Korean Cooking Videos on Youtube!

There are some wonderful videos demonstrating the art of cooking Korean food on Youtube. Here are some great channels in English:

1) Maangchi has the best videos for cooking Korean food in regards to accessiblity and ease of follow-through. She holds your hand gently as she guides you in the kitchen.

2) Aeri's Kitchen is also user-friendly with her simple, step-by-step instructions. Her vibrant palate and fresh presentation will appeal to many viewers.

3) PS8 is an online collaboration between O'ngo Food Communications, a company specializing in Korean cooking classes and food tours, and several Korea bloggers. The youtube channel features videos by Jia Choi, a Korean food consultant and writer, as well as other food professionals from O'ngo. She clearly explains the background behind each dish as well as the why's of how it is cooked.

4) K-Food Addict is by Chloe Lim, a Korean woman living in Australia. She was inspired to blog after seeing her friends enjoy Korean food very much. Her videos feature a few recipes from the blog, presenting each dish in a clear and friendly manner.

5) 506knot's Kitchen features recipes from around the world, but their video for japchae is a gem. This Korean dish is presented in very thorough detail. I look forward to seeing more Korean recipes on their channel.

6) Phoebe's Cafe is the channel of Phoebe Chung, a Korean woman living in Hong Kong. It features recipes from all over as well as those from her English language blog on Korean cooking, Phoebe's Kitchen. Her videos provide a quick and easy visual guide to Korean cooking.

7) Korean Cuisine is a channel created by Anna Kim, an elegant Korean mother. She presents classic Korean dishes with a refined touch.

8) 86jomiri or 86조미리 ('seasoning' in Korean) focuses on the preparation of Korean ingredients with a high level of precision.

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Great Books to Learn More About Korean Food Culture

In a previous post, I shared some great online resources for learning more about the history of Korean food. In this post, I will share some great offline resources to learn more as well. There are some great books in English that will help you learn more about the spiritual, historical, and cultural context of Korean food. Here are a few of them:

1) Korean Food, The Originality, The Impression is a set of two coffee table books individually titled "Korean Food, The Originality" and "Korean Food, The Impression". It was written by the food research team at the Dong-A Ilbo, a major Korean daily. This set is quite pricy at $68.84 at SeoulSelection.com or W67,500 ($64.01) at Yes24.com (a Korean site). You can click on the "Yes24" link to get a preview of the book. There is a link on the left column of the book's page called "미리보기" (preview) that will give you a glimpse into the book's contents. "The Impression" focuses on the style and preparation of Korean food whereas "The Originality" discusses the philosophy behind Korean food, going into greater depth about the spiritual and cultural meanings as well as the historical context of the food presented. The emphasis is on the value of Korean food as a purveyor of culture as well as the meaning behind the preparation and presentation of Korean food. These books offer a glossy introduction to Korean food with beautiful, colorful photographs and a clean layout. There is also a special edition of this set modified for the ipad. It is much cheaper at $12.99 at the itunes store. However, it does not contain the full content found in the paper edition.

Korean Food, The Originality, The Impression (Special Edition) for the Ipad

Here is a video showing a preview:

2) Korean Cuisine: A Cultural Journey is a great primer about the aesthetics, history, and spiritual and cultural meaning of Korean food. It focuses on much of the same content as "Korean Food, The Originality, The Impression", but with a greater emphasis on food as a reflection of the Korean psyche. This book is available at Seoul Selection for $27.05.

Korean Cuisine: A Cultural Journey

Both books look very promising based on reviews and a first look, so I suggest that you check them out.

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Learning More About the History of Korean Food on The Web

Koreataste.org

A great way to learn more about the history of Korean food is through an online resource like the "Food" section of Koreataste.org. This site has a listing of standard Korean recipes, each accompanied by a photo and brief description of how and when the dish is traditionally eaten in Korea.

The Taste of Korea

"The Taste of Korea" website has an "Articles" section that offers greater background into the cultural background and preparation of Korean food. I would start with the "Overview of Korean Food" and then, proceed from the "Food Culture" section to the "Hansik Storytelling" section for more in-depth articles about the history and cultural meaning of each dish. "The Taste of Korea" website is run by the Korean Food Foundation, an organization supported and established by the Korean government to promote Korean food, so there is a greater emphasis on content regarding food preparation although it touches upon Korean culture, especially in the "Hansik Storytelling" section.

Visit Korea - Food Section

If you would like a deeper understanding of the historical and cultural context of Korean food, I would visit the "Food" section of the "Visit Korea" website run by the Korean Tourism Organization. I would focus on the "Introduction", "What to Eat", and "Special Features" sections. Start with the "What to Eat" section as it gives a good, concise overview of the different types of Korean food eaten, divided into the categories of meals, traditional liquors/wines, traditional teas, and popular snacks. The "Introduction" starts with the basis of Korean food, spices, and extends to an explanation of the different types of Korean dishes eaten as main dishes or desserts and in Korean royal cuisine. There is also a section on table settings/manners when eating Korean food. The "Special Features" has a "Korean Food Culture Series" that goes into greater detail about the cultural and historical background of Korean food, especially in parts 4-8, but not so much in the first three articles. There is some overlap in content with "The Taste of Korea" website as both are supported by the Korean government. But they are significantly different in their emphasis, one on food preparation, the other on culture/history, so I would visit both.

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Looking for A Specific Recipe?

I have already shared some blogs/sites where you can search for Korean food recipes. However, if you are looking for the recipe of a specific Korean dish, I suggest that you search Koreataste, Visit Korea, and Trifood or Naver Kitchen, Rimi (rimi.kr), and Daum MizCook. Koreataste, Visit Korea, and Trifood are in English while Naver Kitchen and the other sites are in Korean. Koreataste, Visit Korea, Trifood, and Naver Kitchen enable you to search recipes by category. Each category you click on opens up to a page with pictures, which is helpful if you don't know the name of a particular dish. Koreataste and Visit Korea offer recipes created by the Korea Tourism Organization whereas Naver Kitchen offers a more comprehensive listing of Korean recipes created by users and the site itself. Rimi and Daum MizCook also provide a variety of recipes for each dish. On these Korean language sites, you can find a number of recipes for the same dish created by a multitude of users. It's a great way to see the different takes on a dish from a variety of Korean home cooks.

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Korean Food Galleries

Here are some great Korean food galleries for those new to Korean cuisine:

1) Naver Kitchen has a great gallery of Korean food as made generally by Koreans living in South Korea. It is a Korean language site, but browsing dishes is not difficult with an online dictionary and a few clicks.

Tastespotting

2) You can search Trifood, Tastespotting or Koreanfoodgallery for pictures of Korean cuisine. However, keep in mind that not all of the dishes presented are authentic for Tastespotting and Koreanfoodgallery. If you are new to Korean cuisine, a good guideline to follow is to search for blogs that are written by Koreans or those raised in a Korean household. I will only introduce you to blogs/resources that have been verified for authenticity unless otherwise noted.

Trifood

Korean Food Gallery

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Great Blogs to Introduce You to Korean Food

A great way to get your feet wet, or shall I say tongue ;), with Korean food is to read blogs written by Koreans who cook at home. Here are some great blogs to get you started on your journey with Korean food. They are ranked in order of ease/approachability for the beginner:

1) Bap Story - A really cute, step-by-step guide to homestyle Korean cooking by two LA-based Korean American women. Recipes are presented through pictures and text at every step. Very concise and straightforward explanations.

2) Take Thou Food is a blog that encompasses more than Korean food and dining, but the Korean articles are a good introduction for those new to Korean food. Sean, the blogger, was raised in Korea for at least part of his childhood and is now living in Athens, Georgia. He really explains the how and why of each dish as well as adding some of his personal experience on occasion.

3) Eating and Living: A Korean American Mom's Home Cooking is a blog written by a mother for her children as a way to pass down recipes. The author does a good job of explaining each recipe in a clear and concise manner while providing good background information. The recipes go beyond the standard fare of doenjang chigae and galbi that most non-Korean diners are familiar with. She has recipes for Korean-style shrimp salad with mustard dressing and Korean spicy stir-fried squid, etc. She shares a lot of interesting news about Korean food as well.

4) Migi's Kitchen is another site that offers a great intro to Korean food. The recipes do not usually require a lot of ingredients, but are presented elegantly.

5) Maangchi is the most famous Korean food blogger on the web. Her recipes are simple and very approachable for those new to Korean cuisine. Each recipe is accompanied by a video which shows Maangchi cooking the dish step-by-step. She offers a good array of Korean recipes as well as abundant resources for ingredients, classes, and information through her site. There is a forum as well that provides readers with the opportunity to share their own recipes as well as ask questions about Korean food and cooking in general.

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Korean Food on The Web

It can be very difficult to find well-organized, authoritative information about Korean food in English on the web. Doing a Yahoo search will only yield a few results. That's why it's important to search specific sites like tastespotting.com and koreanfoodgallery.com. However, keep in mind that not all of the dishes presented are authentic. If you are new to Korean cuisine, a good guideline to follow is to search for blogs that are written by Koreans or those raised in a Korean household.

Tastespotting

Korean Food Gallery

Koreataste.org is a great place to learn more about Korean food offering recipes, articles, and other resources for those interested in learning about Korean food. It is run by the the Korean Tourism Organization, so you know that it is a professional and credible source for information on Korean food.

Koreataste.org

The Taste of Korea: Hansik is also a great site run by the Korean Food Foundation offering similar resources to readers as well.

The Taste of Korea: Hansik

If you are able to read Korean, there are abundant sites you can search for recipes and information about Korean food. I would start at kitchen.naver.com as it is a top Korean portal for recipes and know-how about Korean cuisine.

Naver Kitchen: Korean Food

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Welcome to the blog of Tastingkorea!

Hello and welcome to my blog. My name is tastingkorea and I will be the hostess for your stay. Please, make yourself comfortable and enjoy what I have to offer. I plan to cook many hearty and delicious meals for you. I am just a girl who enjoys Korean food and learning about it. Although I have a learned quite a bit, I am still on this journey. So come and let's take the journey together. I have many resources to share with you, many wonderful treasures that have enriched my own understanding of Korean food and cooking, so let's explore all the tastes and delights that it has to offer.