7 Vegetarian Korean Dishes

If you are travelling to Korea and are a vegetarian or would like to cut down on your meat intake, then you may find it challenging. Korea is a predominantly meat-eating country, so vegetarian dishes can be hard to come by without any guidance. In this blog, we share some Korean vegetarian dishes that you can search for on menus or even ask for in some places.

Kimchi

The most common form of kimchi that Korea has to offer is made from fermented napa cabbage. But, if this isn’t what you are fancying or maybe you want to try something a little different, then you will be pleased to hear that there are over 100 variations of kimchi!Some flavours dishes include cucumber or radish and to add some more flavour, kimchi is often seasoned with gochugaru and other spices. Kimchi is known for helping your digestive system, but it can also benefit your skin, hair and make your nails stronger!

Bibimbap

Bibimbap is served in a bowl and consists of rice, vegetables and topped with an egg. Usual vegetables include cucumber, spinach and carrot. Sometimes the dish is also topped with beef, but you can just ask for no meat.

Gimbap

You could say that gimbap looks somewhat like sushi. It is cooked rice that has egg, yellow pickled radish, and carrots that are then rolled into seaweed and sliced into bite-sized pieces. The dish is often served in a packed lunch or at a picnic. It is also popular takeout food so you can be sure to pick it up at a takeaway or at a street food vendor.

Japchae

Once a royal dish, japchae’s main ingredient is glass noodles which are made from sweet potato. You cook the dish by stir-frying it and add a variety of vegetables to the glass noodles; common vegetables include spinach, mushrooms, onions and carrots. The taste is both sweet and savoury because it uses soy sauce and sugar. When ordering this dish, many restaurants will add beef, so simply ask for no meat.

Kongnamul guk

There are a wide variety of soups in Korean cuisine, of which many are vegetarian. A popular choice is kongnamul guk, which is soybean sprout soup. The dish is full of nutrients as it consists of many vegetables, including anchovy stock, soybean sprout, green onion and kelp.For added flavour, many like to add chilli flakes, for an added kick. The dishes natural flavour is somewhat nutty, which is delicious on its own, but some like to spice it up!

Dumplings

A well-loved dish in Korea is dumplings. Unfortunately for vegetarians, a lot of them include meat. However, there are two types of dumplings that non-meat eaters can enjoy! Napjak-mandu dumplings are filled with carrot, cabbage, green onions, Korean leeks and starch noodles. These are served in a slightly different shape to your ordinary dumpling but taste just as good. So-mandu dumplings are stuffed with napa cabbage, mushrooms, bean sprouts and other nutritious vegetables. You can often find tofu in these dumplings too.

Mung Bean Pancakes

Korean pancakes are an essential part of the local cuisine. Mung bean pancakes are a staple and are loved by many as a delicious meal. The pancake is made from mung beans, water, flour, scallions, egg and minced garlic.To create the pancake, the beans are ground and mixed into the batter, along with the rest of the ingredient. Pork can often be included in these pancakes, so just make sure you ask for no meat. If you would like to try and make some of these Korean vegetarian dishes yourself at home, take a look at our online Korean supermarket for some essential ingredients.

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