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Traditional Korean Recipes

MainsTraditional Korean Recipes

Steamed Kimchi Buns

One of the best parts of going to HMart when it first opened its doors here in Illinois was undoubtedly the Korean food court. In place of Sbarro’s and Panda Express were diminutive eateries advertising Jjajangmyun and Kimbap. It was like Korean food HEAVEN. There were so many choice, but for me, I started very meal at the food court with Steamed Buns. There was a beautiful dumpling (“mandoo”) shop at the far end of the food court, and while my brother and cousins lingered by the noodle restaurant or the bakery, I always made a beeline for the dumplings.

steamed buns on plate

I went back after going vegan and of course, was sad to learn that I could no longer enjoy their buns. So, I decided it was high time to make my own and the results were GLORIOUS.

Now, not gonna lie—this is a labor intensive recipe. You will spend a couple hours putting these babies together, but you get a total of 16 buns and they will taste so delicious, you’ll wonder why you never bothered trying this before. At least, that was the reaction I had. What is they say? Necessity is the mother of all invention?

Here are a few tips to make this recipe really come together for you:

  • Use ingredients YOU like for your filling, but be mindful of excessive moisture. You don’t want a totally SOGGY filling. That is why we press the tofu, here.
  • Adding a tablespoon of soup (or light) soy sauce really brings the flavors alive in your filling.
  • Use a food processor on the vegetables, saving your poor hand and wrists from carpal tunnel.
  • Use a rolling pin to flatten the dough into discs (I had a huge one, but a nice small one would be perfect)—the thinner they are, the harder they will be to fill without tearing, BUT, the more delicious they will be!
steamed bun

Steamed Kimchi Buns

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16

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup warm water
  • 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
  • 1 Tablespoon sugar
  • 3 cups flour
  • 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
  • salt
  • pepper
  • 1 16 ounce block extra firm tofu pressed
  • 1 teaspoon plus 1 Tablepsoon sesame oil
  • 5-6 cloves garlic just peeled
  • 1 shallot (or 1/4 onion) chopped
  • 1 carrot chopped
  • 5-6 mushrooms chopped
  • 1 potato chopped
  • 2-3 leaves red cabbage chopped
  • 3 whole scallions chopped
  • 1/2 cup kimchi
  • 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 Tablespoon soup (light) soy sauce
  • 1 cup vermicelli noodles cooked

Instructions
 

  • Add the yeast and sugar to the cup of hot water and set it aside to “proof.”
  • Add the flour, vegetable oil, and a pinch of salt to a large bowl. Next, add the proofed yeast mixture and begin stirring everything with a wooden spoon (or your hands) until a dough forms.
  • Knead the dough for approximately 5 minutes. Shape it into a smooth ball. Add a teaspoon of sesame oil to the bottom of your bowl and place the dough ball in the bowl and cover it with a towel. Set it aside in a warm place for approximately 1 hour, until the dough doubles in size.
  • In the meantime, add 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil and 1 tablespoon of sesame oil to a large pan. When the oils are hot, add the garlic, shallot, carrot, mushrooms, potato, cabbage, scallions, and kimchi to the pan.
  • Cook the vegetables for about 2 minutes and then add 1 tablespoon of the soup (light) soy sauce. Cook for an additional 7 to 8minutes, until the vegetables are nice and softened.
  • Add the vegetables to a food processor, together with 1 cup of cooked vermicelli noodles. Grind the vegetables and noodles until they are the size of a small pebbles.
  • Place the vegetable filling back into a bowl and add the pressed tofu, using your hands to break the tofu apart. Incorporate the tofu into the vegetables. Set the filling aside in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it.
  • When the dough has proofed for about an hour, punch the dough to release excess gas. Knead the dough for about 1 minute and roll it back into a nice smooth ball. Place it back into its bowl, cover it with a towel, and let it rest for another 35 minutes.
  • Once the dough has completed its second “proof,” knead the dough once more for about 1 minute and then divide it into 16 equal pieces.
  • Using a rolling pin, flatten a small piece into a round disc, about the size of your hand. Place the disc on your hand, scoop about 2 tablespoons of the filling onto the disc, and then fold and pinch the edge of the disc, until the filling has been completely enclosed.
  • Place the ball, seal side down, and roll it between your hands to smoothen the seal. Place the bun on a square of parchment paper and into your steamer, while you repeat with the remaining pieces of dough.
  • Allow the buns to proof for an additional 20 minutes beforesteaming. Steam them for 20 minutes.
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EntreesTraditional Korean Recipes

Crunchy Gochujang Cauliflower

crunchy cauliflower in wok

What Was the Concept Behind This Dish?

So, I’ve been watching Korean dramas non-stop since quarantine started and basically, it looks like Kdrama characters have shifted all their food-love from lamyun to fried chicken or “chi-mek” which is a combo of “chicken” and “mek-joo” (which means beer).  I think I could create an entire second blog devoted to just veganizing Kdrama food and if I turned it into a mukbang, I could probably retire…. Should I do it?

I digress (as usual).

Anyhoo, because of all the fried chicken-ness of Korean dramas, I’ve been wanting to see if I could veganize some of my favorite “fried chicken” recipes.  Hence, the Kkampoong Tofu I posted a few weeks ago.  Next, I wanted to try my hand at General Tso’s chicken and that’s how this recipe came to be.

It’s Always The Hole In The Wall…

The BEST General Tso’s Chicken I’ve ever had in my life was from Mandarin Wok on Green Street in Urbana, Illinois.  Mandarin Wok was one of those highly functional restaurants, where they clearly committed all their money to creating delicious food… and not the décor of the restaurant, if you get my drift.  The menu consisted of tri-fold pamphlets at the register.  At least, the one that I could read.  The “real” menu, I understand, was the Chinese that was scrawled onto the wall behind the register.  And it was there that the “real” General Tso’s Chicken lurked in plain sight, if not translation.  Luckily, I had a couple of friends in college who could read Chinese and put me onto the menu, so that I could simply under “Number 36, please.” 

And MY GOD it was so good. The outside was crunchy and sauce was spicy and tangy at the same time. It was so delicious I would often wrap some up in the styrafoam container they gave us drive it home with me all the way to Chicago. It was never as good as eating it at the restaurant (or in the same city), but it was still incredible and worth it. 

My Tricks For Making This Recipe.

  • I used cauliflower here because the flavor pairs incredibly well with the sauce, and moreover, it isn’t too heavy like tofu might be.
  • I like to cut the cauliflower into big chunks, as while they are marinating, they will inevitably start to fall apart (and create little chunks for “popcorn cauli”!).
  • I marinate the cauliflower in a little “no-chicken” vegetable base to add some extra flavor.
  • You have to coat each chunk of cauliflower very well in the corn starch. A thin coating will not create the “crunch” you’ll want.  It should be thick—thicker than you think is necessary.
  • You can double fry the cauliflower for extra crunch.
crunchy cauliflower in wok

Crunchy Gochujang Cauliflower

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2 people

Ingredients
  

  • 1 head cauliflower rough chopped
  • 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon “no chicken” vegetable base
  • 3 tablespoons  plant milk
  • 2 2 cups plus ½ tablespoon corn starch
  • 1 tablespoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon regular soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon vegetarian oyster sauce
  • 1 teaspoon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon gochujang
  • 2 tablespoons maple syrup
  • 4 cups vegetable oil for frying
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 cup onion chopped
  • 5-6 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 leaves red cabbage chopped
  • 1 carrot chopped into very small pieces
  • 2 whole scallions chopped
  • 1/3 cup vegetable broth
  • 1/2 tablespoon sesame oil
  • 1 tablespoon sesame seeds

Instructions
 

  • Place cauliflower chunks into a large bowl. Add 1 tablespoon of the vegetable base (I like “Better than Boullion”),together with the plant milk. Mix the cauliflower so that they are evenly coated and set the bowl aside (you can also refrigerate it overnight).
  • To another large bowl, add 1 cup of corn starch (save the rest for later), ½ tablespoon of garlic powder, and ½ teaspoon of black pepper.  Stir everything together with a whisk and set it aside.
  • Prepare the sauce in advance by whisking together the 1 teaspoon of the vegetable base, regular soy sauce, light soy sauce, vegetarian oyster sauce, mustard, gochujang, maple syrup, and ½ tablespoon of corn starch. 
  • In a very large cast iron pan or deep fryer, bring the vegetable oil to350°F.  While you are waiting for the oil to get hot, dredge some of the cauliflower in the corn starch + garlic powder mixture.  Make sure that each chunk is thickly coated with the corn starch. You want the cauliflower to be super dry. 
  • Place the dredged cauliflower in the hot oil, ensuring not to crowd the pan.  You will have to work in batches and once the corn starch is all used up, add the second cup of corn starch, together with the garlic powder and black pepper, so that you can continue to fully dredge your cauliflower.
  • Fry your cauliflower for approximately 3 to 5 minutes, until the edges begin to brown. Remove them from the oil and place them on a cooling rack to drain the excess oil.  Repeat for the remaining cauliflower.
  • Once all the cauliflower has been fried once, you can fry them all a second time(without worrying about over-crowding the pan) for extra crunch.
  • Once you have completed frying all your cauliflower, begin making the sauce by adding extra virgin olive oil to a large pan over medium high heat.  When the oil is hot, add the garlic, onion, carrot, cabbage, and scallions to the pan. Sautee the vegetables until the onion starts to turn translucent, about 2 minutes.
  • Add the vegetable broth and cook for another 30 seconds.  Then, stir in the sauce you prepared earlier.  Cook the sauce over medium high heat for about 1 minute, until it gets thick.
  • Turn off the heat and pour the fried cauliflower into the sauce.  Stir the cauliflower gently until they are evenly coated.  Drizzle them with a the sesame oil and sprinkle the sesame seeds. Serve immediately.
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Gluten FreeLifeTraditional Korean Recipes

Gluten Free Kimchi Pancakes for the Korean Heart.

kimchi pancake on cast iron pan

My mom is most proud of me when I eat kimchi. Or maybe, she is most proud of herself when her American daughter shamelessly pilfers a sliver of fiery cabbage with her two fingers from the kimchi byung (jar) squatting in the back of her fridge like a rather contented troll. Whenever she catches me doing this, or watches me make a meal out of nothing more than rice, water, and a handful of bright red radishes, she shakes her head and mutters,

“You are so Korean.”

I know what she is thinking of. She is recalling every single time I hurled, “I’m not Korean, I’m AMERICAN!!” in her face throughout my fraught adolescence as a child of immigrants. But there is some truth to her logic. There is something fundamentally Korean about not kimchi, per se (lots of people like kimchi), but its role as more than a condiment or a side dish or an exotic “foodie” thing to write about on your trip to Seoul.

An amazing writer once wrote, “The heart is an organ fire,” to which I would reply,

“The Korean heart is an organ of kimchi.”

kimchi pancake on cast iron pan

I can still feel the prickle of my mother’s anxiety over that squatting kimchi byung in our fridge whenever our next door neighbor came by or I invited white friends over after school. I remember when I used to hate the sight of kimchi at the dinner table because it signified, for the millionth time, that instead of eating meat and potatoes like they did on Family Ties, we’d be eating the same old boring “Korean food.” I remember making fun of my Dad for eating kimchi with his spaghetti when my mom finally relented and cooked us an “American” meal. I remember the first time I treated my entire creative writing class, in college, to Korean food and one of the kids covered his nose and whispered, “God, the smell.” I remember the time I thought about going vegan and how the first thing I worried about was losing kimchi.

Losing me.

One kimchi expert has explained that

“kimchi almost never spoils. Prepared correctly and with enough salt, it can ripen for months, even years, until it becomes mukeunji — kimchi that’s so concentrated in flavor that it burns the tongue and tastes wonderful when stewed.”

Eric Kim, “Think of Kimchi as a Verb,” New York Times, July 2, 2020.
kimchi pancake on cast iron pan

I married the first man I ever loved. When I divorced him, I asked my therapist, “Will I ever love anyone else the way I loved my ex-husband?”

The notion of “first love,” or 첫사랑 (“chut sa-rang”) has gained an almost mythical quality thanks to kdramas and the confucian ideals of repressing emotions for the sake of the greater good. Perhaps some of that filtered into me, as I started to doubt my heart’s capacity for a second or third or fourth love. I viewed my heart as a battery, thumping passionately and vigorously during the first half of my life, but with little juice left after being wrung through a divorce. Was I destined to live out the rest of my life with at most a spectral version of love? Something that reminded me of love, maybe tasted a little bit like love? Maybe that’s all we’re allotted in life–one all-consuming 뜨거운 affair and if you can’t make it work… well, such is life.

These are the questions that made divorce even more agonizing–the uncertainty of the world I was stepping into somehow made the world I was leaving look less uninviting.

kimchi pancake on cast iron pan

I met Anthony through OkCupid. And despite what he claims, I didn’t really think it would go anywhere for awhile. For the first several dates, I didn’t know how to act around him, and I was worried I would hurt him more than I would hurt myself. I distinctly recall one of my girlfriends warning me, “Honey, I would worry more about yourself than breaking his heart.” But eventually, the “piano guy” won out over all the other suitors and before long, I knew I was ready to re-enter the ring.

Only, this time, I was armed with something that resembled self respect, that may have even looked a bit like confidence. My heart had been scathed within an inch of its life, but remained intact and, surprisingly, still in heavy pursuit of elan and joy.

We got married in Rome two years ago.

I woke up this morning and had to repress the urge to ask him, “Will you marry me? Again?” I am 41 years old and I am silly and giddy and hot-headed and moody, but mostly, I continue to marvel at how cluelessly I lived in my 20s and 30s, how little joy I really knew, then, compared to what I know now.

It was salted, it was aged, and now, this heart burns.

GF Kimchi Pancakes

This is a tweak from my prior recipe for gluten free pancakes. By adding a little kimchi juice and chunks of overripe kimchi to the batter, you guarantee a kimchi explosion with every bite!
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8 pancakes

Ingredients
  

Pancakes

  • 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
  • 3/4 cup non-dairy milk
  • 1/2 cup blanched almond flour (almond meal will result in less fluffy pancake)
  • 1/2 cup sweet white rice flour (do not replace with regular white rice flour)
  • 2 tbsp cornmeal
  • 1/4 cup potato starch
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp garlic powder
  • 1 tbsp onion powder
  • 2 scallion whites chopped
  • 2 scallion greens (julienned)
  • 1 Korean green chili (sliced)
  • 3 cloves garlic (sliced and minced)
  • 1 cup kale (cut into ribbons)
  • 1/2 cup overripe kimchi (plus more for topping)
  • 1 tsp kimchi juice

Dressing

  • 1/4 cup soy sauce (tamari is a GF soy sauce)
  • 1 tsp maple syrup
  • 1 tsp rice wine vinegar
  • 1 tbsp mirin
  • 1 tbsp sesame seeds
  • 1/2 jalapeno or Fresno chili pepper (seeded and thinly sliced)
  • 1 tbsp garlic (minced)
  • 1 tbsp Korean pepper powder (optional)

Instructions
 

  • Stir white wine vinegar into non-dairy milk and set aside. In a large bowl, mix together all dry ingredients with whisk or fork.
  • Add minced garlic (1/2 of your garlic should be minced and the other half should be thinly sliced, which you will save for "toppings"), the chopped scallion whites, 1/2 of the Korean green chili, and the kale to the dry ingredients.
  • Add 1/2 cup of overripe kimchi, as well as 1 to 2 teaspoons of kimchi juice. Using a pair of kitchen shears, snip up the kimchi into bite sized pieces (you can also chop the kimch in advance, but it always makes a mess).
  • Add in non-dairy milk mixture and whisk until the dry ingredients are fully incorporated. The batter will be very thick (almost like cake batter), but if it's too thick to work with, add 1 tablespoon of non-dairy milk at a time until it gets to a workable consistency.
  • Add a little oil to a skillet (I used a cast iron skillet) to medium high heat. When the pan is hot, add some scallion greens, sliced garlic, and/or kimchi directly to the pan. Then, pour small ladleful (about 3 tablespoons) of batter.
  • Lower the heat to medium-low and cook for about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes before flipping. Cook until both sides are evenly browned and serve with the dressing (which you make just by mixing all the ingredients together).
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MainsTraditional Korean Recipes

Spicy & Crunchy Garlic Tofu (Kkampoong Tofu)

Why Did I Veganize This Dish?

I came up with this Spicy & Crunchy Garlic Tofu recipe because it needed to happen. Like, there was a gaping maw in the universe that could only be filled once this recipe was created.

Ok, putting to one side my illusions of grandeur, let’s just say that this recipe was borne out nostalgia. Growing up, my family and I would go to this Korean-Chinese restaurant in K-Town called Great Seas. Great Seas was absolutely famous for its chicken wings, or Kkampoongi. Their walls were covered in photos of happy dinners who set and broke the “how many wings can you eat in one sitting” challenge, and it was no secret why. Their sauce was so good, it was jarred, labeled, and sold by the gallon. My family would go to Great Seas for all sorts of special occasions—birthdays, graduations, the day after a juice fast. When I went vegan, I knew I would basically never be able to eat anything at Great Seas again, so I set out to veganize it. And boy, was I ELATED with the results!

Put simply, this is literally the BEST EVER tofu recipe I’ve ever made and I’m pretty sure it’ll be the same for you!

My Tricks For Making This Recipe.

  • Make sure to press your extra firm tofu to remove excess liquid. This will ensure your tofu chunks are nice and crunchy.
  • Use potato starch in lieu of corn starch or flour to not only keep this dish gluten free, but to make your tofu extra crispy.
  • Use my favorite gluten free soy sauce in order to keep this entire recipe gluten free!
  • Use vegetable oil in lieu of extra virgin olive oil in order to ratchet up the heat.
  • Make sure not to allow the crunchy tofu bites to sit in the sauce too long before serving—the longer they sit in the sauce, the softer they will become.
  • Serve with rice and water—this dish is SPICY!!

Other dishes to try:

Spicy & Crunchy Garlic Tofu (Kkampoong Tofu)

5 from 2 votes
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2

Ingredients
  

  • 1 16 ounce block extra firm tofu pressed and chopped into 1/2 inch bite sized chunks
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 Tablespoons potato starch plus 1 extra teaspoon
  • 7 cloves garlic minced
  • 1/4 red onion diced
  • 2 Korean green chilis, sliced can sub seeded jalapenos
  • 2 whole scallions white parts chopped, green parts sliced on a bias
  • 1 Tablespoon gochagaru
  • 1-1 1/2 Tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1 Tablespoon white wine vinegar
  • 2 Tablespoons maple syrup
  • 1/2 Tablespoon mirin can leave out if you don't have any
  • 4+1 Tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1/8 cup dried red chilis can leave out if you don't have any
  • 1/2 Tablespoon sesame oil
  • 1 Tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

Instructions
 

  • To a large bowl, add a pinch of salt and 2 tablespoons of potato starch to tofu chunks. Gently toss the tofu to make sure they are all evenly coated. Set aside.
  • Prep your vegetables by mincing the garlic, dicing the onion, slicing the Korean chilis, and chopping up the scallions.
  • Prepare the sauce by mixing together gochugaru, soy sauce, white wine vinegar, maple syrup, mirin, and 1 teaspoon of potato starch. Set aside.
  • To a very large non-stick pan, add 4 tablespoons of vegetable oil over high heat. When oil is very hot, add coated tofu chunks in one layer,making sure they are not touching each other. If they touch, they will stick to one another.
  • Cook the tofu and flip them one by one, until they are brown on all sides (approximately 7 minutes). Remove the tofu chunks from the pan and set them aside on a cooling rack to drain the excess oil. Repeat with the remaining tofu.
  • When all of the tofu has been fried, in the same pan, add 1 tablespoon of oil. Then add the garlic, onions, chilis, and scallions and saute the vegetables until the garlic starts to brown.
  • Reduce the heat to medium-high and add the sauce, stirring it with a wooden spoon until it reduces down into a thick sauce (approximately 30 seconds). Turn off the heat.
  • Gently add back the fried tofu and stir everything together, so that the tofu chunks are evenly coated in your sauce.
  • Garnish the tofu with ½ tablespoon of sesame oil and 1 tablespoon of toasted sesame seeds. Serve immediately.
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Pasta and NoodlesTraditional Korean Recipes

Rabokki

Rabokki Is My Most Popular Recipe.

Hands down, Rabboki is the most popular recipe I’ve ever shared on my Instagram. I dunno—something about the spicy chewy rice cakes combined with ramen noodles make people go crazy for this dish! Someone once told me that they were at a Korean grocery store when they spotted a woman who looked a little lost. She went up to her and asked if she could help her find something, and the woman held up her phone and said, “Where can I find this?” It was a picture of my tteokbokki dish!!

I know what you’re thinking: “I thought we were making rabokki. What’s tteokbokki?”

rabokki

Tteokbokki + Ramen = Rabokki.

Tteokbokki is a popular Korean streetfood, made out of chewy rice cakes (naturally gluten free) and a fiery red sauce. The word “tteok” means “rice cakes” and “bokki” refers to “bokkeum,” which means “stir fried.” “Rabokki” is what happens when you mix tteokbokki with ramen noodles. So, if you like tteokbokki (which most people do) and you like ramen noodles (I mean…who doesn’t like ramen noodles?), you will LOVE Rabokki.

This Dish Is SPICY!!

Be prepared, however, for some heat. This dish is not for the faint of heart. There are entire TV shows in Korea devoted to seeing how people react to the spiciest tteokbokki in Korea. How does it get so spicy, you ask? Gochugaru, which is Korean pepper powder or Korean chili flakes. Gochugaru (literally translated “chili powder”) is derived from Korean chilis. How does gochugaru relate to the popular “gochujang”? Gochujang, which translates into “chili sauce” is also derived from the same Korean chili; however, it’s “saucified,” if you will, by adding sweeteners, brown rice flour or wheat, and fermented bean paste (doenjang). Both gochujang and gochugaru will play a role in this recipe.

What do the rice cakes taste like? Some people liken them to gluten free gnocchi, only chewier. There is a definite bite to tteokbokki, not just because of the heat. Adding ramen noodles simply add another component to have fun digging around for in the pan. Before going vegan, one of my favorite Korean bars used to make rabokki with rice cakes, ramen noodles, tempura sweet potatoes, and deep fried dumplings! The idea is, you can pretty much add whatever you like to this dish, as long as you make enough sauce to coat it all in glorious fiery heat.

rabokki

A Few Tips To Make The BEST Rabokki EVER.

  • If you can, look for the fresh made tteok in the Korean grocery store. They are usually delivered fresh that morning, so if you get there before the afternoon, there should be plenty left for you. Just ASK!
  • If you can only find frozen ones (that’s all right!), pop.em in the microwave for about a minute, until they are just starting to soften.
  • Marinate ricecakes in a little sesame oil to get them nice and soft.
  • Use dried shitake mushrooms in lieu of fresh ones—they pack way more favor and you just need to add a cup of filtered water to reconstitute them. Then, you can save the water and use it as a broth!

Check it out on YouTube

Other recipes to try

Rabokki

“Rabokki”is what happens when you mix tteokbokki with ramen noodles. So, if you like tteokbokki (which most people do) and you like ramen noodles(I mean…who doesn’t like ramen noodles?), you will LOVE Rabokki.
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4

Ingredients
  

  • 8-10 ounces tube shaped rice cakes frozen, but fresh is better
  • 2-3 Tablespoons sesame oil
  • 1/4 red onion sliced
  • 1/2 cup shiitake mushrooms dried
  • 1 carrot thinly sliced
  • 1/2 cup broccoli
  • 3-4 cloves garlic minced
  • 1/2 Korean squash, chopped can sub zucchini
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 Tablespoon Korean chili flakes "gochugaru"
  • 1 Tablespoon soy sauce
  • 2 Tablespoons gochujang
  • 1 Tablespoon maple syrup
  • 1-2 cups water or mushroom dashi
  • 1 green onion sliced

Instructions
 

  • Marinate rice cakes in 1 tbsp of sesame oil, a pinch of salt, and pepper.
  • Marinate mushrooms with 1 tsp of sesame oil, 1 tsp of soy sauce, and a pinch of salt.
  • Make sauce in advance by mixing together 1 tbsp gochugaru, 2 tbsp gochujang, 1 tbsp soy sauce, and 1 tbsp maple syrup.
  • Add 1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil over medium high heat in a non-stickpan.
  • Add onions and mushrooms and cook until they start to brown.  Add garlic.
  • Add all remaining veggies and cook until they just start to get soft. Season with salt.
  • Add rice cakes and sauce. Stir together until all veggies and rice cakes are evenly coated with sauce. Add 1 cup of mushroom broth (or water). Cook on low heat until sauce becomes thick and rice cakes are soft.
  • While rice cakes are cooking, cook ramen noodles according to packageinstructions—al dente (i.e., don’t cook them all the way). Add almost cooked rice noodles to rice cakes and incorporate into sauce. Garnish with sliced green onions. Enjoy!
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Soups, Stews, and Side DishesTraditional Korean Recipes

Omma’s Gamja Jorim (Braised Potatoes)

Why This Gamja Jorim Recipe Is Different.

I love braised tomatoes and my mom knows it, which is why she makes me Gamja Jorim almost every time I come over to her house. There are lots of braised potato recipes out there (including this one!), but this particular recipe for Gamja Jorim is—wait for it—simplified! I’ve reduced this recipe down to just a handful or ingredients, so that it’s too easy to make, while maintaining that explosion of flavor that makes Gamja Jorim so popular.

braised potatoes in cast iron pan

What Does “Gamja Jorim” Mean?

What is Gamja Jorim, you ask? “Gamja” means potato and “jorim” means braised. The potatoes are braised in a mouthwatering broth over a period of time, until they are almost break apart tender. If you love potatoes, you will love this dish, not only because it tastes amazing, but because it takes so little effort to prepare.

How To Eat Gamja Jorim.

My mom made this for us the other day when we came over for Father’s Day lunch. My husband could not stop raving about the potatoes and luckily, there was plenty for us to take home and eat again for dinner. We threw them into a bowl of rice, together with some sautéed greens, sprouts, zucchini, and mushrooms, and we had ourselves a perfect bibimbap. Of course, they are also good all by themselves.

Tips For Making The BEST Gamja Jorim Ever:

  • Cut the potatoes into bite sized pieces—if they are too large, they will take too long to cook.
  • Make sure to get some color on your potatoes before adding any liquid.
  • If you can’t find Korean chilis, use green bell peppers or jalapenos (if you can take the heat!). DO add some kind of peppers, though.
  • After adding the braising liquid, cover the potatoes—the steam will help them cook faster.
  • Remove the lid for the last 5 minutes of cooking (when your potatoes are just about done), so they don’t turn mushy.

Other recipes to try:

Omma’s Gamja Jorim (Braised Potatoes)

If you love potatoes, you will love this dish, not only because it tastes amazing, but because it takes so little effort to prepare.
5 from 1 vote
Print Recipe
4

Ingredients
  

  • 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 3 large potatoes chopped into bite size pieces
  • 3-4 cloves garlic minced
  • 1/2 red onion chopped
  • 3 Korean chili peppers can sub green peppers or jalapenos
  • 1 1/2 Tablespoons soy sauce use GF to make the recipe GF
  • 1 1/2 Tablespoons maple syrup
  • 1 cup water
  • salt
  • pepper
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds

Instructions
 

  • In a large pan over medium high heat, add 1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil. When the oil is hot and shimmery, add 3 potatoes chopped into bite sized pieces
  • Allow the potatoes to cook in the pan for about 4 minutes, until they start to get browned. Then, add 3-4 cloves of minced garlic, 1/2 chopped red onion, and 3 sliced Korean chili peppers. Season with salt and pepper.
  • Continue to cook the veggies in the pan until onions start to grow translucent (~3 minutes). Add 1 ½ tbsp soy sauce and 1 ½ tbsp maple syrup. Stir until veggies are evenly coated.
  • Add 1 cup of water and bring to a boil. Then, cover the pan with a lid and reduce the heat to medium low. Cook for approximately 12 minutes, removing the lid every once in awhile to baste the potatoes with the braising liquid.
  • When potatoes are almost done cooking, remove the lid altogether and continue “basting” until liquid is reduced and thick and potatoes are tender.
  • Drizzle potatoes with 1 tsp of sesame oil and add 1 tsp of toasted sesame seeds, just before serving.
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Soups, Stews, and Side DishesTraditional Korean Recipes

Kimchi Soondooboo Chigae

What Happens When You Run Out of Firm Tofu?

So, I came up with this Kimchi Soondoboo Chigae recipe a couple weeks ago because my kimchi was lookin’ beautifully sour and I could not find any firm tofu in my house. All I had was 4 boxes of silken tofu. So, I decided to just go with it, and ended up with a mashup that made my Korean vegan tastebuds really really happy. I’m pretty sure you’ll be happy with it too.

I Went to College and Totally Missed My Parents Way More Than I Thought. Did You?

soondooboo in bowl

One of the reasons I love soondooboo chigae so much is because it sort of confirms to me two important things: I’m Korean AND I lost none of my heritage when I went vegan. So, why does it remind me of my Korean-ness so much? When I left for college, it was the first time in my life that I was separated from my family for any length of time. This was very hard for me. I hadn’t realized, until then, just how close I was to my mom and dad. In all the hoopla and excitement of moving away to live with my BFF from high school (who was going to be my roommate), I didn’t once think about whether it would be hard for me to live without my mom’s silvery voice and cool hands, or my father’s gruff silence and breaking smiles. Suffice it to say, within about 1.5 weeks, I was pining for the smells of my family’s kitchen, the soulfulness of gochugaru as compared to the sterility of dorm food.

Thank God for that One Korean Restaurant on Campus that Made Me Love Korean Food.

There was one restaurant on campus that reminded me of home—Dorcas. Dorcas served homemade Korean cuisine right out of a kitchen about the size of my dormroom. While it always took forever to get your food, the small individual sized stone pots brimmed with fiery red chigaes to staunch almost—almost—all the loneliness that separation entails. My first visit to Dorcas, I ordered soondooboo chigae because it was the only thing on the menu that I recognized as something I knew I liked to eat. Yes, after 18 years of eating Korean food, I had taken my grandmother’s and mother’s so for granted, I never bothered to learn what any of their dishes were called.

Soon, I became a regular at Dorcas. I saved all my change over the week in a small plastic cup that sat wedged into the corner of my desk and on Fridays or Saturdays, I would head over there with my friends, church group, or my boyfriend and order Soondooboo Chigae. When I eventually graduated, my girlfriends bought me a traditional Korean stone pot so that I could never be without Soondooboo Chigae, even if I had to say goodbye to Dorcas.

soondooboo in bowl

Veganizing Soondooboo Chigae Proved that I Didn’t Have to Stop Being Korean When I Went Vegan.

So, sure enough, the first dish I ever asked my mom to teach me was Soondooboo Chigae. And consequently, the first Korean dish I ever veganized was Soondooboo Chigae. I’ve made this recipe so many times, showed my Instagram followers how to make it, and even posted a recipe here on my blog years ago. The truth is, the more times I make this dish, the more in love I fall with it.

My Tricks For the Perfect Kimchi Soondooboo Chigae

Now, adding kimchi to it was not a big thing. Many Korean tofu house will have Kimchi Soondooboo Chigae. But, I do have a few tricks up my sleeve to make this stew absolutely outstanding:

  • Roast the gochugaru carefully for depth and smokiness
  • Deglaze the pan with soup soy sauce for extra flavor
  • Add gochujang to the kimchi for a little more heat and a hint of sweetness
  • Don’t skimp on the tofu brine as it adds dimension to your broth
  • Add potatoes to naturally thicken your stew
  • Don’t overcook your stew to maintain crunch kimchi

So, the next time you’re in the mood to try some authentic Korean food that also happens to be vegan, try out this Kimchi Soondooboo Chigae. You will LOVE IT!!

Other recipes to try:

Kimchi Soondooboo Chigae

Next time you’rein the mood to try some authentic Korean food that also happens to be vegan, try out this Kimchi Soondooboo Chigae. You will LOVE IT!!
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4

Ingredients
  

  • 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 Tablespoon sesame oil
  • 1 1/2 Tablespoons gochugaru (Korean pepper powder)
  • 1/2 red onion diced
  • 4-5 cloves garlic minced
  • 1/4 Korean zucchini or regular zucchini, diced
  • 1 small potato small died
  • 1 cup Napa cabbage kimchi vegan
  • salt
  • 1 Tablespoon gochujang
  • 1 Tablespoon soy sauce or light soy sauce
  • 2 cups vegetable broth or water
  • 1 box silken tofu
  • 2-4 scallions chopped

Instructions
 

  • Over medium high heat, add both 1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil and ½tbsp of sesame oil to a medium sized pot (enough to serve 2 people).When oils are hot, add 1 ½ tbsp of gochugaru and stir with a wooden spoon until the flakes start to foam. DO NOT ALLOW FLAKES TO GET DARK AND BURN.
  • Add diced onions, minced garlic, diced zucchini, and diced potatoes. Stir until they are all evenly coated with chili oil. Next, add 1 cup of kimchi, including any kimchi juice.
  • Add gochujang and deglaze the pan with soup soy sauce. Again, stir until all the vegetables are evenly coated.
  • Next, add vegetable stock. Gently spoon in the silken (“soon”) tofu, including any brine. Break up the tofu using your spoon.
  • Bring the stew to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Cook until potatoes are tender.
  • Right before serving, add chopped scallions as garnish. Serve with rice.
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MainsTraditional Korean Recipes

Vegan Kimchi Fried Rice

So, this Vegan Kimchi Fried Rice is the culmination of having lots of odds and ends (like one single solitary kale leaf) in my fridge and not enough energy in my body to come up with anything else for dinner. I remember, when I went paleo for a little bit (it was a very bad decision, guys, don’t recommend it), my meals consisted of a daily dump (wow, bad imagery, but so appropriate) of random meats into a big pan, together with whatever veggies I had on hand. While it didn’t always taste that great and left my stomach feeling even worse, it was easy and somewhat thoughtless. Funny enough, I think some of the most popular Korean recipes are those that were derived by people who simply didn’t know how to, or didn’t have adequate brain power, to cook.

You see, every Korean kitchen will have rice and kimchi. Start with those two things, and you’re like 90% there. Then just add in oil and every vegetable known to man in your fridge, and you’re done. Basically, that’s how I came up with this Vegan Kimchi Fried Rice.

Where’s the egg? Well, go ahead and add your favorite egg replacer in there, but honestly, I made this Vegan Kimchi Fried Rice last night with like 50 ppl on Chibo, and none of them missed the egg.  My husband—who gobbled up about 80% of it before I could get in a spoonful—certainly didn’t miss no eggs.  So, do yourself a favor.  Make this Vegan Kimchi Fried Rice and find out what all the fuss is about!

Vegan Kimchi Fried Rice

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3 People

Ingredients
  

  • 2 + 1 tbsps vegetable oil
  • 3 cups day old/cooled rice
  • 1/4 medium onion (diced)
  • 3 cloves garlic (thinly sliced)
  • 1 cup kimchi (chopped)
  • 1 whole carrot (diced)
  • 1/2 head broccoli (chopped)
  • 3-4 shiitake mushrooms (chopped)
  • 1 small Yukon gold potato (diced)
  • 2 Leaves kale (julienned)
  • Salt & pepper
  • 2 tbsp gochujang*
  • 1 tsp maple syrup
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 green onion chopped
  • 1 tsp sesame oil
  • 1 tsp sesame seeds
  • optional garnish: roasted nori strips

Instructions
 

  • Begin preparing kimchi fried rice by mixing sauce—2 tbsp gochujang, 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tsp maple syrup.
  • Add 2 tbsp vegetable oil to a very large pan over highest heat setting.
  • When oil begins to shimmer, add 1 cups of day old or cooled rice. Do not crowd the pan. Season with salt and pepper.
  • Fry rice in oil until it starts to toast and remove and set aside. Repeat with remaining rice.
  • Add 1 tbsp of oil. Sautee all veggies, including kimchi. Season with a little salt.
  • When veggies start to brown, add sauce and stir until all veggies are coated.
  • Add back fried rice and mix until fully incorporated. Turn off the heat and add 1 tsp sesame oil for shine.
  • Sprinkle with sesame seeds and roasted nori.
  • Snip a little green onion over the top of both the kimchi fried rice.
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Gluten FreeTraditional Korean Recipes

Savory Pancakes – Gluten Free!

While at a food styling and food photography workshop with one of my favorite foodbloggers, Timothy Pakron, The Mississippi Vegan, we decided to make and shoot these beautiful kimchi pancakes, using Timothy’s homemade kimchi, the dragon carrots from his garden, and garlic scapes we picked up from the Jackson, Mississippi Farmer’s Market that morning.  For the pancake, I modified my gluten-free recipe for chocolate chip pancakes and it turned out just perfect.  Enjoy!

GF Kimchi Pancakes

This is a tweak from my prior recipe for gluten free pancakes. By adding a little kimchi juice and chunks of overripe kimchi to the batter, you guarantee a kimchi explosion with every bite!
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8 pancakes

Ingredients
  

Pancakes

  • 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
  • 3/4 cup non-dairy milk
  • 1/2 cup blanched almond flour (almond meal will result in less fluffy pancake)
  • 1/2 cup sweet white rice flour (do not replace with regular white rice flour)
  • 2 tbsp cornmeal
  • 1/4 cup potato starch
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp garlic powder
  • 1 tbsp onion powder
  • 2 scallion whites chopped
  • 2 scallion greens (julienned)
  • 1 Korean green chili (sliced)
  • 3 cloves garlic (sliced and minced)
  • 1 cup kale (cut into ribbons)
  • 1/2 cup overripe kimchi (plus more for topping)
  • 1 tsp kimchi juice

Dressing

  • 1/4 cup soy sauce (tamari is a GF soy sauce)
  • 1 tsp maple syrup
  • 1 tsp rice wine vinegar
  • 1 tbsp mirin
  • 1 tbsp sesame seeds
  • 1/2 jalapeno or Fresno chili pepper (seeded and thinly sliced)
  • 1 tbsp garlic (minced)
  • 1 tbsp Korean pepper powder (optional)

Instructions
 

  • Stir white wine vinegar into non-dairy milk and set aside. In a large bowl, mix together all dry ingredients with whisk or fork.
  • Add minced garlic (1/2 of your garlic should be minced and the other half should be thinly sliced, which you will save for "toppings"), the chopped scallion whites, 1/2 of the Korean green chili, and the kale to the dry ingredients.
  • Add 1/2 cup of overripe kimchi, as well as 1 to 2 teaspoons of kimchi juice. Using a pair of kitchen shears, snip up the kimchi into bite sized pieces (you can also chop the kimch in advance, but it always makes a mess).
  • Add in non-dairy milk mixture and whisk until the dry ingredients are fully incorporated. The batter will be very thick (almost like cake batter), but if it's too thick to work with, add 1 tablespoon of non-dairy milk at a time until it gets to a workable consistency.
  • Add a little oil to a skillet (I used a cast iron skillet) to medium high heat. When the pan is hot, add some scallion greens, sliced garlic, and/or kimchi directly to the pan. Then, pour small ladleful (about 3 tablespoons) of batter.
  • Lower the heat to medium-low and cook for about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes before flipping. Cook until both sides are evenly browned and serve with the dressing (which you make just by mixing all the ingredients together).
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