Vegetarian living in South Korea

miamiink89

I am seriously struggling living here and being vegetarian!!!! There is just meat everywhere!!!
I need some good recipes which also need to be relatively quick to cook due to my work schedule - I finish at 8pm and I'm always really hungry.
I feel limited ingredients wise here. I live in a smallish place and the main ingredients readily available to me are -

Courgette, aubergine, carrots, mushrooms, sweet potatoes, squash, tomatoes, soya bean sprouts, sweetcorn and tofu. I have found it really hard to find spices and herbs here which are required for many recipes although I do have mixed herbs and paprika. I also have eggs, flour etc.

I think I am mainly struggling because back home in Scotland I had Quorn readily available and was able to make more things using that.

If anybody could send me some good recipes that would be great! I apologise for the ramble of a post but im just getting stressed at the lack of variety I have been eating.

Thanks in advance!

neanderthin

Just leave the meat out of any recipe. They don't call them vegetarian but there's lots of vegetable dishes in pretty much all the restaurants.

miamiink89

Nope tried asking for the no meat in recipes - even got my korean friend to ask in korean and they wouldn't. They don't adapt things on menus here. Plus you rarely order a single portion- it's all large portions for sharing and all my friends eat meat

neanderthin

Nope tried asking for the no meat in recipes - even got my korean friend to ask in korean and they wouldn't. They don't adapt things on menus here. Plus you rarely order a single portion- it's all large portions for sharing and all my friends eat meat

I meant when you cook your own food. I've been there many times and they do have may items on the menu's that don't have meat in them.....if all your friends eat meat, your going to have to order separately....maybe take the leftovers home.....

miamiink89

Trust me they do not have many things. Bibimbap is about the only thing. Other dishes are either made from a meat/fish stock or have meat in them. The Koreans have told me this and after living here for four months I know it's true.

Anyway what I really need is recipes for cooking at home that aren't necessarily korean

ChristinaR720

Here is a Korean bulgogi recipe that you can make with tofu. You can also use the marinade as a stir fry base.

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

Do you like kimchi? If so, kimchi with rice makes a great meal. Just be sure to have gum with you!

chickenz

Do you have access to dried pasta? Other noodles? I would do pasta tossed with a different vegetable or beans?

chimebird

I hope I can help a bit, I live in Laos, with similarly limited access to ingredients, and I don't cook meat.

First of all, are you in Seoul? You would have access to some health food stores there, would be very expensive though.

Try some simple curries (or soups if you really can't find spices...I know you can at least find a can of diced tomatoes) with aubergines and tofu and other veggies. You can probably find beans or lentils as well even though they aren't a big part of the local cuisine.

I like to make my own healthier versions of typical Asian street food dishes. For example, fried rice stir fry with ground cauliflower as the rice, or Pad Thai with diced cabbage instead of noodles.

Korea is a developed country! If I can find all this stuff in Laos it's got to be available to you as well. Even if you live in a remote area, stock up on canned veggies and dried beans when you're in Seoul. I do day trips across the border into Thailand just to buy dried fruit and granola.

Hollisss

Hi, I've been a vegetarian for almost 4 years now.
I'm living in South Korea and eating was the hardest part in the beginning.
Needless to say, I don't eat out anymore because I was always disappointed at the lack of vegetarian meals.

miamiink89

Thanks for the bulgogi recipe
Yeah I have access to pasta etc but I'm trying to cut down on that.
Kimchi usually has fish ingridents in it
I'm nearly 3 hours away from Seoul but when I do go up I stock up on veggie stock cubes, herbs etc.
I miss cauliflower so much! I've not spotted it here yet although I may be looking in the wrong places.

la_ro

You could make ratatouille. It's good on its own or over rice/pasta/bread. You could probably spoon some over a baked sweet potato, even.

I like baking courgette and/or aubergine and putting it in sandwiches with tomato and lettuce. If you can't find herbs or spices for the veg, you could brush them with a bit of oil and vinegar to give some flavor. You said you're cutting back on pasta, so if bread is out as well then you could skip the sandwich part and just eat the veg stacked up.

You can make omelets with different veg combinations. Or you could try tofu scramble - lots of vegan sites have recipes, so I'm sure you could find one using ingredients you have access to. I just googled "sweet potato hash" and some of the recipes that came up looked quite nice, so you could try that to go with the eggs/tofu.

Good luck!

rocket_ace

I hear you - "There is just meat everywhere" pretty much covers everyplace I've ever visited or lived (except for maybe India). The west (particularly US/UK) are a little better because of the wide variety in supermarkets, but in restaurants, even here, you are very hard pressed to find even 1 dish on many restaurants. many times its just salad. In Korea, I think most places have veggie dishes (or can make them) if you ask...basically veggies on rice. avoid soups unless you are ok w/ meat stock.

what gets me through day to day are frozen pre-cut veggies - microwave them and add tofu or another protein (beans, wheat gluten, veggie burger, egg if you eat it) and its a complete meal.

JUDDDing

Kimchi usually has fish ingridents in it

Kimchi is pretty easy to make and keeps well. It doesn't need any fish ingredients to taste good.

gbbhey

Yes, bibimbap. Lots of Ramen noodles out there too. If you get a chance, try the Kimchi Fried Rice (I liked it, and I don't even like Kimchi). JapChae. My favorite was dolsot bibimbap, and I'm not even Vegetarian. But I lived out there for a year. Good Luck, and enjoy Korea for me. I loved it out there

SwimFan1981

I struggle a bit here in Taiwan, you can't be 100% sure of what is in every dish in a restaurant unless you speak the lingo. I try to cook at home as much as possible.

KyleB65

Not sure about what foods are readily available in your area?

For me, I check the pantry & fridge to see what I have and then do an internet search for recipes using these ingredients.

As for ideas, check out the Engine2 Diet. They have some decent recipe suggestions.

BamBam125

Deleted.

kgeldreich

Perhaps making lots of food one day a week and reheating might help---I found when I do this I stay on track better.

http://www.maangchi.com/recipe/gaji-namul

http://www.maangchi.com/recipe/kongnamul-muchim

http://www.maangchi.com/recipe/gogumabap

replace beef with mushroomshttp://www.maangchi.com/recipe/kongnamulbap

Tofu and veggies in different sauces:
http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/category/stir-fry

http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2008/03/korean-noodle-stirfry.html

love this soup (I make it on the stove in a regular soup pot):
http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2011/10/kathys-slow-cooker-hot-and-sour-soup.html

http://www.dailygarnish.com/2012/02/coconut-eggplant-bharta.html

http://vegan8korean.wordpress.com/2011/12/06/vegan-tofu-kangjung-general-tsos-tofu-recipe/

http://vegan8korean.wordpress.com/2011/09/19/ddeok-ko-chi-spicy-fried-korean-rice-cake-sticks-recipe/

http://vegan8korean.wordpress.com/2012/10/28/vegan-nokdu-jon-korean-mung-bean-pancakes-recipe/

jjo202

Not to make things harder for you, but I'm a vegetarian as well and have learned over the years that you should limit your soy intake to twice a week. Although soy has a lot of great health benefits in moderation, it also contains phytoestrogens which mimics the action of estrogen in your body and can wreak havoc on your endocrine system (irregular periods, PMS/pregnancy symptoms, etc.), and can also act on your nervous system. Just an FYI, since a lot of people don't know that and vegetarians tend to overeat soy when their options are limited.

If you can access dried beans and lentils, then cooking up a big batch of bean chili, lentil soup, or dahl can be a good option, so you can just grab a serving and take it with you for lunch. Lentil burgers can also be made in batches and frozen - lentils make a great ground beef substitute in general, like for veggie meatloaf - try this recipe for mexican style mock ground beef http://www.theppk.com/2011/05/ancho-lentil-tacos. In general theppk.com is a great resource for fun veggie meals that often revolve around basic ingredients (although you might run into trouble with a limited array of spices). You can also make home-made seitan (an inexpensive and delicious non-soy mock meat) if you can get your hands on vital wheat gluten and nutritional yeast.

Don't forget about non-fat yogurt (also a nice substitute for sour cream) and eggs as protein-packed staples. I make egg-salad without the mayonnaise (try to get creative with what you have: mustard, lemon juice, rice or apple cider vinegar) and that's a nice to have around.

mushroom gravy is also delicious and not too many calories. My favorite recipe is:

1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup chopped onion
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup ****ake (or anything not button) mushrooms
1/2 cup all purpose flour
6 teaspoons nutritional yeast
1 tablespoons soy sauce (and add to taste, but watch the sodium)
2 cups vegetable broth (I like to add some cooking sherry if I have it on hand)
1/2 teaspoon dried sage
1/2 teaspoon salt (but depends on where you are with the soy sauce)
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Saute onion and garlic until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes, add the mushrooms and saute for another few minutes. Stir in flour, nutritional yeast, and soy sauce to form a smooth paste. Gradually whisk in the broth. Season with sage, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer, stirring constantly, for 8 to 10 minutes, or until thickened.

You can use that over yorkshire pudding (which is just eggs, flour, and water!), with sweet potato fries, or to flavor roasted, sauteed, or even steamed veggies.

You might also make a big batch of a veggie-loaded tomato sauce to go with roasted veggies or over a grain.

Oh, and I second the call to make kimchi. Everyone I've ever known who makes it makes a veggie version and it's always wonderful. Plus, fermented foods are amazing for you and might give your body a boost if you're not getting all of your nutrients because you're limited in your food choices.

Hope that helps. Good luck!