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 Authored by Morgan Sullivan

People often ask what my favorite thing is about living in South Korea, and time and time again I can’t help but say the food! I love it! I already know that I’ll miss it once I’ve gone.

As a whole, Korean food is well balanced, full of variety, and usually pretty spicy – perfect for a spice-addict like me. Though while some Korean food might take a little getting used to, I believe there is something for everyone – the options are as varied as they are delicious.

You recently read about 5 mouthwatering Korean foods to try; well, here are five more!

Haemul Sundubu

With a rich seafood based broth, soft tofu, zucchini, green onions, egg and a variety of seafood, this dish is both delicious and healthy.

It is always served with rice and often comes to the table bubbling away in an earthen hot pot. Korea gets pretty cold in the winter and this is one of my favorite dishes – it is simple enough to make at home, and very cheap when ordered at a restaurant.

Pajeon

This dish a Korean-style savory pancake, and like most savory pancakes there are several varieties in terms of ingredients used.

The simplest type consists of Buchimgaro (savory pancake mix) and an abundance of chopped onions. However, my favorite variety of Pajeon is Haemul (Seafood) Paejeon, which includes squid, mussels, and shrimp, as well as the green onions.

Always cooked fresh to order, and served piping hot, this dish is often eaten on rainy days or paired with Makgeolli (Korean rice spirit) after a long hike on one of Korea’s many beautiful mountains.

파전 / Pajeon

Photo by Jon Åslund

Tteokbokki

A hugely popular Korean street food, Tteokbokki is made with thick, chewy rice cakes, fish cake, quail eggs, and green onions, all of which is cooked smothered in a slightly sweet red chili paste sauce.

Satisfying, cheap, and very unique to Korea – this is the perfect snack to share with a friend while roaming the concrete jungles.

Budae Jjigae

Literally translating to ‘Army Stew’, Budae Jjigae is one my guilty pleasure foods in South Korea.

Having originated during the food shortages of the Korean War, this dish includes a random and very flexible assortment of items: hotdog, hamburger meat, tofu, bean sprouts, mushrooms, and oftentimes ramen, all of which is cooked in spicy red chili broth.

Though the ingredients list does not sound inspiring, this dish is quick, delicious, and meant to be spilt and shared among friends or family.

budae jjigae

Photo credit: Jo del Corro

Fish Bread

Another popular Korean street food, fish bread can only be found during the winter because it is considered to be a cold-weather snack.

Fish bread contains no actual fish, the name stems solely from the fact that both sides are imprinted in the shape of a fish. Rather than savory flavors, fish bread is comprised of a sweet bread exterior, with either red bean or cream filling.

This snack is cheap, delicious, and as I said only available at certain times of year – so if you see a vendor, make sure to snatch some up!

Though I’ve sampled many cuisines in my travels throughout Asia, Korean food will always have a special place in my heart. It is balanced and generally healthy, the flavors are bold, and the variety keeps it interesting.

If you ever get the chance to visit Korea, try as many things as you can and give anything and everything a chance – you never know what you’ll end up liking. Hopefully, you will enjoy the tastes of Korea as much as I do.

Morgan lived in Denver, Colorado, before moving to South Korea to teach English at 22. She has suburban sensibilities, penthouse dreams, and is currently pursuing her lifelong dream of international travel.

Find her on her website A Beautiful View, on Facebook, or on Twitter.

    19 Comments

  1. Yum! I don’t know Korean food that well past Bi Bim Bop. I think I would pass on that hotdog stew though.

    • Really trying to get more into korean food – it all sounds so delicious! And even though I’m 26 I still love food shaped like animals lol so I would be all over the fish bread :D!

      I would probably steer away from the hotdog stew too but only because I can’t personally handle chilli :D Have a great weekend!

  2. Wow. All are looking good, and I am sure it is tasty too. Seems like I need to visit Seoul.

    • Sounds like it! You and me both – everything I’m hearing about Seoul is fantastic – it’s really turning into a new hotspot for travelers, so i want to try and make it there before mass tourism becomes an issue :)

  3. Yum!! I like Korean food, though I certainly wouldn’t say that it’s one of my favorites. In Southern California, the self-grill Korean bbq is a huge thing, and I love that. I wonder if it’s as big in actual Korea. I really do like the spicy rice cakes (Tteokbokki) and rice pancakes too. And I like that Koreans mean business when they say spicy too! None of that wimpy spice! I’m currently tentatively thinking about going to Seoul next summer/fall, so we’ll see!

    • I do love a good Korean BBQ! I believe it is pretty big in South Korea – Morgan included it in her post originally, but we edited it out as it was included in the first post of this series last week.

      I hope your plans come through for next summer/fall – hearing amazing things about Seoul from everyone who has been so I’m sure you would have an amazing time!

  4. I’m not too sure if fish bread is Korean by origin, it seems like a pretty common pastry snack. We have bread with ice cream filling and deep fried for 10 seconds here which is absolutely the best snack I have ever had :D

    • I’ll have to check into this ice cream filling bread – sounds amazingly delicious!!

  5. Each food looks and sounds delicious! Very appetizing photos! Thanks for sharing!

    • Thanks Mary! Hope you have the opportunity to visit South Korea sometime soon to taste everything for yourself!

  6. This is making me hungry! Korean food is the best. The fish bread at the bottom looks a lot like Japanese taiyaki. I think my favorite hands down Korean food is now a hybrid of Korean and Japanese. It’s bulgogi sushi and they have it here in Japan and it’s deliciously amazing.

    • Everytime I head back to a food post to reply to comments I find myself hungry all over again lol!

      Have never heard of bulgogi sushi before though now I have to check it out!! Anything which is a mix between Japanese and Korean cuisine has to be amazing!!

      Thanks Stephanie!

  7. Ah this post made me miss Korean food a lot :D I love 해물 anything and I really miss fish bread 노무노무!

    • Korean food seems to be becoming all the rage! Really starting to dominate the international food scene!

  8. Oh man, I was just at a Global Market and scouring the Korean section trying to find some food from the last four years of our lives. I was so happy to come across this post, Megan. Morgan knew her stuff while in Korea and it’s cool that she guest posted for you. Thanks for sharing!

    • Glad you enjoyed the post Duke! Hope you managed to find some treats at the Global Market – isn’t it the best! I usually hit it up for Vegemite to remind me of Australia when I can’t be at home!!

  9. That looks amazing! We had a Korean lodger once so we got well accustomed to kimchi, but I didn’t know about all this.

    • You could make it a goal in 2017 to explore more Korean cuisine! :)

  10. To order Korean Food online visit SFMart.com

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