Korean food is arriving on our platform after Thai. Here is what to expect from the pantry and how the pieces fit.
Three jars
Gochujang (chilli paste), doenjang (soybean paste) and ganjang (soy sauce) are made from the same fermented soybean blocks and aged in earthenware. Almost every Korean dish starts with one of them.
Chilli that is warm, not fierce
Gochugaru, sun-dried chilli flakes, gives kimchi and stews their colour and a fruity, sweet heat. It is not interchangeable with Indian chilli powder.
The table
Rice, a soup or stew, and many small side dishes (banchan), eaten together. Grilled meat is wrapped in lettuce or perilla leaves with ssamjang. Sesame oil finishes rather than fries.
Where to start
Doenjang jjigae for the soybean paste, tteokbokki for gochujang, a simple kimchi for gochugaru, and bulgogi for the soy-based marinade. Our Korean glossary entries cover each ingredient in depth.
