5 favourite recipes from Korean chefs & food writers

South Korean culture is having a moment right now (read more about how Korean food became hot stuff). To celebrate the nation’s new-found popularity, we asked five Korean chefs and food writers to share their favourite dishes. Some recipes are traditional, some contemporary, but all are perfect for delving into the special flavours and ingredients that make Korea’s cooking so good.

5 favourite recipes from Korean chefs & food writers

Joo Won’s dak bokkeum tang (spicy chicken stew) 
Born in Busan, Joo moved to Europe to become a pastry chef. After over a decade working in French Michelin-starred kitchens, he’s now opened a London restaurant, Cálong, which combines European and Korean cooking. “This is a hearty, warming stew. ‘Dak’ means chicken; ‘bokkeum’ means stir-fried and ‘tang’ means soup or stew.”

Joo Won's dak bokkeum tang (spicy chicken stew) 

 

Chef Joo’s Korean ingredient tips
“Using proper Korean ingredients in this dish is important to get the best flavour. While supermarkets sell their own versions of some, they’re different in flavour and strength. You’ll need to go to a specialist grocer or shop online (my favourite stores are OseyoH Mart and Korea Foods) but it makes all the difference.”

Korean soy sauce “Look for bottles with ‘jin’ or ‘yangjo’ on the label. The brands Sempio or Chung Jung One are good. If you can’t find them, Kikkoman (a Japanese soy sauce) is similar to Korean soy sauce, so you could use that instead.

Gochugaru “These chilli flakes come in both fine and coarse powders – ideally you’d use a 50/50 mix for this dish, but if you only have one type that’s okay. Just make sure it’s produced in Korea for the best flavour. Brands to look out for are WangNongshim-taekyung or Choripdong.

Gochujang (fermented chilli paste) and doenjang (fermented soybean paste) “My recommended brands are CJ HaechandleSempio or Chung Jung One. I think they’re much better than own-brand supermarket versions.”

 

Dana Choi’s kimchijeon (kimchi pancake) 
Born in Gwangju, Dana studied Korean royal cuisine before she moved to London and worked at two-Michelin-starred restaurant The Square. She’s now the head chef at Jang in London, combining Korean and Japanese cuisine. “Cooking the kimchi mellows it out, and the inclusion of thin bacon-like slices of pork belly makes the dish even more enticing.”

Dana Choi's kimchijeon (kimchi pancake) 

 

Su Scott’s doenjang butter lamb chops with spring onion gremolata
A Korean-born food writer, Su is based in London. She’s written two books about Korean cooking. The latest is Rice Table: Korean Recipes And Stories To Feed The Soul, full of brilliant modern Korean home cooking.

“Doenjang (fermented soybean paste) is one of the most commonly used staple ingredients in Korea. It’s enjoyed raw as a condiment, when it’s pungent and strong, or cooked into dishes, where it softens to unveil its rich and savoury flavours, reminiscent of well aged parmesan.”

“I often get asked how to incorporate doenjang into cooking. My answer? Mix it with butter! This makes doenjang richer, rounder and more familiar, imbuing anything it touches with heaps of umami. It’s an almost effortless flavour bomb that will happily sit in your fridge. I love it with pan-seared lamb cutlets, which I like to pair with a gremolata-inspired green spring onion sauce to liven things up.”

Su Scott's doenjang butter lamb chops with spring onion gremolata

 

Kyu Jeong Jeon and Duncan Robertson’s aubergine sotbap
The couple met in Paris as chefs before moving to Korea to work for a restaurant conglomerate. In 2018, they moved to Bristol and now have two well-regarded restaurants, Bokman and the newer Dongnae. “This is one of our favourite suppers,” says Kyu. “It’s cheap, quick and, best of all, there’s very little washing up. Ideally cook it in a dolsot (a Korean granite vessel for cooking rice) to get a lovely nurungji (crispy rice at the bottom), but a heavy-based casserole with a tight-fitting lid works well, or even an electric rice cooker.”

Kyu Jeong Jeon and Duncan Robertson's aubergine sotbap

 

Judy Joo’s sea bass tacos with kimchi salsa
Judy is a Korean-American chef, restaurateur and TV personality. She’s the author of two bestselling cookery books and an accomplished writer, published in Forbes Travel Guide, National Geographic, The Guardian and more.

Crispy deep-fried fish tacos as we know them today originated from Baja California in Mexico, which sits right below California and Arizona in the US. That’s perhaps why they’re as common a sight in the US as they are in their home country. Judy’s Korean-American take on the dish is an example of contemporary Korean cooking – using iconic ingredients such as kimchi to add a spin to an already multicultural dish.

Judy Joo's sea bass tacos with kimchi salsa

 

Discover more Korean ingredient tips and know-how, as writer Angela Hui delves into how Korean food became hot stuff.

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