Recipes
International Lutheran Church, Lutheran Church of Korea, and National Council of Churches of Korea
Food in
Korea is similar in some ways to the food of Japan and China, in that vegetables and small amounts of meat or fish are cooked with a sauce and served on a grain, usually rice, but there are differences in seasonings and in the frequent use of uncooked vegetables to make salads and pickles. The food of North and South Korea is virtually the same, as the division is a political rather than cultural one, although South Korea has had more western influences in recent years. Vegetarian dishes are frequently eaten with soybean and sesame products, although meat, especially beef, is served for special occasions. Korean food can seem spicy to someone unaccustomed to the mix of ginger, garlic, onion, and red and black peppers.
Simple Watermelon Dessert
Hwa Che (hwah cheh)
Koreans would add "ci-da," a beverage similar to ginger ale to the watermelon. The dessert is a good ending to a spicy meal.
Scoop chilled watermelon into balls or chop into cubes. Just before serving, sprinkle lightly with sugar and crushed ice. Pour a little ginger ale over and serve. |
Sesame Grilled Beef
Pul Goki (bool goh-KEE)
Serves 5 to 6
Thinly slice:
1-1/2 pounds boneless beef (sirloin, top round, chuck)
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Mix and add to meat:
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seed
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons sesame oil,
2 tablespoons sugar
1 green onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
dash of black pepper |
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Refrigerate meat and marinate for 1 to 2 hours. To cook, barbecue over charcoal (a common Korean cooking method), broil in the oven, bake in a 375F oven or stir-fry in a wok. Make sure all sides are browned and the meat is cooked thoroughly to a safe temperature. Serve over hot rice.
Recipes from Extending the Table: a world community cookbook by Joetta Handrich Schlabach, Herald Press, 1991, p. 299 and p. 248. |
Kimch’i (kim-chee)
Makes 5 cups
Korean salads (namul) usually feature fresh or lightly cooked vegetables such as bean sprouts, carrots, cabbage and cucumbers. Namul can be very spicy and are usually eaten in small portions with rice. Kimch’i is considered the Korean national dish, and is offered on the table at every meal. There are many variations of this pickled salad, ranging from mild to very spicy. You can make it with just cabbage, or you can substitute any combination of chopped and sliced turnips, cucumbers or radishes for all or part of the cabbage. You can also add some salted fish or small shrimp when serving. The longer the dish sits, the stronger tasting it will be.
Cut into bite-sized pieces:
5 cups cabbage
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Mix with:
5 tablespoons of salt and let sit for 3 hours
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Rinse and drain cabbage thoroughly 3 or 4 times. Gently squeeze out water with your hands. Place drained cabbage in a large glass bowl.
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Add to cabbage and mix thoroughly:
1 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar,
1 teaspoon to 2 tablespoons crushed red pepper flakes to your taste(!)
1/4 teaspoon finely chopped fresh ginger root (do not use powdered ginger)
1 clove garlic, peeled and finely chopped
2 green onions, chopped
| Cover the mixture tightly with plastic wrap and let sit a room temperature for 1 day. After this, store in refrigerator. Serve chilled to accompany a meal.
Recipe and introductory material from Cooking the Korean Way by Okwha Chong and Judy Monroe, Lerner, 1988, p. 20. |