Today we’re going to talk about what we can learn from South Korea about cooking and eating. Their cuisine is fascinating and delicious. First, I’m going to mention what they generally eat in a day, and then I’ll talk about things that we can learn from the South Korean people to apply to our own cooking and eating at home.
In traditional Korean cuisine they’ll eat a lot of seasonal produce. They eat with a lot of variety and balance.
Here’s an example of what they may eat for breakfast – seaweed soup with rice and banchan, which are small side dishes served along with cooked rice. For example, maybe these could be soybean sprouts, spicy cucumber salad, pickled garlic, stir fried zucchini, sweet and salty soybeans, stir fried anchovies, noodles, et cetera. This is light, hydrating, and it’s rich in iodine and minerals. They may also have kimchi for probiotics, as well grilled tofu, pan fried egg, steamed spinach with sesame oil, et cetera. Often they’ll drink something like barley tea, which has no caffeine, and it’s gentle on the stomach
Then for lunch, bibimbap is popular. This is a mixed rice bowl with vegetables, and something like egg or beef for the protein. It would include vegetables like carrots, spinach, zucchini, mushrooms, and sometimes spicy chili paste. There’s also soup with fermented soybean paste, maybe using tofu, mushrooms, and zucchini. These fermented ingredients are great for gut health, and there’s lots of vegetables in this food.
For a snack, they might have fresh fruit like Asian pears, persimmons, or apples, or they might have roasted seaweed snacks. Those are light and nutrient dense, without much sugar.
For dinner they might have some fish like grilled mackerel with tofu, mixed grain rice, and banchan again on the side – beans, sprouts, pickled, reddish baby potatoes – any of those side dishes. They might have the soup again, or perhaps a kimchi stew with tofu, pork, or tuna. They’ll stick to small portions of the dishes, rather than having a large portion of one. They’ll probably have some food in the fridge ready for the week, and just take a bit as the week goes on. Their food has rich, umami flavors, and fermented seasonal ingredients. They eat slowly, enjoy their food, and appreciate the flavors.
So, what can we learn from South Korean cooking, eating? Definitely the power of fermented foods. Koreans eat fermented foods every day, especially kimchi, which is rich in probiotics, vitamins, and antioxidants. Kimchi is fermented cabbage with fermented soybean paste added. The fermented cabbage or other vegetables will be seasoned with salt, garlic, ginger, chili flakes, and fish sauce; any of those ingredients. Again, fermented foods are great for gut health, improving immunity, and reducing inflammation. Just adding one simple fermented food at a time is really helpful. One week you could have some sauerkraut. I like it salted, but I don’t make my own; I buy it. I’m a bit intimidated by that, though I’m sure some of you make your own. Then you could have some fermented pickles on another week, or some milk kefir or water kefir. That’s always be helpful.
Point number two – a naturally balanced diet. A South Korean meal includes a variety of banchan, or side dishes, and these would typically be made from vegetables; sprouts, tofu, seaweed, and legumes. There’s a diversity of nutrients and flavors, and that helps you to eat slowly, and not just go and gobble up a whole lot of one single protein. There’s diverse nutrients, there’s more fiber, and there’s less processed foods.
So, we can really try and eat more small sides with our food, and have smaller portions of each to increase our nutrient diversity, and to reduce overeating. We might include a soup to add more vegetables, and we can include fermented foods, rice, protein, and some other vegetable sides. Try to balance out the different parts of the meal, and don’t have huge portions of anything. Don’t have huge portions of starch, but don’t be afraid of it either. Adding little side dishes of vegetables for interest and for more nutrients is a great idea.
Then number three, as I’ve already mentioned, is moderation with carbs.
Koreans eat rice with nearly every meal, but it’s in small portions, and accompanied by fiber – their rich sides of vegetables. They eat mixed grain rice, and there’s more fiber in that. They’ll eat a large amount of cabbage and fermented foods too. So, carbohydrates aren’t the enemy. We shouldn’t be afraid of them. We do need them – they give our bodies energy, and having small portions is great. Balancing carbs with healthy protein and fiber is the best way to do it.
Number four – they have soup with every meal. Hot, brothy soups are common with meals in South Korean cuisine. Having a warm soup before or during meals helps to regulate your appetite, and it promotes your digestion. It adds nutrients to what you are eating, it brings hydration and digestive support, and helps you feel full without excess calories. This soup is often made from vegetables, and often with fermented feeds, so soup is a great option.
Number five of the things we can learn from South Korean food is that spices can be medicine. Cinnamon lowers blood sugar, turmeric lowers inflammation, and spices like garlic, ginger, chili, and cumin all have anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties. They’re used for flavor to enhance the dishes, but they’re also used for health benefits. Garlic is consumed in high quantities in Korea, and it’s good for healing people from many sicknesses. It brings many traditional health benefits.
In the sixth place, Korean food has a good balance of plant-based foods with healthy animal protein. They do eat meat, and they eat seafood, but many dishes are high in the vegetable content. They’re also high in broths, which really help with digestion and have nutrition. A vegetable broth, a meat broth, or a fish broth would often be used along with the meat, seafood, and the vegetables.
Point number seven – their meals are low in sugar. Traditional Korean foods contain little added sugar, and they don’t rely as much on rich desserts. The focus of their meals would be the broths, soups, the grains or rice, the vegetables, and the seafood, for nutrients like calcium and protein. So, fermentation and gut health matter, variety and moderation are important, and eating slowly and enjoying your food is important.
Point number eight is that for the Koreans, cooking is a daily ritual, not a chore. It’s important to remember that, because often we feel like cooking keeps creeping up on us, and it’s exhausting, and we can see it as a chore. Koreans often cook fresh meals multiple times a day, including their soups, rice, fermented foods, and their side dishes. We’re not trying to be “super-moms”, but treating cooking as a rhythm of daily life, not a task to get over with, is very helpful. Planning and preparing for efficiency is also important. They do bulk preparation of things that they can keep in the fridge; kimchi, soups, and sides that last all week. These are helpful, and they add interest and good nutrients to the meal.
Point nine – as I mentioned earlier, broth based cooking builds deep flavor. The Koreans’ soups and stews are cooked with care, using things like broth made from beef or anchovy stock. This adds minerals and antioxidants, and puts good nutrients in your food.
Then point number ten – skills matter in the preparation of food. Their dishes often include finely sliced or julienne vegetables, and other things that require chopping. Learning skills like how to julienne vegetables, and how to chop quickly and efficiently, and doing it in advance sometimes is really helpful when you’re making a stir fry or a soup.
Point eleven is to cook in batches, but serve variety. The Korean side dishes are cooked in batches and kept in the fridge to be mixed and matched later. Prepping these small dishes in advance and rotating them across your meals saves time and adds variety.
Number twelve is to do lots with your seasoning. Seasoning is not just about salt. Korean food uses things like soy sauce, fish sauce, sesame oil, garlic, chili flakes, vinegar, and fermented pastes. Think about layers of flavour. They also use citrus, salt, and fat. Don’t just add salt at the end of something – try to add all the different flavors when you can.
Finally, I want to mention a couple of things you can try at home. You can google the recipes for these, see what you can find, and try them. Kimchi, the spicy, fermented cabbage, is a good base for a Korean meal. You can try a Bibimbap, which is rice with sauteed vegetables, egg, or meat added. It’s a delicious option
Grilled mackerel is fun to try, seasoned with salt and grilled – it’s quite easy. Japchae is stir fried rice noodles with vegetables. There are kimchi dumplings, if you can find them to buy, you can steam them, boil them, or pan fry them, or even make your own if you’re very creative.
Try and see what appeals to you from Korean cuisine, and then perhaps you can have a Korean inspired meal one night with your family, and try a couple of these options. Try a soup, try to have a good variety of fun with some rice, and then see what you’d like to add to that. I’m sure it’ll be delicious, and I hope you’re feeling inspired.
