The basic principle of Korean cuisine is to season various ingredients accurately with the correct condiments and cookery. Korea has four distinct seasons, and the high temperature and humidity of its summer has facilitated the cultivation of rice and its consumption as the Korean people’s staple food. Steamed rice is accompanied by side dishes made with grains and vegetables. A variety of seafood including clams, fish, and seaweeds are used in coastal areas as ingredients for side dishes.

• Ingredients
• Yangnyeom (Condiments)
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Ingredients

1) Grains

Rice is Korea’s staple food and is also to make juk (rice porridge), ddeok (rice cake), and hangwa (Korean traditional confectionery). For special occasions, wheat is ground to make noodles. Barley is also used widely, both with rice to cook bap (steamed rice) and for various kinds of processed food. Ground buckwheat is used to make noodles, mandu (dumplings), muk (starch jelly), and cookies. Also, different types of millet are used to make bap, juk, ddeok, and cookies.

2) Beans

Soybeans are rich in fat and low in carbohydrates, whereas red beans, mung beans, and peas are high in carbohydrates and low in fat. Beans are mixed with rice to make ddeok, bap, and juk. Bean sprouts are also used as ingredients to make fermented condiments like ganjang (soy sauce) and dwenjang (soybean paste).

3) Root and Tuber Crops

Potatoes and sweet potatoes are high in starch and sugar, so are eaten as substitutes for rice. They are also used to make ddeok and buchim (Korean pancakes) or to produce starch for processed food.

4) Vegetables

Fresh vegetables are available all year round, so they are widely used as ingredients for guk (light-broth soup), kimchi, namul (seasoned vegetables), and pickles. Vegetables are an important source of vitamins, minerals, and fiber.

5) Mushrooms

Frequently used mushrooms in Korean cuisine include pine mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, agarics, rock mushrooms, ear mushrooms, and winter mushrooms. Shiitake mushrooms are widely used in simmered, steamed, and stir-fried dishes for their unique taste and flavor. Rock mushrooms are used to make garnishes.

6) Seafood

Being a peninsula, Korea is blessed with various kinds of seafood – white-flesh fish including sea bream, flatfish, and croakers; red-flesh fish such as mackerel; and others including abalone, mussel, squid, clam, and oyster – which are widely used in jorim (simmered food), guk (light-broth soup), gui (grilled food), and jjim (steamed food).

7) Seaweeds

Seaweeds including gim (dried seaweed), miyuk (brown seaweed), dasima (kelp), and parae (green laver) have been widely used as ingredients for guk (light-broth soup), twigak (fried kelp), muchim (seasoned/mixed dish). Seaweeds are a healthy source of nutrition, low in calories and rich in minerals.

8) Meat

Meat is widely used in Korean cuisine for gui (grilled meat), jjim (steamed meat), and po (sliced jerky). The tenderness or flavor of beef differs depending on the cow’s age, gender, and amount of activity as well as the degree of maturation, which require different methods of cooking. Ribs and sirloin are grilled or stir-fried, whereas plate, shank, knee bone, oxtail, and legs are used for different types of soup or jorim (simmered seasoned meat). Round, shank, and ribs are usually cooked by steaming or simmering. For yukhoe (raw meat), po (sliced jerky), or jangjorim (simmered beef in soy sauce), round is most appropriate. Unlike beef, pork is mostly grilled as it is softer than beef and has different degrees of fattiness depending on the parts. Chicken is lean and soft, so is often used for guk (light-broth soup), gui (grilled meat), bokkeum (stir-fried meat), or jjim (steamed meat).

9) Eggs

Eggs and quail’s eggs are used either on their own – boiled eggs or steamed eggs – or used for making pancakes. Eggs are also used to make jidan – egg white and yolk separated, each pan-fried, and sliced – to be used as garnishes.

10) Fruits

Fruits such as apples, pears, plums, and strawberries are either eaten raw as hwachae (fruit punch), brewed, or pickled in vinegar. They may also be fried as are persimmons and dates. Nuts like chestnuts, walnuts, gingko nuts, and pine nuts are widely used as ingredients for hangwa (traditional Korean confectionery) or as garnishes on gujeolpan, sinseollo, and teas.