Dried persimmons are sweet and chewy like jelly candies. In Korea the fresh fruit is harvested in the fall, tied with string, and hung to air-dry. A whitish bloom on their surface indicates that they are dry and sweet. Besides cooking with them, you can eat them by themselves as a snack. They are a […]
Pine nuts are used to garnish many Korean dishes and desserts. They are smaller and nuttier tasting than those available in American groceries and are considered precious (and thus are usually pricey). They are often sold in transparent packaging. Choose pine nuts that have no spots of discoloration and no variation in color from nut […]
These long, thick, white-stemmed mushrooms have a wonderfully meaty texture. Found in the refrigerated produce section, they are common in stir-fries and pan-fries. Choose mushrooms with thick, white stems and no blemishes.
These small red beans have been used in Korean cuisine for thousands of years in rice and porridge dishes and also as a sweet filling for many desserts. They are sold in many other Asian markets, as well as whole-foods stores and many supermarkets. Buy beans that are the brightest red you can find, not […]
Toasted sesame seeds add a nutty dimension and a little crunch to many dishes. I usually sprinkle black sesame seeds on white fluffy rice in lunchboxes (dosirak) for contrast and flavor. Always choose the seeds with the latest expiration date. Keep some in a glass container or jar in a cool, dry place and the […]
Roasted soybean powder is usually used to coat rice cake like in my injeolmi rice cake and gyeongdan recipes. It has a subtle, dry, slightly nutty flavor.
The fleshy root of a slow-growing perennial plant, ginseng is both a food and one of the world’s oldest and most popular herbal medicines. Koreans love ginseng for its health-giving properties and we use it sparingly, because it’s usually quite expensive. Find it in the refrigerated produce section of Korean grocery stores, and choose roots […]
Despite its name, this rice is not sweet at all. It’s much stickier than usual short grain rice, which is why it’s also called “glutinous rice” – because it’s like glue, not because it contains gluten. Store in a cool, dry spot in an airtight container. Look for it with other rices at Korean grocery […]
Toasted sesame seeds add a bright nutty flavor to many dishes in Korean cuisine. You can get pre-toasted sesame seeds in a Korean grocery store or buy dried raw sesame seeds (cham-kkae: 참깨) and toast them at home. Even if you buy pre-toasted seeds in the store, you can give them a quick toasting at home […]
Which to get? Both are best sellers and either one is a good choice if you want to learn Korean home cooking. Maangchi's Real Korean Cooking has all the recipes for all the essential Korean pastes and sauces, but my second book Maangchi's Big Book of Korean Cooking has more recipes, more photos, and more variety.
