Gochujang, gochugaru, bulgogi, kimchi: if you regularly look at new recipes, you increasingly encounter Korean ingredients and dishes. The Korean cuisine has become enormously popular in recent years and that's not surprising. The combination of spicy, sweet, savory and umami creates dishes that burst with flavor.

But what do all those Korean names actually mean? Which herbs and flavorings do you need? And above all: what can you make with them?

In this guide we take you into the world of Korean food. From well-known flavorings such as gochujang and sesame oil to easy Korean recipes you can make at home. You really don't have to set up an entirely new pantry for that.

What is typical Korean food?

Korean cuisine is about contrast and balance. Spicy flavors are combined with sweet, sour and savory ingredients. Fermented products also play an important role. They give many Korean dishes their characteristic deep and savory taste.

Rice is an important part of many meals and is often paired with meat, chicken, fish or tofu and various vegetables. In addition, small side dishes are served, known as banchan. Kimchi, fermented and often spicy seasoned vegetables, is probably the best-known example.

Famous Korean dishes include bibimbap, bulgogi, Korean fried chicken and various types of Korean BBQ. But simple dishes with rice, noodles, vegetables and a spicy or sticky sauce also fit well within this cuisine.

Fortunately, you don't have to cook complicated dishes right away to get to know Korean flavors. A few good flavorings will take you a long way.

Which flavors are typical of Korean cuisine?

What makes Korean food so tasty is often the combination of different flavors in one dish. A sauce can, for example, be spicy, sweet, salty and slightly sour at the same time.

You regularly encounter a number of flavors:

• Spicy: Chili plays an important role in many Korean dishes. Gochujang and gochugaru are widely used to give dishes heat and a characteristic red color.
• Umami and savory: Soy sauce and fermented flavorings provide depth and a full flavor.
• Sweet: Sugar, honey or other sweet ingredients are regularly added to marinades and sauces. Especially with Korean chicken and BBQ this creates that familiar sticky glaze.
• Sour: Rice vinegar and fermented vegetables bring freshness and balance to dishes.
• Nutty: Sesame oil and roasted sesame seeds give many dishes their recognizable warm, nutty flavor.

Fresh flavorings such as garlic, ginger and spring onion are often added on top of that.

Korean herbs and flavorings: what is what?

If you stand in front of a shelf with Korean ingredients for the first time, the names can sound quite unfamiliar. Still, many flavorings are surprisingly easy to use.

1. Gochujang

Gochujang is perhaps one of the best-known Korean flavorings. It is a thick, fermented chili paste with a spicy, savory and slightly sweet taste. You can use gochujang as a base for marinades and sauces or add a small amount to a stir-fry. It is, for example, delicious with chicken, minced meat, beef, tofu and roasted vegetables. Because gochujang is fairly concentrated, you usually don't need much. Combine it, for example, with soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil and a little honey for a simple sticky sauce.

2. Gochugaru

Gochugaru are Korean chili flakes. They are used, among other things, to make kimchi, but you can also add them to soups, sauces, marinades and stir-fries. The flavor is spicy, but often also slightly fruity and a bit less sharp than some other types of dried chili. No gochugaru at home? For some dishes you can use regular chili flakes, although the taste will not be exactly the same.

3. Doenjang

Doenjang is a Korean fermented soybean paste. The flavor is powerful, salty and rich in umami. The paste is traditionally used in, among other things, soups and stews and can also be incorporated into sauces and marinades. A small amount can already give a dish a lot of extra depth.

4. Sesame oil

Toasted sesame oil gives a warm, nutty flavor and is widely used as a seasoning. Because the taste is quite pronounced, you usually only need a small amount. Add sesame oil, for example, to a marinade, dressing or sauce. Even a few drops over a rice bowl or noodle dish can make a big difference.

5. Soy sauce

Soy sauce provides salt and umami and forms a good base for many marinades and sauces. In combination with garlic, ginger, sesame oil and something sweet you can quickly make a sauce with a Korean-inspired flavor profile.

6. Garlic and ginger

Garlic and ginger may be less exotic, but are important in many Korean dishes. You can use them fresh, but garlic powder or ginger powder is also handy when you want to quickly add extra flavor.

7. Sesame seeds and spring onion

Roasted sesame seeds and finely chopped spring onion are often used as a finishing touch. They not only add extra flavor and texture, but also make a simple dish with rice, chicken or minced meat immediately a lot more appealing.

What can you make with Korean herbs and flavorings?

You bought a jar of gochujang or a packet of gochugaru for one recipe. And then? Fortunately, Korean flavorings are often much more versatile than you might think.

You can, for example, mix gochujang into a marinade for chicken, use it for a sticky glaze over meatballs or add it to roasted cauliflower. With sesame oil, soy sauce, ginger and garlic you can easily make a marinade for meat or tofu.

Vegetables also lend themselves excellently to these flavors. Think roasted broccoli with a spicy gochujang sauce, sticky eggplant, sautéed mushrooms or a quick cucumber salad with rice vinegar and sesame.

The trick is not to think only in traditional Korean dishes. You can also use the flavors in dishes you already know.

Korean chicken: easy to make yourself

Korean chicken is a good way to get acquainted with this cuisine. Especially the combination of chicken with a sweet-spicy, sticky sauce is popular.

For a simple version, fry pieces of chicken and add a sauce at the end based on, for example, gochujang, soy sauce, rice vinegar, garlic, ginger and a little honey. Let the sauce reduce briefly until it clings nicely to the chicken.

Serve the chicken with rice and, for example, broccoli, bok choy or cucumber. Finish with sesame seeds and spring onion.

That way you have an easy meal with relatively few ingredients that you can also make on a weeknight.

What is Korean BBQ?

Korean BBQ, also called K-BBQ, is a popular way of eating together where meat is often grilled directly at the table. The meat is cut into thin slices and sometimes marinated beforehand.

A well-known example is bulgogi: thinly sliced beef in a sweet-savory marinade. Ingredients such as soy sauce, garlic, sesame oil and sugar are often used for this.

Korean BBQ is not only about the meat. Various side dishes are usually served, such as rice, kimchi, vegetables and sauces. The meat can also be wrapped in a lettuce leaf and eaten together with other ingredients.

You can easily replicate this way of eating at home. Even without a special table grill you can prepare marinated meat on the BBQ, in a grill pan or simply in a frying pan.

An easy Korean recipe to start with

If you mainly want to put something tasty on the table without first buying all kinds of unfamiliar ingredients, start with a dish in which the Korean flavors are central but the preparation remains simple.

Our Sticky Korean meatballs are a good example. The meatballs are flavored with, among other things, ginger, onion and smoked paprika and then coated with a sweet-spicy sticky glaze.

You can serve them with jasmine rice and bok choy, with noodles and broccoli or even as a snack. The meatballs can also be prepared in the airfryer.

[View the recipe for Sticky Korean meatballs]

Korean cooking without a cupboard full of new ingredients

Gochujang, gochugaru, rice vinegar, sesame oil... If you want to cook Korean for the first time, it can seem like you immediately need an entirely new pantry. Fortunately, that's not the case.

If you want to regularly make Korean recipes yourself, ingredients such as soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic, ginger and gochujang are useful to have at home. With those you can make various marinades and sauces yourself and experiment extensively with the sweet, spicy and savory flavors of Korean cuisine.

Want to make it easier for yourself? You can also choose our Sticky Korean Kiss low calorie sauce. This sweet-spicy sauce quickly gives you that typical sticky flavor and is easy to combine with chicken, minced meat, vegetables, rice and noodles.

Use the sauce, for example, as a glaze for chicken from the airfryer, mix it into a quick vegetable stir-fry or serve it with a rice bowl. Our Sticky Korean meatballs also show how easily you can give an everyday dish a Korean touch with these flavors.

That way you can first get to know the flavor and then, if you want, further experiment with ingredients such as gochujang and gochugaru.

Easy Korean recipes to try

Want to experiment more with Korean food? These are a few tasty dishes to try at home:

Sticky Korean meatballs
Juicy meatballs with a sweet-spicy glaze. Good with rice, noodles or as a snack.

Gochujang chicken with rice
Chicken in a spicy, slightly sweet sauce based on gochujang. Serve with rice and crunchy vegetables.

Korean BBQ chicken
Marinated chicken that you can prepare on the BBQ, in a grill pan or in the airfryer.

Bulgogi-style beef
Thin strips of beef with a sweet-savory marinade made with, among other things, soy sauce, garlic and sesame oil.

Gochujang roasted vegetables
An easy way to give vegetables like cauliflower, broccoli or eggplant extra flavor.

We will continue to update this page with new Korean recipes and inspiration.

Frequently asked questions about Korean food

1. What is typical Korean food?

Typical of Korean cuisine is the combination of spicy, sweet, sour, salty and savory flavors. Rice, vegetables, meat, fish and fermented products play an important role. Well-known dishes include kimchi, bibimbap, bulgogi and Korean fried chicken.

2. Which herbs are commonly used in Korean food?

Garlic, ginger, chili and sesame are used widely. In addition, flavorings such as gochujang, gochugaru, soy sauce, sesame oil and doenjang are important for the characteristic taste of many Korean dishes.

3. Is Korean food always spicy?

No. Although chili is used a lot, not all Korean dishes are spicy. Dishes such as bulgogi, for example, have mainly a sweet-savory taste. Moreover, in many recipes you can determine yourself how much chili or gochujang you use.

4. What is the difference between gochujang and gochugaru?

Gochujang is a fermented chili paste with a spicy, savory and slightly sweet taste. Gochugaru consists of dried Korean chili flakes. Gochujang is widely used in sauces and marinades, while gochugaru is used, among other things, for kimchi, soups and spice blends.

5. Which Korean recipe is easy for beginners?

A dish with Korean chicken, sticky meatballs or a simple rice bowl is a good place to start. You can use familiar ingredients and easily add the typical sweet-spicy and savory flavors with a sauce or marinade.