Healthy Korean Recipes?

victorianesque

Hey guys, just had to buy a pair of fat jeans..time to get serious again, but I am OBSESSED with Korean food lately. It's no secret that sriracha makes even the blandest veggies taste amazing, but are there some good, low calorie alternatives to Korean fried rice (a way to simulate it without the frying?), some bulgogi, or even a bimimbap? I just had a trader joe's one for the portion control, but at 600 calories a pop they're not really all that good an alternative. In my mind, Korean food is mostly veggies and lean proteins (and some rice), so there has to be a way to lighten this, right? I don't speak Korean though, so when I go into the Asian markets, I have no idea what I am buying (though Nappa cabbage has been an amazing life-saver for someone who cooks for one: IT LASTS FOREVER). Any one find any good light Korean recipes or have any product suggestions?

Many thanks!

Improvised

Just Korean food? Or Asian? I have some pretty amazing Japanese recipes that are out of this world awesome.

ChristinaR720

I make chicken bulgogi, rather than beef bulgogi. Rather than using real sugar in the marinade, I guess you could always substitute some 0 calorie sweetener. Use a low-sodium soy sauce (Kikkoman makes one).

I also like to use the bulgogi marinade when making stir fry. I use a small amount of chicken and lots of veggies. Use a small amount (1 tbsp) of sesame oil when frying. The good thing about sesame oil is that a little goes a long way.

mbz0616

Just Korean food? Or Asian? I have some pretty amazing Japanese recipes that are out of this world awesome.

Would love to see the Japanese recipes!

missxlaur

bump! would love to see some recipes

XXXMinnieXXX

Bump. Love egg fried rice! X

NormalSaneFLGuy

If you don't mind Thai inspired...

http://www.peta.org/living/vegetarian-living/recipes/thai-tofu-lettuce-wraps.aspx

Use light tofu and it's pretty good for the calories and macros.

rompers16

Not Korean, but Pho soup (Vietnamese) is excellent. Lots of veggies, noodles, meat but it does take awhile to make.

Stdavis53

Not Korean, but Pho soup (Vietnamese) is excellent. Lots of veggies, noodles, meat but it does take awhile to make.

I posted my lower cal, but super tasty seafood pho recipe on the recipes board.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/826016-vietnamese-seafood-pho

Again, not Korean, but definitely get some pretty good asian flavors!

rompers16

That looks really good..I've only had beef Pho. I'll definitely be trying this

NapsRock

Get off the rice, if you can get cauliflower, steam it then mash with butter. Taste better then potatoes and rice. it will take the place of the starches you are eating. Low carbs is the best way to go.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1aiHSPoto_YqsNTDvL-g60nytMnyH-CJcCbiAx1IEUYM/edit?pli=1

Check this out.

Good Luck

Improvised

It's Japanese, and tastes sooooo good. Like, better than most takeout/restaurants I've tried.

Gyudon -- It's a beef bowl.

Serves 4

1-1.5 pounds of thinly sliced beef (you can do chicken, too).
1 onion, & 2 bell peppers, thinly sliced (you can sub other veggies, if preferred)
2/3 c. Teriyaki Sauce
2 T sugar
2 T dashi stock (actually, I usually use tempura sauce to taste, both can work)
2 t oil
4 c steamed rice

Cook the onions in oil until translucent.
Add teriyaki sauce, sugar and stock to the pan, and bring to a boil, stirring on occasion.
Once the sauce is simmering, add the meat and cook for 5-10 min, until meat is done.
Add sliced peppers and cook until soft (or ever so slightly crunchy)
Pile the meat and veggie mixture onto the rice and eat!

This recipe is really versatile, feel free to mix it up, it will probably still turn out fabulous.

KeithAngilly

run, don't walk to Maangchi's site: http://www.maangchi.com/

also check out: http://www.koreankitchen.com/ (good korean food porn!)

http://kimchimari.com/

http://vegan8korean.wordpress.com/ (for the vegans among us)

Korean food recipes are very adaptable to whatever dietary needs one might have and it is hands down, some of the best stuff on earth!

Enjoy!

KeithAngilly

It appears this book ( http://www.amazon.com/Flavors-Korea-Delicious-Vegetarian-Cuisine/dp/1570670536/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1356652189&sr=8-1&keywords=korean+vegetarian+cookbook ) is out of print, but if you get your hands on it, it is a great book for simple, vegetarian recipes.

jamiem1102

It's Japanese, and tastes sooooo good. Like, better than most takeout/restaurants I've tried.

Gyudon -- It's a beef bowl.

Serves 4

1-1.5 pounds of thinly sliced beef (you can do chicken, too).
1 onion, & 2 bell peppers, thinly sliced (you can sub other veggies, if preferred)
2/3 c. Teriyaki Sauce
2 T sugar
2 T dashi stock (actually, I usually use tempura sauce to taste, both can work)
2 t oil
4 c steamed rice

Cook the onions in oil until translucent.
Add teriyaki sauce, sugar and stock to the pan, and bring to a boil, stirring on occasion.
Once the sauce is simmering, add the meat and cook for 5-10 min, until meat is done.
Add sliced peppers and cook until soft (or ever so slightly crunchy)
Pile the meat and veggie mixture onto the rice and eat!

This recipe is really versatile, feel free to mix it up, it will probably still turn out fabulous.

I'll be making this. Thank you.

SarahofTwins

Kimchi, cucumber kimchi, bulgogi...those are some of the Korean foods I eat sometimes. The salt is usually high so I try to drink plenty of water. My Korean mom usually makes lots but I have to make sure it's in moderation.

ChristinaR720

I just posted the bulgogi recipe:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/828162-korean-bulgogi-recipe

livestar

Buuump! I love all things Korean!

saraann4

bump

justforeva

bibimbop is very healthy but it depends on how you make it
i make it at home by getting the ingredients from a korean store...
just substitude with brown rice, put more veggies and less meat! The rice itself is very filling, so i suggest half a bowl of brown rice with as much vegetables you want.

For bulgogi, im not sure if there IS a healthier version, but it's all about portion control!

stonel94

So korean food in general is very healthy, and what's not they don't eat in excess. Every and any restuant you go to you get rice, but it's in this little silver bowl, it's a very small amount, in america when we have asian food we tend to eat way way wayyy more rice than they would over there. As far as fried rice, I like to say don't cut anything out if you like it, because then you're bound to go crazy for it at some point and way overeat. I really like korean snack foods (topokki, onion rings, shrimp crackers, lots of stuff) and so I have them in the house, and I just measure out the 1 serving every time i have it. or less. You should do the same with your fried rice, have a little bit with other things, if you let yourself have a little bit often then you won't overdo your calories and you won't be craving it and need to go crazy and eat a ton.
However, use brown rice, use less oil, try stuff like that.
As for other healthy recipes, well there are lots of korean seafood soups and stuff that are delicious and don't have too many calories because it's not a cram soup and seafood is good for you, also korean tofu soup, just don't overdo it on the tofu cause it is carbs.
a great soultion for the rice is make bibimbap but with brown rice, and just a little bit, and then fill it out with lots of veggies, some chicken, and spice it up with korean chili sauce. I personally love kimchi, and if you do, you can buy it at asian markets so you don't have to make it (but you can make it too) and that's very healthy (but salty so make sure to manage salt or you'll be bloated)

basically, if you want korean food, eat it like a korean person. Small amounts of rice and meat, lots of fiber rich veggies, kimchi, lots of spicy seasonings (spicy food helps speed up your metabolism), things like seaweed for snacks, and fruit for desert, or rice cakes instead of like pastrys and if you love your korean snack foods like me, just measure out the amount and you'll be fine. The biggest part about learning to live a healthy lifestyle and also lose weight is portion control and self control, learn those and you can eat anything you want because you can control it.

hapawar

I saw an earlier post that says Koreans eat small amounts of rice and meats. That statement is half true. Koreans eat small amounts of meat but tons of rice. Rice with every meal, breakfast lunch and dinner. I am half Korean and my mom goes through a bag of rice and a giant jar of kimchi like it's nobody's business lol. She doesn't eat a ton of meat and in fact didn't even try meat until she was 18 when she came to the states because her family was poor and the cost was too high.

I have a few Korean recipes posted on my site www.raveaboutthis.com, and I intend to add more. I get amazing feedback on my Korean BBQ and cucumber kimchi which are posted on my site. My Korean BBQ marinade is low calorie (even lower calorie if you use splenda instead of sugar) and I use it on either flanken cut short ribs, or very thin sliced ribeye (you can use tenderloin but it's pricey). If you have access to buy the ribeye pre-cut that's great. Otherwise, if you must try to cut it yourself, make sure you do it when the meat is still partially frozen to make your life easier.

Another site I would recommend that has a terrific variety of Korean recipes and videos is www.maangchi.com. Feel free to message me if you want more recipes or ideas.

Tuala42

Bumping

missiontofitness

This thread is pure gold. More recipes please!

dklibert

http://elizabethbryant.blogspot.com/2010/05/korean-beef.html

This is very good. I used very lean ground beef and followed the recipe using 3/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes and 3/8 cup brown sugar. Delicious!

nuvimi

Japchae is pretty awesome, as long as you're not doing low carb: http://www.maangchi.com/recipe/japchae

FedGirlUSA

I'm half korean too, and love korean food. I've made some recipes off of Low Carb Linda Sue's website, and they are yummy! If you google 'Low Carb Linda,' it should come right up. I always make bulgogi or korean 'beef' (from pinterest) with truvia. I eat it with either small portion of brown rice. Or Linda's fake fried rice recipe....which I absolutely love.