While in South Korea, Luis and I had the opportunity to cook with Jihae, a local chef specializing in making traditional cuisine food simple for travelers. She taught us how to make five classic dishes: Garlic Chive Kimchi, Soybean Soup, Spicy Stir-fried Pork, Potato Pancake, and Steamed Vegetable Rice with Soy Sauce. 

I’ve listed the recipe steps below in detail, however, if you’re more of a visual learner, head over to YouTube and watch our experience in video. The video covers all recipes except the rice, but the rice is listed below!

If you’re headed to South Korea and want to cook with Jihae in person. Click here and visit her school!

Now without further ado, here are the 5 recipes in detail. 

STEAMED VEGETABLE RICE WITH SOY SEASONING (채소솥밥: CHAESOSOTBAB)

Ingredients:

• 1/2 shredded Carrot 1/2
• 50 grams chopped pumpkin
• 50 grams chopped mushrooms
• 50ml Kombu water (If you don’t have kombu you can use rice water instead)
• 1 tablespoon butter

Soy Seasoning:

• 2 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon grated garlic
• 3 stalks spring onion finely sliced
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
• 1 tablespoon chili powder

To prepare:

Wash rice with hands, rinse them three or four times. Leave it in the pot, pour the kombu water about 1 cm.

To make Kombu Dashi:

1. Boil water and pour it into a kombu pot. Pour 500ml of boiling water and add kombu. Leave it 20min.
2. Put the rice into pot fill with about 1 cup of kombu water.
3. Add 1 tablespoon of butter and put bean sprouts on the top. Do not put too much water in rice because bean sprouts have water in it.
4. Cover it and boil it over high heat until boiling (about 10 minutes). Simmer on lowest heat for another 10min.
5. Turn off the heat and leave it for 10min.
6. Mix rice and the vegetables well with a spoon.
7. Enjoy steamed vegetable rice with the soy seasoning.

POTATO PANCAKE 감자전: GAMJA-JEON

Ingredients:

• 2 medium size potatoes, peeled
• 1/2 onion, peeled
• 1 green chili, seeded and thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon potato starch
• 2 tablespoon all purpose flower
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• cooking oil

Sauce

• 2 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
• 1/2 tablespoon chili powder

To prepare:

1. Shred the potatoes with a large hole cheese grater.
2. Drain the water from potato puree.
3. Put the shredded potatoes in a mixing bowl.
4. Slice the onion thinly then add it in a mixing bowl.
5. Put 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 tablespoon of potato starch, and 2 tablespoon of flower in bowl then mix well.
6. Heat the pan on high heat and add vegetable oil.
7. Once the pan is heated, scoop out potato mixture and place it onto the pan.
8. Reduce the heat to medium-high.
9. Once one side of the pancake is chrispy, garnish with the sliced green chili (2-3 slices are enough)
10. Flip it over, lightly press it with a spatula to flatten a bit.
11. When the other side of the pancake is cooked, turn it over again.
12. Serve it with pancake sauce.

SPICY STIR-FRIED PORK 제육볶음: JAEYUK-BOKEOM

Ingredients:

• 600 grams of pork belly (or pork shoulder)
• 1 medium sized onion
• 1/2 carrot sliced thick diagonally
• 2-3 stalks of spring onion, sliced thick

Pork seasoning:

• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoon grated ginger
• 1 teaspoon sea salt and black pepper
• 2 tablespoon mirin
• 3 tablespoon brown or white sugar
• 2 tablespoon soy sauce
• 2 tablespoon chili powder
• 2 tablespoon chili paste
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil

To prepare:

1. Wash pork gently and drain the water. Dry pork with paper towel.
2. Cut it about 1-1.5 cm thick. Put the pork into a large mixing bowl.
3. Mix the seasoning with the pork, use your hands to massage the seasoning into the pork.
4. Cover with plastic wrap.
5. Place in the refrigerator to marinate for 30 minutes.
6. Preheat a wok over high heat, put vegetable oil and stir fry the marinated pork until pork is fully cooked. This brings more flavor.
7. Add the vegetables, toss everything together and stir-fry for another 2 minutes.
8. Transfer to a serving plate.
9. Sprinkle sesame seeds over the top for garnish. This dish goes well with green vegetables and steamed rice.

GARLIC CHIVE KIMCHI 부추김치: BOOCHOO-KIMCHI

Ingredients:

• Cut Garlic Chive 5cm thick
• 1/2 thinly Sliced Onion
• 1 tablespoon Chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon grated garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon grated ginger
• 1 teaspoon fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon vinegar
• 1 teaspoon ground sesame seed
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil

To Prepare:

1. Mix ingredients together in a mixing bowl using plastic gloves. 
2. If you like sweet and spicy put more sugar and chili powder. You can leave it in the fridge no longer than a week.

SOYBEAN SOUP 된장찌개 (DOOENJANG-JJIGAE)

Ingredients:

• 100g spinach or mixed vegetables
• 2 tablespoon soybean paste
• 300ml kombu water or rice water
• 4-5 dried anchovies
• 1 tablespoon dried shrimp

To Prepare

1. Pour hot water into dry kombu. 
2. Put dry anchovies and shrimp into stock pouch then put into the pot and boil.
3. Add all the sliced vegetables to pot.
4. Put soybean paste into the pot and mix well with spoon.
5. Simmer for 10 min.
6. Add chopped spring onion for garnish and turn off heat.
7. Note: Soup goes well with mushroom or tofu but it is still good with only spinach.