Sunday, October 26, 2025

27 Daring Korean Recipes That Ship Large Taste

In Korean, 밥상 (bapsang) describes a conventional desk setting or meal. Assume rice, soup, a essential dish (often meat or fish), kimchi, and different small sides (반찬, aka banchan). A super bapsang presents a harmonious stability of taste, shade, texture, and seasonal substances. With this assortment of a few of our favourite Korean recipes, you possibly can construct a scrumptious bapsang of your personal.

You’ll discover comforting soups for chilly days, vibrant bibimbap for summer time evenings, and shareable plates meant for gathering across the desk. Whether or not it’s the slow-braised tenderness of galbi jjim, the tangy brightness of fast cucumber kimchi, or the smoky char of ssamjang-slicked cabbage, every dish affords a scrumptious option to discover Korea’s wealthy culinary custom — no passport required.

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Sogogi Oi Bokkeum (Korean Stir-Fried Cucumber and Beef)

Meals & Wine / Photograph by Greg DuPree / Meals Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen


Cool, crisp cucumber meets savory, spicy floor beef on this gentle and satisfying stir-fry. Salting and draining the cucumbers retains them crunchy, whereas a soy-sesame sauce brings stability and depth. Serve alongside kimchi fried rice or grilled quick ribs for a refreshing distinction.

Korean-Fashion Fried Cauliflower

Meals & Wine / Photograph by Jacob Fox / Meals Styling by Kelsey Moylan / Prop Styling by Breanna Ghazali


At Hong Kong’s Yardbird, cauliflower will get the Korean fried hen therapy: a shatter-crisp coating, tender inside, and a sticky gochujang glaze laced with mirin, yuzu kosho, and garlic. These candy and spicy florets are finest with a chilly beer.

Korean-Fashion Quick Ribs

Abby Hocking

Chef David Shim of Cote in New York doubles up on marinade to make galbi with most taste, beginning with a pear-and-onion puree earlier than a soy-mirin soak. The scored quick ribs cook dinner rapidly, yielding tender, juicy meat that’s good with charred greens.

Gyeranjjim (Korean Steamed Eggs)

Antonis Achilleos / Prop Styling by Christina Daley / Meals Styling by Ali Ramee


Fluffy, custardy steamed eggs come collectively in minutes with the assistance of a microwave on this recipe from 2020 F&W Finest New Chef Eunjo Park. Infused with savory broth and topped with scallions, sesame, chile oil, or cod roe, they’re pretty much as good alongside rice as they’re on their very own.

Pajeon (Korean Scallion Pancakes)

Jennifer Causey / Meals Styling by Emily Nabors Corridor / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen


Golden and crisp on the surface, chewy on the within, these scallion pancakes are fast to make and deeply satisfying. A tangy dipping sauce seals the deal — save the leftovers for dumplings or eggs.

Mul Kimchi (White Kimchi)

Greg Dupree / Prop Stylist Christina Daley / Meals Stylist Chelsea Zimmer


Chef David Chang’s refreshing, flippantly effervescent mul kimchi swaps conventional fermentation for lemon-lime soda, a shortcut from his mom’s kitchen. “You might use ginger ale or one other soda,” says Chang, “however a lemon-lime soda like 7UP is what I grew up with my mother utilizing, and it’s what I’d persist with.” Candy, tangy, and crisp, this quick-to-make kimchi is a wonderful cooling companion to wealthy or spicy dishes.

Budae Jjigae (Korean Military Base Stew)

Greg Dupree / Meals Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Christina Daley


Born from postwar ingenuity, this hearty stew blends kimchi and Korean spices with Spam, baked beans, and ramen. Savory, spicy, and endlessly customizable, it’s a deeply comforting dish that is usually topped with a melty slice of American cheese.

Danmuji (Golden Radish and Beet Pickle)

Jennifer Causey / Meals Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Christine Keely


Chef Sunny Lee’s quick-pickled daikon and golden beets get their sunny hue from turmeric, not dye. Candy-tart and crisp, they’re a vital gimbap filling and pleasant solo as banchan.

Japchae (Korean Stir-Fried Glass Noodles)

Jen Causey

Shiny candy potato noodles are tossed with beef, mushrooms, spinach, and sesame on this recipe from Ann Taylor-Pittman. Every part is cooked individually for vivid shade and ideal texture.

Charred Cabbage with Ssamjang Butter

Meals & Wine / Photograph by Jen Causey / Meals Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Jillian Knox


Chef Andrew Zimmerman transforms humble cabbage right into a showstopper, charring wedges till smoky-tender, then slathering them with spicy, umami-rich ssamjang butter. Crisp shallots and nori add crunch, making this an unforgettable aspect for grilled meats or as a tasty essential served with a heap of rice.

Kimchi Fried Rice with Spicy Shrimp-and-Sesame Sauce

Victor Protasio

Chef Roy Choi turns leftover rice right into a daring, crunchy, flavor-packed meal. A briny, spicy shrimp-sesame sauce provides punch to each crispy, golden-brown chew.

Dakgangjeong (Korean Fried Rooster with Soy Sauce)

Angie Webb

Crisp hen wings glazed in soy, brown sugar, and recent jalapeños keep crunchy for hours due to a potato starch coating. Meals author Eric Kim, writing in reward of his aunt’s dakgangjeong, says she brings them to birthday events, church occasions, and funerals, the place their long-lasting crunch makes them a star of the buffet.

Fast Kimchi Cucumbers

Meals & Wine / Photograph by Jen Causey / Meals Styling by Margaret Dickey / Prop Styling by Josh Hoggle


Chef David Chang’s speedy cucumber kimchi delivers garlicky, chile-laden warmth in beneath an hour. Finest eaten straight away whereas the cucumbers stay juicy, it’s a straightforward and vibrant banchan.

Tteok (Chewy Korean Rice Muffins) and Mushrooms in Cream Sauce

Dylan + Jeni / Meals Styling by Brett Lengthy / Prop Styling by Nidia Cueva


Chewy rice muffins and earthy mushrooms luxuriate in a doenjang-spiked cream sauce from cooks Katianna and John Hong of Los Angeles’s Yangban restaurant. Whereas the preliminary quantity of mushrooms would possibly shock you, they may shrink considerably as soon as cooking begins.

Tteokguk (Korean Rice Cake Soup)

Jennifer Causey

This fortunate Lunar New 12 months staple options tender rice muffins in a transparent beef broth, the whiteness of the rice muffins symbolizing purity and a recent begin. Topped with egg, nori, and scallions, it’s each comforting and celebratory.

Grilled Pork Shoulder Bo Ssam

Victor Protasio / Meals Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Priscilla Montiel


Marinated in apple, doenjang, and spices, these pork shoulder steaks grill up tender and fragrant. Wrap slices of meat in lettuce with spicy apple ssamjang for a hands-on feast. Bo ssam is historically served to mark the top of a family’s annual selfmade kimchi-making and the start of winter.

Doenjang Jjigae (Soybean Paste Stew)

Greg Dupree / Meals Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Christina Daley


Boneless ribeye and greens simmer in a doenjang (fermented soybean paste) and anchovy broth on this recipe from Mingoo Kang, chef and proprietor of Mingles in Seoul. Add the steak on the finish, as soon as the stew has been faraway from the warmth, to maintain it tender and pink.

Fast Cucumber Kimchi

Julia Hartbeck


Chicago chef Invoice Kim’s two-hour marinated cucumber kimchi retains its crunch whereas delivering daring, tangy warmth. It is a fast various to long-fermented varieties, however it will not final as lengthy both.

Kimchi Jjigae (Kimchi Stew)

Greg Dupree / Meals Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Christina Daley


The recipe for the beloved stew comes from Seoul chef Mingoo Kang. who infuses it with aged kimchi and pork stomach. Anchovy broth provides refined umami, whereas pork stomach, tofu, and greens make it as hearty as it’s wealthy. Historically made with kimchi fermented for months, this model works with brisker kimchi, too.

Miss Kim’s Fried Tofu

Victor Protasio / Meals Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Lydia Pursell


At Miss Kim in Ann Arbor, Michigan, 2021 F&W Finest New Chef Ji Hye Kim tosses crisp tofu cubes in a shiny glaze of soy sauce, brown sugar, gochugaru, and ginger. The result’s candy, savory, and completely spicy. Make the sauce and prep the tofu forward to avoid wasting time.

Summer time Vegetable Bibimbap

Victor Protasio / Meals Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Christine Keely


This seasonal bibimbap from 2021 F&W Finest New Chef Ji Hye Kim celebrates summer time produce, with every vegetable salted, blanched, or sautéed individually for peak taste. A sturdy yak gochujang, made with beef and chile paste, anchors the dish. Serve over sizzling rice with a sunny-side-up egg.

Gaji Namul (Gochujang-Marinated Eggplant)

Jennifer Causey / Meals Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Christine Keely


Chef Sunny Lee caramelizes Chinese language eggplant earlier than marinating it in a garlicky gochujang sauce. Serve this punchy, umami-packed banchan chilled or at room temperature.

Galbi Jjim

Fred Hardy / Meals Styling by Julian Hensarling / Prop Styling by Shell Royster


Beef quick ribs braise in a soy, pear, and ginger broth till tender however not falling aside. Chef Invoice Kim serves his with loads of braising liquid, making it supreme over rice. Toasted pine nuts, scallions, and chili threads add garnish and texture.

Gamja Jorim (Soy Sauce–Lacquered Potatoes)

Victor Protasio / Meals Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Lydia Pursell


On this recipe from 2021 F&W Finest New Chef Angel Barreto of Anju in Washington, D.C., tiny potatoes simmer in a soy, garlic, and ginger glaze till creamy inside and shiny exterior. Watch the discount carefully to keep away from over-thickening. A sesame seed garnish provides a nutty end.

Mac and Corn Cheese

Victor Protasio / Meals Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Christine Keely


On this recipe from Korean American: Meals That Tastes Like Dwelling, meals author Eric Kim’s stovetop mac combines candy corn, mozzarella, and jalapeño with a crunchy cheese-studded breadcrumb topping.

Kalbi (Grilled Korean-Fashion Quick Ribs)

Greg DuPree

Marinated in a single day in soy, sake, sugar, garlic, and sesame, these flanken-cut ribs from Los Angeles meals writers Linda Burum and Linda Merinoff grill up juicy with a satisfying chew. Serve with kimchi, rice, and lettuce leaves for wrapping. In 2018, this was named one in all Meals & Wine’s 40 finest recipes.

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