8 Essential Korean Ingredients to Use

When cooking dishes from any world cuisine, there will be a number of ingredients that you just can’t do without to make a recipe taste authentic. Chinese dishes might be lost without a good splash of soy sauce, while an Italian feast wouldn’t be complete without some fresh tomatoes! When creating Korean cuisine, there are several ingredients that will be used in most recipes, so having these items stocked in your kitchen cupboards will mean that you are always prepared for cooking up a delicious dish.

Short Grain Rice

Otherwise known as sushi rice, short grain rice is the preferred rice type in Korea, and this will be enjoyed with dishes every day. Short grain rice is sticky and is used as both a main feature of various dishes, as well as an accompaniment.

Soy Sauce

Like many Southeast Asian cuisine, soy sauce is a staple ingredient in many Korean dishes. Soy sauce is used as a seasoning that adds both salty and sweet flavours to a dish, and will be available in both dark soy sauce, known as jinganjang, and light soy sauce, gukganjang, which is a little saltier.

Fermented Soybean Paste

Doenjang, or fermented soybean paste, is a salty-tasting ingredient that is used in several dishes, including soup, stew and dips. Made from grinding soybeans into a paste and then fermenting it, the paste provides rich, earthy tones with strong umami flavours.

Fish Sauce

A very salty and fishy flavour can be found in this deeply umami sauce. Used for dishes such as kimchi and soup, fish sauce is sometimes used in place of a lighter soy sauce. While there are a variety of different types of fish sauce, one that is particularly enjoyed in Korea is aekjeot, a sauce made from fermented anchovies, which is used in many kimchi recipes.

Sesame Seeds

Sprinkled over side dishes, these tiny seeds add some impressive nutty flavours to each bite. Sesame seeds are commonly found added to vegetable dishes to help enhance the flavours, as well as to add some crunchy texture to steamed ingredients.

Hot Pepper Paste

A popular flavouring for a range of sauces, meats and side dishes, this hot pepper paste is both spicy, sweet and salty. The core ingredient of hot pepper paste is hot pepper powder; however, the paste is not nearly as spicy as the powder.

Hot Pepper Flakes

These sweet and spicy flakes are typically available in both spicy and mild versions, depending on how strong you want the dish to be. Using milder flakes allows you to use more in each dish, adding bright and bold red colours to the plate. The flavours of hot pepper flakes will also vary depending on the type of pepper used to create it, as some may be made using sun-dried hot peppers.

Sesame Oil

Sesame oil is used in a diverse range of dishes in Korea, and is even incorporated into some desserts! Toasted sesame oil is used in particular, as it offers a stronger, nuttier taste. Sesame oil is drizzled over side dishes or used as a dip for grilled meat and vegetables.

If you want to expand the range of ingredients in your kitchen, explore all that we have to offer at our Korean supermarket, including a huge range of rice, soy sauce, pastes and other sauces!