Top 10 Korean Food Tour dishes

Ten of the most delicious dishes from John's appetising odyssey, with recommended recipes if you're feeling adventurous!

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1. Budae Jjigae (Army Stew)

This stew is made with ham, sausage, baked beans and vegetables. The dish was created shortly after the armistice that ended the Korean War, using the scrounged or smuggled surplus foods from US army bases and can also include Spam or hotdogs!

Want to make it? Follow the recipe on Good Food
2. Dak Gomtang (Korean Chicken Soup)

Dak gomtang is a popular broth in Korea, made with chicken and plenty of garlic. 'Gomtang' usually refers to a soup made by simmering bones and meat for several hours. This variation, using a whole chicken, has a shorter cooking time and takes around an hour.

Want to make it? Follow the recipe on Korean Bapsang
3. Sundubu Jjigae (Soft Tofu Stew)

This dish is made with freshly curdled soft tofu, vegetables and chilli paste and occasionally seafood or meat is added. The dish is assembled and cooked directly in the serving vessel, which is traditionally made of thick porcelain, and served whilst still bubbling vigorously!

Want to make it? Follow the recipe on Good Food
4. Naengmyeon (Chilled Beef Noodles)

A Korean noodle dish of long and thin handmade noodles, Naengmyeon is usually served in a stainless-steel bowl with a tangy iced broth, slices of pear and strips of cucumbers and pickled radish. Spicy mustard sauce and vinegar is often added before eating.

Want to make it? Follow the recipe on Good Food
5. Galbi (Short Rib Burger)

'Galbi' is the Korean word for 'rib' and this dish is usually made with beef short ribs and is very popular in Korean barbecue. The burgers are usually marinated in a sweet and savoury sauce containing soy sauce, garlic and sugar and served in a bun or wrapped in lettuce leaves.

Want to make it? Follow the recipe on Good Food
6. Bindaetteok (Crispy Mung Bean Pancakes)

A type of buchimgae (Korean pancake) that originated in the Pyongan Province, Bindaetteok is made by grinding up soaked mung beans, then adding vegetables and meat (usually ground pork) and pan-frying the mixture into a round, flat shape.

Want to make it? Follow the recipe on Good Food
7. Mandu (Pork and Kimchi Dumplings)

Mandu are Korean dumplings filled with either meat or vegetables, similar to the Japanese Gyoza and usually accompanied with a dipping sauce. If the dumplings are grilled or fried, they are called gun-mandu, when steamed they are called jjin-mandu and, when boiled, mul-mandu.

Want to make it? Follow the recipe on Good Food
8. Haemul Pajeon (Seafood Pancake)

Pajeon has scallion (very similar to spring onion) as its main ingredient and is usually recognisable because of the very visible scallions when served. The batter, which also includes eggs and flour, is most commonly mixed with either beef, pork or seafood.

Want to make it? Follow the recipe on Good Food
9. Yangnyeom Chikin (Korean Fried Chicken)

Korean Fried Chicken (not to be confused with the other KFC!) is hugely popular as a meal or a snack and has a variety of different seasonings. Korean fried chicken differs from the typical US fried chicken because it is fried twice, so the skin is crunchier and less greasy.

Want to make it? Follow the recipe on Good Food
10. Dubu Buchim (Pan Fried Tofu)

Quick and easy to make, and eaten as either a main or side dish, Pan Fried Tofu is a Korean staple. Tofu itself doesn't have a strong flavour but is very good at absorbing the flavours of ingredients its cooked with. Garlic, soy and sesame sauce is one of the most common sauces served with tofu.

Want to make it? Follow the recipe on My Korean Kitchen