Have you ever been overwhelmed by so many options at Asian grocery stores? If so, you’ve come to the right place. Today, let me tell you what to get for Korean cooking. It may seem like a lot of ingredients at first, but once you get them, you will find yourself constantly using them in so many dishes.
ESSENTIAL INGREDIENTS
1. SOY SAUCE (간장)
Generally, there are 3 types of soy sauce in Korea and it is quite important to use the right soy sauce for the right purpose.
The first one is called 양조 간장. It is for almost everything except for soups. If you go grocery shopping for soy sauce but there are too many options, then just get this one! You can make every dish that I share. Personally, I prefer this 샘표 701.
The second one is 국 간장, soy sauce for soups. The biggest difference from other soy sauces is that it is much saltier and lighter in color. Thus, it is mainly used for soups.
Have you ever experienced like this? You put some soy sauce to your soup and it looked too dark unlike what you saw in the video. I am pretty sure that’s because you used regular soy sauce, not the one for soups.
Then, do we have to get this soy sauce, too? My answer is “No.” Because I don’t use this in my recipes, instead of adding this soup soy sauce, you can put less regular soy sauce and add some salt. Then, it won’t be too dark and the taste will be fine at the same time. Problem solved!
The third one is 진간장. It is somewhere between the first and the second one. I don’t think this is necessary, so let’s skip it!
Anyways, if you run out of soy sauce and need to buy one, just get the first one (양조 간장). That is all you need!
2. Fish Sauce (액젓)
Some people may not like fish sauce because of its strong taste. I don’t like the fishy smell, either. However, if you can use it well, it definitely brings out an amazing umami flavor.
There are so many kinds of fish sauce. However, I prefer Korean products but, as always, you can use whatever you have in your kitchen.
If it’s difficult to find a Korean brand, try this Vietnamese fish sauce.
3. Mirin (미림)
This is sweet alcohol for food. We use this cooking wine to eliminate the unpleasant smell from the meat and add some pleasant sweetness to the food.
As you can see, it contains about 14 percent alcohol. Thus, if you are cooking for your kids, I do NOT recommend using it too much. Some people say alcohol goes away when you boil it. However, the alcohol won’t go away much unless you get the flame directly.
FYI, I love to use this when I make various kinds of sauces. I don’t think it will be a big problem if you use a little.
4. Concentrated Chicken Stock / Chicken Bouillon Powder
I have been asked what kind of chicken stock I use. Since many Koreans don’t use it, we don’t have many kinds. That’s why I am using this. It doesn’t really matter what type of chicken stock you use.
People in Korea usually use this Dasida(다시다), kind of Korean beef stock or Yeondu(연두), cooking essence instead of the chicken stock. However, chicken stock is easier to get for you guys, right?
5. Oyster Sauce (굴 소스)
I use this as much as chicken stock. This is a kind of magical sauce that dramatically reduces your cooking time. Without this, you will spend more than 2 or 3 hours to get the flavor you want. You can use this for almost every food except for white food.
People asked me what kind of oyster sauce I use. Honestly, I use the one on sale. I heard this lee kum kee premium oyster sauce has an amazing umami flavor. However, the price is doubled.
6. Korean Chili Pepper Flakes (고춧가루)
This is an essential ingredient for Korean spicy food. Some people think they can make spicy food with only Gochujang(Korean chili paste) but that’s not true. Chili paste has a unique sweet flavor, so it is NOT suitable for most spicy food. Thus, most Korean spicy foods definitely need this!
However, the problem is it’s really expensive. See? It is $4.50 per 100g.
It is expensive because it is made in Korea. Of course, it will taste good if you use this. However, I still cannot believe the price.
FYI, although there are some Korean letters on the package, it does not always mean it’s made in Korea. Since it is too expensive, we import a lot from China. If you see 중국산 on the package, it means ‘It is made of chili pepper from China.’
7. Sesame Oil (참기름)
The scent of sesame oil is amazing. Thus, if you add some to your food, it will make you feel like a master of Korean food. Most food with butter tastes good, right? It’s the same.
I don’t have any particular brand preference. I just use what Claire’s mom gives to us. They are made in a traditional market and it has a deeper flavor than the one from supermarkets. However, it is not a huge difference. Therefore, you can use any brand.
8. Korean Soybean Paste (된장)
There are many kinds of soybean paste at Korean groceries. You may think it is so famous traditional ingredient that Koreans use this all the time. However, surprisingly, it is not often used than you think besides soybean soup. Sometimes, I use this for Korean salad dressing. However, how often do you think I use it? It is not often.
Therefore, if you are planning to buy soybean paste, I recommend getting this one, which is specially made for soybean soup(된장찌개). It is already perfectly seasoned, so you will get the best soybean soup ever!
9. Korean Chili Paste (고추장)
Many people say this is one of the essential ingredients when you make Korean food. However, it is also not used as often as you think except for Tteokbokki, Dakgalbi, or some sauce for the Bibimbap.
It has a unique sweet flavor because it contains flour paste and rice powder in it. For that reason, I don’t prefer to use this for spicy food.
It doesn’t matter what brand you use but Sunchang(순창) or Haechandle(해찬들) are popular brands in Korea. However, I recommend getting a smaller one, because, as I early said, you won’t use it as often as you think.
10. Garlic (마늘)
You cannot say Korean food without garlic. I read an article in the past and it says one Korean consumes more than 6kg of garlic a year on average. You may think it is crazy, right?
We put garlic in a lot of food or eat raw garlic dipping in a chili paste or Ssamjang. 99% of Korean food needs garlic. Therefore, keep it in your kitchen all the time.
11. Green Onion (대파)
If you have been watching our videos, I am pretty sure you know why this is so important for Korean food.
Some people said “It is a leak, not green onion”. However, Korean green onion is a little bit bigger than what you guys can get. It is even called 대파, which means “BIG green onion.”
Today, I showed you 11 essential ingredients for Korean cooking. Sometimes, you will need more ingredients but if you have this stuff in your kitchen, you will be fine. I guarantee it!