Korean Kitchen Essentials!
Here is my list of Korean kitchen essentials! Most of these ingredients are used in some combination, along with a variety of fresh and specialty ingredients, in Korean cuisine. As long as you can stock your pantry with these essentials, you should be ready to cook any one of my dishes! Happy Cooking!!
Happie’s Korean Kitchen Essentials:
Cooking Oils:
-Grapeseed Oil, Avocado Oil (or any other oil with a neutral flavor and high smoke point)
Seasoning Oil:
-Pure Sesame Oil (look for something darker in color for more of a distinct, nuttier flavor)
Seasoning Agents:
-Soy Sauce (tamari works, too and I like to use low sodium soy sauce)
-Seasoned Rice Vinegar (regular rice vinegar doesn’t have added sugar and salt so you will have to add extra to get the right flavor…trust me, just get the seasoned kind to save time!)
-Denjang or Fermented Soybean Paste (usually in a brown tub, you can find this in the “seasonings” section of the Korean market along with other seasoning ingredients…I like to choose ones that don’t have MSG in the ingredients)
-Gochujang or Red Pepper Paste (you can also find this in the “seasonings” section of the Korean market. It comes in small or large red rectangular tubs)
-Gochugaru or Red Pepper Powder (also found in the “seasonings” aisle)
-Roasted Sesame Seeds (look for the unsalted kind)
-Saewoo-jeot or Salted Shrimp Sauce (usually found in a refrigerated section next to different kinds of kimchi. You should be good purchasing a small bottle because a little goes a long way!)
Dried Ingredients:
Dashima or Kombu (dried kelp that usually comes in a huge sheet and has white powder crystals on it – natural flavoring from the kelp or umami yummmm…)
Dried Anchovies (keep a bag of these little guys in your freezer to use for broths and stews)
-Miyeok or Dried Seaweed (looks shredded and used in a popular soup as well as in some side dishes)
Fresh Ingredients:
-Garlic (whole cloves and if you can find chopped garlic, pick some up to save time)
-Ginger Root
-Green Onions
-Onions