Every culture has its unique kind of quality that separates them from others. When it comes to exploring Korean culture, one of the special aspects is the food culture

Food can be seen everywhere in Korea, from five-star restaurants or local street vendors, and at all times of the day, even at day or night.

Main photo by nikluv from Pixabay

Nowadays, with the development of social media, especially the increase of Mukkbang channels, Korean food culture is more approachable to foreigners.

If you find yourself sick of eating fast food or having unhealthy meals, this article will surprise you as we will introduce to you 3 Healthy Korean Recipes you might want to try.

Healthy Korean Recipes you Might want to Try

Kimchi

One of the oldest and the most quintessential dishes in every meal of Korean is Kimchi. While various kinds of vegetables can be used to make Kimchi, the most common ingredient is cabbage.

Cabbage is preserved in-ground in large earthenware and lightly fermented with chilli powder.

Kimchi is ready to be eaten after 3-4 days. If you want to keep it longer, place Kimchi in the refrigerators so that it will remain fresh for a couple of months.

Kimchi is well known among foreigners for its unique spicy and sour flavours as well as the health benefits it may bring. 

For example, fermented food like Kimchi contains Lactobacillus bacterium, which may help to boost your immune system. Moreover, as Kimchi is low in calories, it may help reduce body weight, improve blood pressure and decrease body fat percentage.

If you ask a Korean what kind of food can best represent their culture, the answer must be Kimchi. Kimchi can be eaten on its own or as an accompaniment to other dishes such as white rice, noodles, or soups. 

Without Kimchi, Korean meals seem to be incomplete. 

Korean BBQ

Nothing is more relaxing than sitting in front of a Korean BBQ grill set and spending an evening enjoying a nourishing meal with your beloved ones. Korean BBQ, so-called Gogigui, refers to a Korean method of grilling or roasting meat, for example, beef, pork, chicken, or other types of meat.

Gogigui can be divided into different categories, but the 2 basic ones are marinated and non-marinated meat dishes. The latter, the non-marinated dish, is simpler as it requires less time to prepare, while the process of making the former is quite complicated. 

The recipes at https://cleaversorganic.com.au/recipe/korean-beef-parcels/ will help simplify the process of making marinated dishes, especially for those who even don’t have a BBQ grill set at home. 

Both methods then come to the final step, which is to wrap the meat in lettuce with several types of vegetables to create a delicious juicy parcel. And it’s time to enjoy your meal.

Gogigui is not only popular in Korea, but also internationally. If you are worried about health issues when eating grilled meat, you can reduce the amount of hot spice, or increase the amount of vegetable intake. 

Bibimbap

Another dish you should try when exploring Korean culture is Bibimbap - a bowl of rice mixed with meat, fried eggs, sauce, and assorted vegetables. 

Depending on personal preference or dietary requirements, you can combine various ingredients following the basic structure to create your own bowl of Bibimbap. 

The traditional version of Bibimbap includes raw meat and raw yolk egg with seasoned vegetables.

However, nowadays marinated meat (usually marinated beef), fried egg, and seasoned sautéed vegetables are more favoured as this combination is easier to eat than the authentic one.

The process of making Bibimbap takes lots of time as each ingredient needs to be cooked individually.

However, the time when the bowl of Bibimbap comes to you like a pretty picture. 

The moment the yolk is broken the mixing of the ingredients begins, all the hard work preparing the dish definitely pays off. You will find yourself completely satisfied with this healthy delicious meal.

Try a New Recipe

If you are into exploring Korean culture or just simply want to explore a new world of food, the easiest way is to try Korean cuisine. Planning a trip to this enticing country provides a great opportunity to enjoy the original dishes cooked by residents.

Don’t worry if you have no plan to go to Korea but still want to try their food.

Many Korean restaurants all over the world serve authentic Korean cuisine. Another suggestion is to buy ingredients at the supermarket and try to make your own dishes following the recipes on the internet. 

Feel free to adjust the recipe depending on your dietary habit or personal preference.