Kimchi is the best-known Korean staple that I grew up with. It is a spicy fermented cabbage dish packed with vitamin C and probiotics. It used to be an important fall ritual to prepare for Kimchi that would sustain Koreans throughout winter when fresh vegetables were rare. It is Popeye's spinach for Koreans. If I have a bowl of rice, roasted seaweed, and Kimchi, I'm happy as a clam. Kimchi is more than a side dish and the most versatile dish I can think of. It provides a

Occasionally, we run into something great by accident. I have recently had such a eureka moment when I intended to cook bibimbap on a weekend, using a different combination of vegetables. New ingredients were cauliflower and mini napa cabbages. When I tasted this new version of bibimbap for the first time, I was blown away by a perfect combination of spiciness, sweetness from vegetables (cauliflower, napa cabbages, onions, and carrots), and savory umami flavors from mushroo

If you have a crowd to please or simply want a nice brunch, this recipe is for you. Seafood pancakes are popular appetizers at Korean restaurants. Unlike most sweet pancakes served for breakfast, seafood pancakes are savory and nourishing. I have a vivid memory of these special pancakes that were only available in certain parts of South Korea. They were made of potatoes and buckwheat. These freshly cooked pancakes were served with sour soy sauce and tasted amazing especia

When kimchi passes its prime, it turns too sour for us to enjoy it as a side dish. Don't despair. Home-made kimchi never goes wasted. With old kimchi, you can make savory pancakes, soup, or a stir-fried rice. Stir-fried rice that features kimchi is one of the easiest recipes one can try. A simple and popular version only calls for rice, old kimchi, scallions, fried eggs, or meat. I wanted to give this good old recipe a makeover, turning this everyday dish into a gourmet

Although this is a popular dish in Korea where I grew up, my first encounter with this salad was in Boston, when my friend served it for a crowd. As I was so used to eating brown seaweed in warm soup, brown seaweed and cucumber seemed like an odd combination. But I was intrigued. Just one spoonful of this soup was all I needed to appreciate the beauty of this dish. This cold soup has a depth that is difficult to find in a salad dish: savory flavors from the brown seaweed m

When you want to cook something special on a whim, try this dish. It is a popular, savory snack in Korea. Koreans enjoy the chewy texture of rice cake and fiery spiciness of this dish "떡볶이". Having a chewy texture, rice cakes can be regarded as somewhat exotic, cooking materials for non-Koreans. Rice cakes represent a big departure from noodles and I cannot think of anything that can replace rice cakes. Like Korean sweet potato noodle dish "잡채", stir-fried rice cakes first

This is a dish loved by my friends the most. They like it so much that I have received many requests to bring it to their parties. It is called "잡채": sweet potato noodles mixed with assorted vegetables and a protein-rich food of your choice (eggs, beaf, seafood). You may have seen it at Korean restaurants. This dish first came into being in the 17th century at a palace banquet and quickly became a staple of a Korean royal court cuisine. However, it did not gain its popula

What is your favorite dish to order at a Korean restaurant? Last month, I visited one in New York and it took me by surprise how crowded the place was on a weekday evening. This restaurant is known for its spicy tofu soup and most customers, who were not Koreans, were ordering this dish. Given this impressive popularity, it occurred to me that many people would be interested in learning how to make this dish at home. This soup (순두부 찌개) is a spicy beef stew that is flavored

This is one of a very few dishes that I never get tired of. Unlike Kimchi, a typical staple dish that never leaves the Korean dinner table, this zucchini stir-fry is so simple to make, yet so versatile that it goes with many main dishes irrespective of your culinary heritage. Perhaps the secret of this versatility resides in the fact that this recipe brings out the sweetness of zucchini and complements it with a subtle spicy kick. This zucchini stir-fry is a traditional Kor

Do you love the heat and the surprisingly complex flavors from many ingredients of bibimbap? If you have ordered bibimbap at a Korean restaurant, fallen in love with it, and looked up its recipes online, most of them may not have been inviting enough for you to try out. It is not your fault. Traditional Korean recipes require that you cook individual ingredients one by one, serving them over rice with a Korean red chili paste called gochujang. It means a major investment in