet depth from kelp, and the taro turns silky and creamy, almost like a soft potato. Serve it piping hot with rice, kimchi and the holiday jeon. Chef's tip: wear gloves when peeling taro, which makes bare skin itch, and parboil it before it goes into the soup so the broth stays clear.

75 minKoreanSoupsGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Gul jeon (oyster pancakes)

Oysters are at their sweetest in midwinter, just as Seollal arrives, and the farms around Tongyeong on Korea's south coast supply most of the country, so gul jeon are a treasured New Year treat. They are a quick, small luxury on a jeon platter that is otherwise mostly vegetables and pork, a taste of the sea brought to the family table for the new year. Each oyster is wrapped in a thin, tender egg coat, so the outside is golden and soft while the inside is briny, sweet and juicy. Use shucked fresh oysters from a tub or the fishmonger, and serve them hot with a soy-vinegar dip, a squeeze of lemon and steamed rice. Chef's tip: pat the oysters really dry, or the flour turns gluey and the oil spits.

20 minKoreanFish
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Hwayangjeok (colourful skewers)

Hwayangjeok, made across Korea for Chuseok and Seollal, means something like 'flower-bright skewers': strips of seasoned beef, shiitake, carrot, yellow pickled radish, cucumber and egg are cooked separately and threaded side by side, so each skewer shows the five traditional colours (obangsaek) that stand for balance and good fortune on the ancestral table. Every bite mixes savoury, sweet soy beef with crunchy, tangy radish and soft egg. They are served at room temperature as part of the holiday spread, with rice, soup and other jeon. Chef's tip: cut every ingredient to the same length and thickness before you start; that is what makes the stripes look sharp.

60 minKoreanMeat
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Kkaennip jeon (stuffed perilla leaf pancakes)

For Chuseok and Seollal, Korean kitchens turn out tray after tray of jeon for the ancestral table, and kkaennip jeon are a fragrant favourite: whole perilla leaves are folded like a half-moon around minced pork, tofu and vegetables, then fried in egg. Perilla tastes of mint, anise and basil all at once, and its scent cuts through the richness of the holiday spread. Each little parcel is soft and juicy inside, with a thin, golden shell. Serve them with a soy-vinegar dip, rice and soup, or tuck them into a lunchbox the day after. Chef's tip: lay the leaves shiny side down so the matt, rougher side holds the flour and filling.

40 minKoreanSnacks & Starters
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Yeot-gangjeong (nut and sesame bars in rice syrup)

Yeot-gangjeong is a traditional Korean hangwa made all over the country, especially in the weeks before Seollal and Chuseok, when trays of these bars are given as gifts and set out for visitors. Toasted nuts, sesame seeds and puffed rice are folded into hot rice syrup, pressed flat and cut into bars that are crunchy, nutty and only gently sweet, with a faint malty flavour from the syrup. Serve them with green tea or sikhye, the sweet rice drink, or pack them for a lunchbox. They are naturally egg-free: rice syrup, heated until it bubbles, acts as the glue and sets firm as it cools. Chef's tip: cut the slab while it is still warm. The common mistake is waiting until it is cold, when the bars shatter instead of slicing cleanly.

25 minKoreanDessertsVeganGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Dasik (Korean pressed tea cakes)

Dasik are small pressed tea cakes stamped with patterns of flowers, characters for long life and good fortune, made across Korea for Chuseok, weddings and the tables set for ancestral rites. Powders of roasted grain, black sesame or yellow pine pollen are kneaded with honey and pressed into carved wooden moulds, so a single plate shows contrasting colours. They are dense and melt slowly, tasting of toasted nuts and honey, and they are always served with tea: green tea, or a tea of jujube or citron. This version makes two colours, roasted soybean and black sesame. They are naturally egg-free: honey binds the powders and lets them hold the fine pattern of the mould. Chef's tip: add the honey a teaspoon at a time; the common mistake is too much, which makes a sticky dough that blurs the pattern and won't leave the mould.

35 minKoreanDessertsGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Surichwi-tteok (Dano wheel rice cakes)

Dano, on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, was once called surit-nal, and the green surichwi-tteok of Gangwon and the rest of Korea carries that name: the cakes are pounded with surichwi (Korean mountain aster) and pressed with a cartwheel stamp, since 'suri' was read as 'wheel', a wish for the year to roll on smoothly and for good health as summer heat sets in. The leaves give a grassy, faintly bitter scent and a deep green fleck, and the steamed rice is pounded until it turns chewy and bouncy. If you can't find surichwi, mugwort (ssuk) powder or dried mugwort works well; the flavour is a little more herbal and the cakes are just as traditional in spirit. Serve at room temperature with cold omija hwachae or barley tea. Chef's tip: pound the rice while it is still steaming hot; once it cools it tightens and will never go smooth.

120 minKoreanDessertsVeganGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Pyogo jeon (stuffed shiitake pancakes)

No Seollal or Chuseok table in Korea is complete without a platter of jeon, and pyogo jeon are among the prettiest: shiitake caps packed with a filling of minced pork and tofu, then fried in a thin egg coat so the dark mushroom edge frames a golden centre. Mushrooms were prized offerings on the ancestral (charye) table, and stuffed jeon show the care put into the holiday meal. They are juicy and savoury, with the shiitake giving an earthy, meaty bite. Serve warm or at room temperature with a soy and vinegar dip, alongside other jeon and a bowl of tteokguk; the last step gives an all-tofu vegetarian filling. Chef's tip: dust the gills with flour before stuffing; it acts as glue and stops the filling popping out in the pan.

40 minKoreanSnacks & Starters
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Saeu jeon (shrimp pancakes)Prawn pancakes

Saeu jeon are a celebratory addition to the jeon platter for Seollal and Chuseok in homes all over Korea; prawns, with their bent backs, have long stood for a wish to live until you are old and stooped. Butterflied and pressed flat, each prawn turns into a neat golden fan with a pink tail, sweet and tender inside a soft egg coat. Children love them, and they disappear faster than anything else on the table. Serve with a soy-vinegar dip, japchae and rice. Chef's tip: make a few shallow cuts across the inner belly before flattening; it stops the prawns curling up in the pan.

25 minKoreanFish
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Gotgam-ssam (walnut-stuffed dried persimmon rounds)

Sangju in North Gyeongsang is Korea's dried-persimmon capital, and in Andong and across the region gotgam-ssam is a sweet for Seollal and Chuseok tables and for welcoming guests in winter. Soft dried persimmons are opened out flat, rolled tightly around a row of walnut halves and sliced, so each round shows a pattern like a flower. They are chewy and honeyed from the fruit, with crunchy, slightly bitter walnuts in the middle. Serve them with sujeonggwa, the cinnamon-ginger punch, or with a cup of roasted barley tea. It is naturally egg-free: the sticky dried fruit is its own glue, and a short chill firms the roll so it slices neatly. Chef's tip: wrap the roll tightly in cling film and chill it before slicing; the common mistake is slicing it straight away, which squashes the rounds and lets the walnuts fall out.

19 minKoreanDessertsVeganGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Gochu jeon (stuffed chilli pancakes)

Gochu jeon bring a flash of green to the jeon platter that Korean families fry together, often for hours, before Seollal and Chuseok, when jeon are laid out for the ancestors and then shared by everyone. Long, mild green chillies are split and filled with a pork and tofu stuffing, so each boat is half crisp, sweet-grassy pepper and half juicy, savoury filling, with only a little warmth. They hold well, which is why they are made ahead for the holiday. Serve with a vinegar and soy dip, steamed rice and kimchi. Chef's tip: choose straight, mild chillies (Korean green chillies, Anaheim or long Turkish peppers); curly hot ones are hard to fill and too fierce for a platter.

40 minKoreanSnacks & Starters
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Omija hwachae (five-flavour berry punch)

Across Korea, Dano marks the start of the hot season, and a bowl of hwachae is the old way to cool down. Omija means 'five flavours': the dried schisandra berries are sour, sweet, salty, bitter and pungent at once, and steeping them gives a ruby-pink drink that is tart and bright, said to refresh the body against summer fatigue. Honey is the traditional sweetener; sugar syrup keeps this version vegan and entirely alcohol-free. Float thin pear flowers and a few pine nuts on top and serve it beside tteok or yakgwa. Chef's tip: steep the berries in cold water only, because hot water pulls out their bitterness and the colour turns murky.

30 minKoreanDrinksVeganGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Kkaennip jjimSteamed seasoned perilla leaves

Kkaennip jjim is a homely banchan made in Korean kitchens through the summer, when perilla grows like a weed in back gardens, and it is eaten by wrapping a single soft leaf around a mouthful of rice. The leaves are stacked in pairs with a spoon of soy, garlic and chilli seasoning between each layer, then steamed until they soften and drink up the sauce. Many versions add anchovy stock; this one uses water, so it is vegan. Each portion has about 2 g of protein. The common mistake is steaming too long: the leaves should be tender but still green, about 5 minutes. Chef's tip: seasoning every second leaf rather than every one keeps the stack from getting soggy and salty.

26 minKoreanSidesVegan
by KrazyBadal 0 views

SsambapRice wrapped in leaves

Ssambap means wrapped rice, and in Korean homes it is the lazy, happy dinner of high summer, when the garden is full of lettuce and perilla: a basket of leaves, a bowl of rice and a pot of thick ssamjang go on the table and everyone builds little parcels. Steamed cabbage leaves are added in winter. It is a light meal of about 360 kcal, with roughly 10 g of protein a portion from the rice, doenjang and walnuts, so it is not a high-protein dish. The usual mistake is overfilling the leaf; a parcel should be one bite, so use a small spoon of rice. Most gochujang contains wheat, so it isn't gluten free. Chef's tip: lay a perilla leaf on top of the lettuce before adding rice; its minty, anise flavour lifts every mouthful.

40 minKoreanRice & GrainsVegan
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Gaji naenggukChilled aubergine soup

Gaji naengguk is a midsummer cold soup from Korean home kitchens, made in July and August when aubergines are cheap and nobody wants anything hot. The aubergine is steamed until silky, torn into strips and seasoned with garlic and soy, then dropped into an ice-cold, tangy broth. It tastes clean and refreshing, with a soft, almost slippery texture. Each bowl has only about 2 g of protein, so pair it with tofu or bean dishes. The usual mistake is cutting the aubergine with a knife after steaming: torn strips soak up the seasoning far better. Chef's tip: let the steamed aubergine cool completely before mixing it with the broth, or it warms the soup and loses its bite.

20 minKoreanSoupsVegan
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Beoseot deulkkae tangMushroom and perilla seed soup

This creamy, nutty soup is cooked in Korean homes and temple-style restaurants all through autumn and winter, when the first wild mushrooms arrive and people want something warming and gentle. Ground perilla seeds and a spoon of glutinous rice flour turn a plain broth thick and pale, with mixed mushrooms and soft tofu simmered through it. With the perilla and a block of firm tofu, a bowl gives about 24 g of protein, making it a proper main course with rice. The most common mistake is adding the perilla powder too early and boiling it hard, which makes the soup gritty and bitter; stir it in near the end. Chef's tip: buy perilla seed powder that has been skinned (it is paler), for the smoothest, creamiest soup.

30 minKoreanSoupsVegan
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Miyeok julgi bokkeumStir-fried seaweed stems

Seaweed stems, sold salted in Korean grocers, are the crunchy, green-black banchan you find in school canteens and lunchboxes everywhere in Korea, eaten cold with rice. The stems are soaked to draw out the salt, then stir-fried quickly with garlic, onion and a few drops of soy, and finished with sesame. It is vegan and light, with about 2 g of protein per portion. The common mistake is under-soaking: too little and the dish is painfully salty, so taste a piece before you cook. Chef's tip: blanch the stems for 10 seconds after soaking; it sets their bright green colour and removes any fishy-sea smell.

27 minKoreanSidesVegan
by KrazyBadal 0 views

پشاوری آئس کریم (Peshawari ice cream)Cardamom pistachio ice cream

In the Qissa Khwani bazaar of Peshawar, ice-cream sellers spin a tall metal drum inside a tub of crushed ice and salt, scraping the freezing milk off the walls with a long paddle until it turns thick, stretchy and pale. It is a summer evening treat, eaten from small bowls after dinner or late at night when the streets cool down, and often topped with a spoonful of falooda vermicelli or more chopped pistachio. The flavour is simple: slowly reduced milk, green cardamom and a little rose. This version has no eggs and no custard: a cornflour slurry cooked into the milk thickens it the way yolks would, and the starch holds on to water so ice crystals stay small and the texture stays smooth, while milk powder adds body without extra fat. You can churn it in a machine or still-freeze it in a tray and stir it every 45 minutes. Chef's tip: the common mistake is churning a warm base; chill it until it is fridge-cold right through, or it will turn icy instead of silky.

300 minPakistaniDessertsGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

팥빙수 (Patbingsu, Korean red bean shaved ice)

Patbingsu is the great Korean summer dessert, eaten nationwide from the start of the rainy season until autumn, usually shared from one big bowl in a café after lunch or on a hot evening. Under the mound of milk ice sits the heart of it: sweet, soft red beans cooked until they almost melt, with chewy little rice cakes dusted in roasted soybean powder and a thread of condensed milk. Fluffy, creamy and earthy-sweet. There are no eggs anywhere: the ice is milk and condensed milk frozen in a thin layer, and the condensed milk's sugar keeps the crystals fine so the shavings are soft and snowy rather than crunchy, while the beans thicken with their own starch. Make the beans and the ice a day ahead. Chef's tip: freeze the milk thin in a flat tray and scrape it with a fork; the common mistake is freezing it in a deep tub, which sets too hard to shave.

400 minKoreanDessertsGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Yugwa (Korean puffed glutinous-rice crackers)

Yugwa are the light, airy crackers piled on trays at Seollal, the Lunar New Year, and given in gift boxes for Chuseok and weddings across Korea. A dough of glutinous rice is steamed and pounded until stretchy, rolled thin, cut and dried until hard, then fried slowly so each piece swells to several times its size into a crisp, hollow puff. A brush of rice syrup and a coating of puffed rice or sesame finish them. They melt on the tongue, crunchy but almost weightless, gently sweet and toasty. Serve with green tea or barley tea. Yugwa never used egg: the sticky starch of glutinous rice, steamed and pounded, traps air and binds the dough, and the rice syrup glues on the coating. Some cooks add rice wine to the dough; this version uses plain water and needs no alcohol. Chef's tip: dry the cut pieces until they snap like a cracker before frying; the common mistake is frying them half-dried, and then they stay flat and chewy instead of puffing.

720 minKoreanDessertsVeganGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Daegu jiriClear cod soup

In Busan and the fishing towns along Korea's south coast, daegu jiri is the clear, unspicy cod soup that people order in winter, and famously the morning after a long night out. Chunks of cod simmer in an anchovy and kelp broth with soft radish, tofu and garlic, then a big handful of minari (water dropwort) goes in at the end for a fresh, peppery lift. It tastes clean and gently savoury, with about 32 g of protein a bowl from the cod and tofu. The common mistake is stirring after the fish goes in, which breaks it into shreds; just shake the pot. Chef's tip: let the radish simmer in the broth first until it turns translucent, because it gives the soup its sweetness.

45 minKoreanSoups
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Gamja gukPotato and onion soup

Gamja guk is the plain, comforting potato soup that Korean mothers make on busy mornings and quiet evenings all year round, served with rice and kimchi. Thin slices of potato and onion simmer in a clear broth until soft, finished with spring onion and a little garlic. Most homes use an anchovy and kelp stock; this is the vegetarian version, with kelp and dried shiitake. It is mild and soothing, with about 4 g of protein per bowl; crack an egg into the pot at the end, or serve tofu alongside, for more. The common mistake is cutting the potatoes too thick, so the outside crumbles before the middle is cooked; slice them evenly, about 5 mm. Chef's tip: soak the sliced potato in cold water for 5 minutes to rinse away surface starch and keep the broth clear.

30 minKoreanSoupsVegan
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Miyeok oi naenggukChilled seaweed and cucumber soup

On the hottest days of a Korean summer, from Seoul apartments to farmhouses in Jeolla, this icy cold soup comes to the table with rice and spicy side dishes to cool everyone down. Soft wakame and crunchy cucumber float in a clear, tangy broth of vinegar, a little sugar and soup soy sauce, often with ice cubes bobbing on top. It is very light, with about 2 g of protein per portion, so serve it beside tofu or egg dishes. The common mistake is leaving the dried wakame to soak too long: it swells hugely and turns mushy. Ten minutes is enough. Chef's tip: season the broth slightly stronger than tastes right, because the ice you add at the end will dilute it.

15 minKoreanSoupsVegan
by KrazyBadal 0 views

BoribapBarley rice with vegetables

Boribap was once the rice of the poor in Jeolla's farming villages; now Seoulites drive out to the hills on summer weekends to eat it in restaurants that set down a big bowl of steamed barley rice and a ring of seasoned vegetables to mix in yourself. This home version is built for protein: soybean sprouts, spinach and radish namul, plus a thick tofu and doenjang sauce (gang-doenjang), give about 23 g of protein a bowl, from tofu, soybean sprouts, doenjang and the barley. The classic mistake with soybean sprouts is lifting the lid while they cook, which leaves a raw, beany smell; keep it shut. Soak the barley for at least 1 hour before cooking. Most gochujang contains wheat, so this is not gluten free. Chef's tip: mix the bowl with a spoon rather than chopsticks, pressing the rice against the side so every grain is coated in sauce and sesame oil.

70 minKoreanRice & GrainsVegan
by KrazyBadal 0 views

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