u/Joe_WYK

North Korean style steamed chicken, as the name suggests, originated from the Pyongan and Hamgyong provinces. This local delicacy settled in the South following the Korean War when refugees moved to areas like Jangchung-dong and Yaksu-dong in Seoul. They kept their culinary traditions alive, specifically the method of steaming chicken with chives and dipping it in a special sauce.

Unlike the South Korean style 'Baeksuk,' which is stuffed with glutinous rice, ginseng, chestnuts, and jujubes, the North Korean style focuses on steaming the chicken with a generous amount of chives or green onions on top. It is more about the 'wrap' concept—enjoying the clean, light taste of the meat wrapped in fragrant chives.

​Ingredients

​Main: 1 Whole chicken (approx. 1kg)

​Aromatics: Green onion, Onion, Garlic

​To Remove Gaminess: 1/2 cup of Cooking wine, 1 Oriental herbal tea bag

​Garnish: Chives

​Pickled Vegetables (Jangajji):

​Ingredients: 2 Cheongyang chili peppers, 1 Green onion, 1/2 Onion

​Sauce: 3 tbsp Soy sauce, 3 tbsp Vinegar, 2 tbsp Sugar

​Seasoning Oil (Yujang) Ratio: Sesame oil 1 : Soy sauce 1

​Dipping Sauce Ratio: Red chili flakes 3 : Soy sauce 2 : Vinegar 1 : Hot mustard 2 : Minced garlic 2

​Chicken Porridge: Scorched rice (Nurungji)

Any cooking wine with a mild aroma will work for boiling the chicken. Boil the chicken for 20–40 minutes, then steam it for another 10–20 minutes while brushing it with the seasoning oil (Yujang). If this process feels too tedious, simply boiling it is also fine, as the dipping sauce has a very strong and delicious flavor. Feel free to adjust the ratios of the sauce and oil to suit your personal taste!

I love grilling at home, but with all the smoke and grease, eating out at a BBQ restaurant is often the better choice. In Korea, there's a huge price gap between pork and beef—to exaggerate a bit, beef can be almost 10 times more expensive! Looking at these photos again makes me so hungry.

1. Spicy Stir-fried Pork (Jeyuk-bokkeum)

​Main: 600g (21.2oz) Pork shoulder

​Vegetables: 1 Green onion, 1/2 Onion, 1/5 Carrot, 1 Cheongyang chili pepper

​Sauce Ratio:

​Cooking wine 1 / Onion 1/2 / Green onion 1 / Cheongyang chili pepper 1

​Red chili flakes 4 / Minced garlic 2 / Soy sauce 2 / Red chili paste 2

​Sesame oil 1 / 1/2 tbsp Sugar

​Garnish & Sides: Sesame seeds, Lettuce, Perilla leaves

​Ssamjang Sauce Ratio: Soybean paste 2 : Red chili paste 1 : Corn syrup 1 : Sesame oil 1 : Minced garlic 1

​2. Acorn Jelly Salad (Dotori-muk Muchim)

​Main: 1 pack Store-bought Acorn jelly (approx. 400g / 14.1oz)

​Vegetables: Water dropwort (handful), 1 Lettuce leaf, 1/5 Carrot, 1 Cucumber, 1 Cheongyang chili pepper

​Dressing Ratio: Soy sauce 2 : Vinegar 2 : Sugar 2 : Red chili flakes 1 : Sesame oil 1

​3. Chive Pancake (Buchu-jeon)

​Main: 1/2 bunch Chives, 1 Cheongyang chili pepper

​Batter Ratio: Flour 1 : Starch powder 1 : Water 2

​Dipping Sauce Ratio: Soy sauce 1 : Vinegar 1 : Water 1

​4. Beef Radish Soup (Sogogi Mu-guk)

​Main: Beef, Korean radish

​Aromatics: 1 tbsp Minced garlic, 1/2 Green onion

​Seasoning: Soup soy sauce 1 : Anchovy fish sauce 2 : Salt to taste

​I decided to do a massive "fridge cleanup" today. I made Jeyuk-bokkeum (Spicy pork), Dotori-muk (Acorn jelly salad), Buchu-jeon (Chive pancake), and Sogogi Mu-guk (Beef radish soup).

​I only had to buy the pork shoulder and acorn jelly. Everything else—the radish, chives, cucumber, and carrots—were leftovers that had been sitting in my fridge for a while.

​In Korea, vegetables like chives or radishes are often sold in large bunches at great prices, but since they don't always sell them in small portions, I often find myself with "stale inventory" in the crisper drawer. It felt great to finally clear them out and enjoy a hearty dinner. It was a very satisfying meal!

It's getting really hot now that it's summer. After eating Kong-bul, we made some sweet, refreshing Patbingsu and waffles. Waffle makers were very trendy in Korea a few years ago, so I bought one back then and used it today for the first time in a while. It was the perfect combination.

My second daughter had her 3rd Dan Taekwondo promotion test, so it's been a really hectic weekend morning. I was too tired to cook lunch afterward, so we decided to eat out at a noodle place.

​Actually, we have a dinner appointment with our parents tonight for Parents' Day, so we're unintentionally eating out twice today! It was a good lunch, not too heavy.

​The dishes in the photos are Kong-guksu (cold soy milk noodles), Tteok-mandu-guk (rice cake and dumpling soup), Bibim-guksu (spicy mixed noodles), and Potato starch dumplings.

Hi everyone! I previously shared photos of these side dishes on my profile and crossposted them here, but I felt like it was a bit of a shame just to share the pictures. So, I decided to upload the full video of the cooking process as well!

These are my go-to "Banchan" that stay tasty even after being in the fridge. Here are the recipes I used:

​​1. Sausage Stir-fry (So-ya)

​Ingredients: Sausages, Ketchup, Tonkatsu Sauce, Oyster Sauce, Sugar, Vinegar, Gochujang, Garlic, Onion, Paprika

​2. Stir-fried Anchovies (Myeolchi-bokkeum)

​Ingredients: Anchovies, Walnuts, Almonds, Cheongyang chili peppers (seeds removed), Soy Sauce, Corn Syrup, Sugar

​Note: I used Cheongyang chili peppers instead of Shishito peppers, and added walnuts and almonds for extra crunch.

​3. Spicy Stir-fried Dried Squid (Ojingeo-chae-bokkeum)

​Ingredients: Dried Squid Strips, Gochujang, Mayonnaise, Cooking Oil, Soy Sauce, Sugar

​4. Braised Quail Eggs and Pork Tenderloin (Jang-jorim)

​Ingredients: Pork Tenderloin, Quail Eggs, White Wine (as a substitute for Mirin), Soy Sauce (0.5 cup), Water (1.5 cups), Sugar, Green Onion, Garlic, Onion, Chili Pepper

For the Jang-jorim: I used pre-cooked quail eggs. I also boiled the pork in water first, then hand-shredded it before adding it to the soy sauce base. Some people prefer to cook the raw meat directly in the soy sauce, so you can choose whichever method you prefer! Also, I used white wine because I ran out of Mirin, and it worked perfectly. You can adjust the ratio of soy sauce and water to your liking—add more water for a milder taste or more soy sauce if you like it saltier.

​For the other side dishes: Feel free to adjust the seasoning to suit your palate.

​I’m not a professional chef; I’ve just learned these over 15 years of making meals for my children, so my recipes might not be perfect. If you have any of your own tips or better recipes, please share them in the comments! I’d love to learn from you too.

Steak is definitely love. My kids absolutely adore steak and pasta, so it has become a staple at our house.

​I mostly use a pan to get that specific, crusty sear I love. Personally, I just find that pan-frying suits my palate much better—I love the unique texture and deep flavor it delivers.

​Even though the house gets filled with smoke every time, seeing the kids enjoy it makes it all worth it! haha. Just wanted to share some of my recent results with you all.

I made some simple Bo-ssam at home tonight. I used pork belly because I personally love the fatty, chewy texture. I added a piece of star anise while boiling the meat to give it a subtle, sophisticated aroma. For the side, I made a radish and cabbage salad mixed with water parsley (Minari) for a refreshing scent.

​[Ingredients]

​For Boiling Pork: 600g Pork belly, 10-15 Whole black peppers, 1 Star anise (Optional), 1/2 Green onion, 1 Cheongyang chili pepper, 5 cloves of Garlic, 1 tbsp Doenjang (Soybean paste).

​For Salad (Cabbage & Radish): 1 Small napa cabbage, 300g Korean radish, 2 cups of Water parsley (Minari, cut into pieces).

​Brine: 1.5L Water, 4 tbsp Salt, 2 tbsp Sugar.

​Seasoning for Radish Salad: 5 heaping tbsp Gochugaru (Red chili flakes), 4 tbsp Anchovy fish sauce, 1 tbsp Salted shrimp, 1 cup Chopped green onion, 2 tbsp Minced garlic.

​Dipping Sauce: Salted shrimp and Water (1:3 ratio), 1 tbsp each of chopped green onion, chili, and minced garlic, and a pinch of sugar.

​[Instructions]

​Boil the Meat: Put the pork belly and boiling ingredients in a pot. Boil for about 1 hour. (I boiled it for exactly 60 minutes to keep it chewy; if you prefer it very soft, you can go up to 1.5 hours.)

​Tip: I added star anise because I personally love its scent. However, it's completely optional! If your pork is fresh enough, you don't actually need many ingredients to remove the gamey smell.

​Brining: Dissolve salt and sugar in water. Soak the cabbage for 40 minutes and the shredded radish for 20 minutes. I personally don't like them overly salty, but you can brine the cabbage for over 1 hour and the radish for 30-40 minutes if you prefer.

​Mix: To be honest, I was a bit lazy and mixed the seasoning with the water parsley first before adding the radish and cabbage. It still tastes great! However, if you want to preserve the fresh aroma of the water parsley more intensely, I recommend tossing it in at the very last minute.

​Serve: Mix the dipping sauce ingredients and serve with the sliced pork.

​Enjoy your meal!

​I made Kong-guksu (Cold Soy Milk Noodles) for dinner. I used tofu and peanut butter for the broth instead of the traditional way.

​I felt like something was missing with just the noodles, so I also fried some Jeon (pancakes). I made zucchini, enoki mushroom, and napa cabbage Jeon to go with it.

Online shopping in Korea is so well-developed these days that there is nothing you can't find.

It is slightly more expensive than traditional markets, but it is very popular because it is convenient; if you order today, you can receive it at dawn tomorrow.

​I ordered frozen tuna and tried it.

There really is everything, including Uni (sea urchin), Ikura (salmon roe), and Gamtae (sea silk).

These days in Korea, most people buy and eat it at chain stores, but I made it myself because it reminded me of the past.

​Normally, people use spinach, but when I was young, my mother used cucumbers in the summer.

​If you pickle cucumbers slightly in salt and sugar and remove the moisture, the texture is crunchy and it is very good for summer.

​My first child took the photos, so they are blurry and not detailed, but I am just sharing them.

It's not perfect, but we had so much fun making it together. In Korea, this light whipped cream cake is a classic for family celebrations. The kids did the blueberry eyes and the heart! It tasted amazing because we made it together

​I recently made 4 different types of "Banchan" (Korean side dishes). My kids are quite picky and usually don't like eating food once it has been refrigerated, but they always finish these four!

​The dishes are:

​Sausage Veggie Stir-fry (Soseji-yachae-bokkeum)

​Stir-fried Anchovies (Myeolchi-bokkeum)

​Braised Beef and Quail Eggs (Jangjorim)

​Spicy Shredded Squid (Jinmichae-bokkeum)

​They aren't anything fancy or incredibly special, but they are reliable comfort foods that make every meal better.

It's getting hot in Korea lately, so I boiled some chicken to stay energized. While most South Koreans enjoy it as a soup, this is a North Korean style where the chicken is served dry. It’s usually eaten with chives and mustard sauce, and I just made my own simple version today.

​Just to be clear, I’m not North Korean! I just love food and enjoy experimenting with all kinds of recipes. If you're in a place as hot as Korea right now, make sure to take care of your health and eat well!