Korean food - what's a must try?

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hbunting86
hbunting86 Posts: 952 Member
in Recipes
Hi

I'm in Singapore for a month and am sampling LOADS of amazing dishes - Indonesian and Malay delights such as nasi padang and lontong and of course Singaporean chicken rice.

I really want to try Korean food but wouldn't know where to start - any recommendations. Also for any Asian dishes really!

Thanks :)

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  • hbunting86
    hbunting86 Posts: 952 Member
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    Bump
  • ejk627
    ejk627 Posts: 1
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    Popular dishes are:
    Kalbi- short beef ribs
    Bulgogi- marinated beef thinly sliced
    Japchae- Glass noodles with vegetables
    Kimchi- Fermented cabbage and it is typically spicy but this is definitely one that you either will love or hate
  • gowrirao81
    gowrirao81 Posts: 139 Member
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    Barbecued thin strips of ox tongue! I don't know what it is called but it is beyond delicious! :love:
  • amann1976
    amann1976 Posts: 742 Member
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    Korean food may be single handily the greatest food you will ever eat. Everything i have tried has been great. I dont eat the BiBimBap because i dont like eggs.

    Dont forget to wash all your meals down with Soju.

    also it is customary in korean traditions for you to pour the other persons drink and they to pour yours.
  • angelique_redhead
    angelique_redhead Posts: 782 Member
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    I'm very fond of the jaijee (soups) too. My favorites are the seafood soup and the kimchi soup. The MFPers have given you some really good ones to try though. Enjoy!
  • littlebudgie
    littlebudgie Posts: 279 Member
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    I adooore pork bone soup in particular for Korean food, and I think that was actually the first Korean dish I ever tried. If I don't just want a big bowl of meat, I usually go with bibimbap, which is a bowl of rice topped with all sorts of goodies (very photogenic, and very tasty). There's also a dish I recently worked up the nerve to try called soft tofu soup. It was initially a bit offputting because the tofu was so much softer than I was expecting - almost custardlike compared to the type I normally have - but once I got over that I really enjoyed it.

    Have fun, experiment, and enjoy yourself!
  • tomatini
    tomatini Posts: 61 Member
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    Japchae - glass noodles with veg (and sometimes meat, which I skip)
    Mandu - (dumplings) stuffed with tons of filling
    Kimbap - (think sushi rolls that eat like a sandwich)
    Ddeokbokki - Rice cakes (think really fat noodles) stir-fried in spicy chili sauce
    Jjajangmyeon - Noodles with black bean sauce (a takeaway favorite)
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,139 Member
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    cream of sum yung guy..

    sorry could not resist..

    Just don't got to bangcock..

    I am horrible...
  • aakaakaak
    aakaakaak Posts: 1,240 Member
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    Bulgogi - both the red spicy and the brown regular. Try the taegi-gogi (pork).

    Bibimbap - be sure to let it sit for a couple minutes in the hot stone bowl so the rice has a chance to burn up a bit. It adds a nice crunch texture.

    Kalbi bbq (Korean style BBQ) - The little plates (banchan) aren't really side dishes, but stuff you're supposed to roll up in the leaf with the meat. Try everything at least once.

    Kimchi - It's the staple food. You have to try it. It's like slightly fermented, spicy, sourkraut.

    Kimchi bokum bap - Kimchi fried rice. If you don't get an over easy egg on top you're doing it wrong.

    Ramyun - Korean style ramen. You can get it in the states, but it's not the same if it's not from a noodle shop.

    Yaki mandu - Pretty much the same thing as Japanese gyoza.

    Ox tail soup - This is...omgsogood. It is what it says.

    Sondae (soon day) - Sort of like a blood sausage. Dip it in the little red salt plate. Delicious.

    Chapchae - I call them rubber noodles. Should be served luke warm to cold. They're sweet potato noodles.

    Jajangmyeon (Jajamyun) - Brown pork sauce with potatoes and noodles. You'll never EVER have it as good as in Korea IMO.

    Pajeon - Effectively a seafood pancake. Not bad with some soy sauce.

    Topokki - Rice noodles with pressed fish in a sauce that will burn your mouth.

    And there's one street pancake thing they have I can't remember the name of. They take a batter, wrap some demarara sugar in it and grill it up. The sugar melts inside the pancake. It's evil good.

    If you drink...
    Makali - The Korean version of MD20/20 or Thunderbird. But they basically ferment rice to make a wine.

    Soju - Smells like moonshine. Half the kick of moonshine. If you ever want to get a Korean completely blasted give them moonshine. They'll drink it like it's soju. Be prepared to carry them home. To mask the taste, many people mix it in about a liter of fruit soda. We called it a "Kettle".

    Sikhye - Non-alcoholic. It's a sweet rice drink usually served after meals.

    Whelp, I think that's about it. There are probably a few more I missed, but this is the list of things you MUST try.

    NOTE: Yes, dog is available, but it seems to be getting more and more frowned upon. If you reaaaaally want to try it you can find it, but you might lose a few friends in the process.
  • ihateroses
    ihateroses Posts: 893 Member
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    cream of sum yung guy..

    sorry could not resist..

    Just don't got to bangcock..

    I am horrible...

    cringe....

    anyway some Korean food to try:

    *Dolsot bibimbap (it comes in a stone bowl that is still cooking!)
    *Korean bbq of ANY kind. Just find a place where you grill yourself.
    *Sundubu (soft tofu stew...its spicy and delicious :) )
  • hbunting86
    hbunting86 Posts: 952 Member
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    Awesome thanks guys! I'm going to have to try Korean for lunch AND dinner today as there's so many things there I'd love. Also as I'm a kimchi virgin, I think that has to be addressed haha.

    Cheers :)
  • ggxx100
    ggxx100 Posts: 520 Member
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    This post makes me miss my mum...and her cooking.

    Kimchi is a must try-not for everyone, but still.

    I'd go with the kalbi (traditional barbecue), kimchi chiggae (stew) or mandu(dumplings)

    The two healthiest options I can think of are:

    naengmyun-its a summer noodle soup dish made of buckwheat/sweet potato noodles and served usually with a boiled egg
    kongsu-soybean soup (sort've like soy milk, but much tastier)
    kimbap-korean version sushi, no fish
  • trudijoy
    trudijoy Posts: 1,685 Member
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    I love bibimbap.

    me too
  • MoRiv1986
    MoRiv1986 Posts: 380 Member
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    Korean food- Kimchi, bibimbap, bulgogoi(marinated beef), galbi (marinated beef or pork), japchae(stir-fried noodles), pajeon (Korean pancake with veggies), gimbap (rice rolled in seaweed.) Enjoy.
  • curds
    curds Posts: 201 Member
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    If you a meat eater and you throwing your diet out of the window then Samgyeopsal, most Koreans & foreigners a like go bonkers for it,

    Most of the dishes has already been mentioned, but since you in Singapore I would have a go at Haemultang (seafood and tofu stew).

    mmmh what else oh Kimchi Jjigae its a safer bet than just Kimchi. If you do try Kimchi then just be warned the smell it gives off doesn't mean its not fit for consumption. Although Kimchi is a really must try Korean dish more so than any of the others.

    For other Asian food I would say Nasi Goreng and "Satay" dish (OMG its so divine), and Nasi Babi Guling.

    Oh Shabu Shabu ;), its an amazing experience to go with a bunch of friends I love it!

    and as far as Thai and Indian food go well pretty much anything is a winner.

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