All Recipes

Tteokgalbi is a Korean dish made by shaping finely chopped meat with a sweet-savory seasoning into patties and grilling them. Traditional versions use finely chopped rib meat shaped like rice cakes, sometimes around a rib bone. But beef rib meat can be expensive for a simple meal at home. So I made this version with…

Bulgogi is often made by marinating beef for a few hours in a sauce that includes fruit. The fruit helps tenderize the meat, while marinating gives the beef time to absorb the flavors. Marinating ahead can give the beef more flavor, but waiting a few hours isn’t always practical when you suddenly crave bulgogi or…

This spicy scallion Shin Ramyun recipe became popular in Korea after it was featured on a cooking variety show. Its spicy broth, balanced by the natural sweetness of scallion and onion, also made it known as a meal for the morning after drinking. I often make it at home the day after drinking, too. Stir-frying…

Rosé Buldak jjimdak(Korean braised chicken) became known in Korea through a collaboration between a popular Korean jjimdak chain and Buldak ramen. Its moderate heat and creamy sauce made it popular even among people who don’t handle spicy food well. But it was a little expensive, and the portions were too large for me to order…

I once tried the official microwave Buldak ramen recipe from Samyang’s website, and it failed miserably. Instead of the thick, glossy sauce beautifully coating the chewy noodles that everyone expects from Buldak, I ended up with a soupy mess—practically a spicy ramen broth. The signature fiery heat was sadly watered down, and it was nowhere…

Make Chapagetti entirely in the microwave, without draining the water. Enjoy it as is, or add microwave-made chili oil for a Sichuan-style version inspired by Chef Yoon Nam-no. After gaining fame on the hit survival show Culinary Class Wars, Chef Yoon Nam-no shared his popular Sichuan Chapagetti hack on a Korean variety show, and it…

A while ago, I visited Seongsu-dong with my friends and tried this cold perilla oil pasta with beef brisket (chadol deulgireum pasta) at a popular modern Korean bistro. It wasn’t a dish available in my hometown, and since it was the signature menu at one of the busiest spots in the area, I ordered it…

Traditionally, Galbitang (Korean beef short rib soup) is a dish made by simmering beef short ribs and brisket for hours with vegetables and medicinal herbs. However, because short ribs are expensive and the process of draining blood and simmering is tedious, even Koreans usually buy it at restaurants rather than cooking it at home. When…

In Korea, there is a culture of eating warm soup dishes the morning after drinking to relieve a hangover. Many Koreans eat spicy and hot soups like haejang-guk (hangover soup) or spicy ramyeon, but I personally prefer a mild soup that gently soothes the stomach rather than foods that are overly spicy or salty to…

In Korea, meat dishes like grilled pork belly or boiled pork (Suyuk) are almost always served alongside vegetable side dishes like well-fermented kimchi or pickled onions to balance the richness. However, properly fermented kimchi or pickled vegetables require aging time, so they are rarely sitting in the fridge of someone living solo. That is where…

Traditional Korean boiled pork belly (Suyuk) usually requires a large pot, various aromatics, and at least an hour of slow simmering—not something I easily attempted while living alone. For me, growing up in my hometown, it wasn’t a dish I could easily eat unless it was Kimjang day (in Korea, there is a tradition called…

Tteokbokki is one of the most famous Korean street foods, frequently featured in Korean dramas. Most Koreans first try it in elementary school as “cup tteokbokki” sold at stationery store snack corners in front of the school. I also remember rushing to the store as soon as the bell rang at lunch or after school,…

Chapagetti is surprisingly tricky to get right, even for Koreans. It almost always comes down to water control: drain too much and the noodles turn dry and clumped together; leave too much and you end up with a bland, watery mess. Whenever I eat Chapagetti with family or friends, I’m always the one cooking it—mostly…