Korean recipes
Easy Korean Recipes: Bulgogi, Japchae and Beef Bowls
Korean home cooking leans on a short list of pantry staples: gochujang (fermented red chili paste), gochugaru (chili flakes), soy sauce, garlic and toasted sesame oil. Used in different proportions, they give you the sweet heat of spicy pork bulgogi, the sticky glaze on Korean fried chicken and the savoury sesame sauce on japchae.
The recipes here are written for an ordinary home kitchen, with exact quantities and a substitute or buying tip for anything specialist. New to Korean food? Start with Korean-inspired ground beef bowls, a 30-minute weeknight dinner with a sweet soy and gochujang sauce, or with japchae or spicy pork bulgogi, and save the double-fried chicken for a weekend.
4 recipes · Updated
Quick answer
Savour's Korean recipes include Korean-inspired ground beef bowls in a sweet soy and gochujang sauce (30 minutes); japchae, a vegan glass noodle side dish (45 minutes); double-fried Korean fried chicken wings in a gochujang glaze (60 minutes); and spicy pork bulgogi (jeyuk bokkeum), ready in 62 minutes including a 30-minute marinade. The beef bowls, bulgogi and fried chicken each have 28 g or more protein per serving.
- Recipes
- 4
- Average total time
- 49 mins
- Quickest
- Korean Ground Beef Bowls (30 mins)
- Rated Easy
- 3 of 4
- Average calories
- 538 per serving
- Newest
- Korean Ground Beef Bowls
All Korean Recipes (4)
Frequently Asked Questions
What pantry staples do I need for Korean cooking?
Start with gochujang, gochugaru, soy sauce, toasted sesame oil and sesame seeds, plus fresh garlic, ginger and green onions and some short-grain rice. That covers the basics for spicy pork bulgogi, Korean fried chicken and Korean ground beef bowls; japchae also needs Korean sweet potato noodles. Opened gochujang keeps for months in the fridge.
What can I use instead of gochujang or gochugaru?
Gochujang has no exact substitute, but in a pinch mix 2 tbsp white miso with 1-2 tbsp sriracha and 1 tsp sugar to replace 3 tbsp. In the ground beef bowls, which use just 1 tbsp, 1-2 tsp sriracha plus an extra teaspoon of brown sugar is enough. Crushed red pepper flakes can stand in for gochugaru; they are much hotter, so use about 1 tsp in place of 1-2 tbsp.
Which Korean recipe should I make first?
Korean ground beef bowls are a good first recipe: they take 30 minutes, use lean ground beef and call for just 1 tbsp gochujang. Japchae (45 minutes) needs no special equipment, and spicy pork bulgogi needs only a bowl and a skillet, with the marinade doing most of the work. Korean fried chicken involves deep-frying twice with a thermometer, so it is best once you are comfortable at the stove.
Are Korean dishes always spicy?
No. Japchae is savoury and slightly sweet with no chili at all, and the ground beef bowls are mild with 1 tbsp gochujang, or not spicy at all if you leave it out. The heat in spicy pork bulgogi and Korean fried chicken comes from gochujang and gochugaru, so choose a mild gochujang (many tubs carry a heat rating) and leave out the gochugaru for a gentler result.