Korean

By Food & Wine
Updated January 19, 2018
Credit: Marcus Nilsson
These amazing recipes for Korean food include sizzling beef and spicy cabbage kimchi.
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Quick Cucumber Kimchi

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Traditional Korean kimchi usually involves tossing vegetables with garlic, salt, chiles and other flavorings and letting them ferment for days. Bill Kim marinates these cucumbers for just two hours, so they're still crisp.

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2 of 21

Ginger-Marinated Bulgogi-Style Chicken

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Bulgogi, the Korean classic, calls for slices of rich beef; this version uses thinly sliced chicken breast, which has barely any fat at all. The chicken is best served with rice and lettuce leaves for wrapping. Kimchi, a spicy, garlicky Korean pickle often made with cabbage, is especially delicious on the side and is loaded with beneficial bacteria known as probiotics.

3 of 21

Gochujang Flank Steak 
and Korean Pasta Salad


Credit: © Abby Hocking
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Underbelly chef Chris Shepherd says that after the Korean War, pasta salad became part of Korea’s culinary repertoire. Here, he serves his own version with a spicy-sweet flank steak that his cooks came up with after trying an earthy, fruity Blaufränkisch one night.

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4 of 21

Braised Short Ribs with Daikon and Glass Noodles

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These tender short ribs are served in an intense broth made sweet with mirin and brown sugar and dark with soy sauce and sherry. "This is a variation of a Korean dish called kalbi tang," chef Sang Yoon says.

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Korean Sushi Rolls with Walnut-Edamame Crumble

Credit: CON POULOS
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David Chang was inspired to make these playful rolls by a snack he had at Yunpilam, a temple in South Korea, where the nuns served him edamame mixed with walnuts and molasses. His rolls have an edamame-and-walnut filling; unlike other sushi rolls, they can be served warm.

6 of 21

Korean-Style Chicken Wraps

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This Korean-inspired dish is great for people trying to cut down on carbohydrates, because the meat is wrapped in lettuce instead of served on bread.

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French Fries with Bulgogi and Caramelized Kimchi

Credit: CON POULOS
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Jae Kim tops hot french fries with caramelized kimchi, grilled Korean-style beef and a mayonnaise spiked with Sriracha.

8 of 21

Turnip Kimchi

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Most kimchi (Korean fermented pickles) use lots of red chile flakes and are bold and spicy. This is a white kimchi, which means it's made without the red chile. Some kimchi ferment for weeks, but Andrea Reusing lets these turnips pickle at room temperature for only two days. "It's really special to have something that's just starting to ferment," she says. "It's more about the flavor of the vegetable."

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Xie Xie's Tofu Salad with Pickled Vegetables

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Tangy pickled cabbage and spicy carrot kimchi are the key to Angelo Sosa's tofu-topped green salad. They are supereasy to make, but for a great shortcut, use store-bought kimchi (a chile-flecked Korean pickle that's often made with cabbage) in place of both.

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10 of 21

Sparkling White Kimchi

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"You see 7UP quite a bit in Korean recipes," says David Chang. "My mom cooked with it: She put it in a noodle dish, she added it to beef stock." When he wanted to prepare a quick "white" version of kimchi, Chang opted for 7UP; it adds lovely bubbliness to the cabbage. It can be served as a side dish like traditional red chile kimchi or with cold noodle soup.

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Korean Chicken Soup

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From one deeply flavorful chicken broth, F&W's Grace Parisi creates four exceptional soups. This spicy Korean-influenced soup is one.

12 of 21

Seared Tuna with Kimchi and Scallion Pancakes

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Christopher Lee's simple grilled tuna and crispy-chewy scallion pancakes are terrific, but what makes the dish so sensational is his kimchi, a version of the traditional Korean pickled-vegetable condiment. Unconventionally sweetened with honey and orange juice, it's utterly original and completely delicious.

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13 of 21

Maple Root-Vegetable Stir-Fry with Sesame

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In Korea, cooks typically create stir-fries with just one kind of vegetable—lotus root, say, or potatoes. David Chang decided to break with tradition and stir-fry an assortment of vegetables, including Jerusalem artichokes and parsnips. Also unconventional is the maple syrup he adds to the dish; there are maple trees all around South Korea but not much maple syrup.

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Skirt Steak with Shiso-Shallot Butter

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Tyler Florence makes a Korean-inspired marinade for skirt steak with hoisin sauce, soy sauce and brown sugar. With what he calls a "king-of-the-grill mentality," he boldly adds even more layers of flavor by topping the steak with a butter he's blended with caramelized shallots and shiso, an aromatic green leaf used frequently in Japanese cooking. In the United States, shiso leaves are available in Asian markets; one tablespoon of chopped fresh tarragon is a fine substitute in this recipe.

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Almost-Instant Hot Kimchi

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"The first time I had kimchi was when I arrived in New York City in 1986," says Jean-Georges Vongerichten. "I was like, Oh my God, what is this? It’s fermented like the sauerkraut from Alsace, where I’m from, but the flavor is different. I didn’t have a recipe, so instead of fermenting, I used vinegar for the sourness." Like sauerkraut, he serves this kimchi hot.

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16 of 21

Spicy Udon and Clam Soup

Credit: © Maura McEvoy
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This dish is based on the classic Korean noodle soup kal gooksu (or "knife noodles," so named because the handmade dough is cut with a knife). In the traditional version, any spicy seasoning would be served on the side, but Lee opts to mix hers right into the bracing soup, adding spinach for extra flavor.

17 of 21

Slow Cooker Korean Beef Stew with Napa Cabbage and Pickles

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A slow cooker makes easy work of this fabulously beefy Asian stew.

18 of 21

Honey-Soy-Glazed Vegetables with Crispy Mushrooms

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David Chang created this dish as a play on Korean sweet-and-sour pork—but without the deep-fried meat and cloying sauce. Instead, he tosses turnips and radishes with a mix of honey and soy sauce and serves them with sautéed shiitake mushrooms that have an ingenious, crispy rice-cracker coating.

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Spicy Cabbage, Carrot and Daikon Kimchi

Credit: Photo © Antonis Achilleos
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Kimchi is a naturally fermented, often chile-flecked pickle that many Koreans eat with almost every meal. A great gift for anyone who loves spicy food, this kimchi can be added to stir-fries, used as a burger topping or eaten straight from the jar.

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Korean Sizzling Beef

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This succulent recipe is based on bulgogi, a classic Korean dish of sliced beef that's marinated in soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil and garlic, then grilled. In this version, a bit of crushed red pepper is added to the marinade for heat.

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Korean Seafood Pancake


Credit: Marcus Nilsson
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The key to the texture of these crispy-chewy seafood pancakes is in the specialty Korean pancake and frying mixes. See the Note for details on where to stock up.

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