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| Rice and Rice Dishes |
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 Instead of asking "Have you had a meal?" Koreans usually ask "Have
you eaten rice today?" Rice is the staple food for most Koreans and it
appears at almost every meal. It can be cooked alone (the most common
case), with other grains (such as millet or barley), or with chestnuts
and beans. Vegetables may also be mixed with the rice before serving.
Rice gruel (often made for sick people or the elderly who have health
problems) is also classed as a main dish.
In the past, farmers calculated their net worth by the amount of rice
they had, making rice synonymous with wealth.
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Bibimbap (Mixed Vegetables on
Rice) |
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 A simple but popular dish, bibimbap is a bowl of hot rice served
in a bowl topped with a variety of vegetables (cooked and raw) arranged
on top. Vegetables can be seasonal, with toraji, bell flower
roots, gosari, bracken, bean sprouts, and spinach often served.
Other ingredients can include chestnuts, jujubes, ginseng, and a small
amount of seafood or meat. An egg may be also served on the top. Most
restaurants prepare the dish with a big scoop of gochujang and
red pepper paste placed with the vegetables. (Ask for it to be placed on
the side if you do not like the taste much.).
This dish comes in two ways: a large bowl with rice on the bottom and
the other ingredients placed on top, or just the ingredients in the bowl
and a separate bowl of rice. Mix all the ingredients together then use
your spoon to eat. A bowl of light soup is also served. |
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Bokgeumbap (Fried Rice) |
Every household has leftovers. Korean housewives find that a useful way
to use them up is to mix with older rice and stir-fry the mixture over a
hot flame. It makes a quick meal and stretches meats and vegetables that
would not quite make a full side dish by themselves. Often a fried egg
is added on top. Eat with a spoon. A light soup usually accompanies a
serving. Popular types of Bokkeumbap include
Kimchi Bokkeumbap, Haemul
Bokkeumbap (seafood), and Nakji
Bokkeumbap (octopus).
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Dolsot Bibimbap (Sizzling
Vegetables on Rice) |
 Similar to
Bibimbap, Dolsot Bibimbap's
ingerdients include rice and various vegetables (sometimes with meat).
While regular Bibimbap is usually served in a cool bowl,
Dolsot Bibimbap comes in a hot crock. Also, it usually includes more
ingredients.
To eat, mix the ingredients together then eat with a spoon. After
eating, poor some hot water into the crock to soften the rice that
sticks to the side. Scrape off this rice (called nudungji) and
eat it as well.
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Gimbap (Rice Wrapped in
Seaweed) |
 Gimbap (usually spelled Kimbap) is Korea's most popular
and nutritious convenience meal. You can find it sold everywhere:
picnics, schoolchildren's lunch boxes, street venders, and convenience
stores. A layer of cooked rice is spread over a square piece of gim
(dried laver). Various ingredients (including ham, sausage, spinach,
cucumber, crab meat, carrots, and radishes) are thinly sliced and placed
on top. The laver is rolled into a tube, sliced into sliced pieces, and
seasoned with sesame seeds. The idea was borrowed from the Japanese
during the colonial period, but Korean Gimbap is slightly
different. |
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Kimchi Bokkeumbap (Kimchi
Fried Rice) |
 Korean housewives found that a useful way to use soured kimchi was to
fry it, adding meat (mostly ground beef or shrimp), other vegetables,
and some steamed rice. It is often served with a fried egg on top.
Since it is cheap and easy to cook, it is popular among young Koreans or
students who can not afford expensive meals. This is also reflected in
Korea's pop culture. One popular Korean song written by a young musician
a few years ago told that the singer's favorite girl was the one who
could cook Kimchi Bokkeumbap well.
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Nakji Bokkeumbap (Stir-fried
Octopus) |
An octopus is cut into bite-sized pieces, along with carrots, onions,
green onions, and watercress. This dish is cooked in a round-bottomed
Chinese wok over a strong fire and mixed with pre-cooked rice. Red
pepper powder and black powder are added as the main seasonings.
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Ogokbap (Five-Grain Rice) |
 Although rice is the staple food for Koreans, they also use other
grains. They often combine four other grains with glutinous and regular
rice (most commonly glutinous sorghum, glutinous millet, dried black
beans, and dried sweet beans). Each are cleaned and soaked separately
then cooked until the grains have expanded and are well done. The
various grains used differ between areas. Koreans tended to use those
grains that they planned to plant in the coming year. In the past,
Ogokpap was also a substitute of Yakshik for commoners who
could not afford to have the ingredients like jujubes, chestnuts, and
pine nuts for Yakshik on the first full moon day. Koreans also
believe that Ogokpap must be shared by at least 3 different
families to bring good luck in the coming year. |
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| Tteokbokki (Stir Fried Rice
Cake) |
Long tteok (rice cakes) are stir-fried with carrots, bamboo
shoots, mushrooms, and cucumbers and stewed in a gochujang-based
sauce. Although it may sound unappetizing, the taste is very good. It is
very popular at street vendors. |
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