🇰🇷 Korea: Japchae, Galbitang, and Yakgwa
Today we're heading to the heart of Asia to explore the rich and multifaceted cuisine of South Korea. We'll be making three iconic dishes that show off the full depth of flavor and tradition of this remarkable country.
🍜 Japchae
Sweetish sweet-potato glass noodles stir-fried with thin slices of beef and vegetables in sesame oil. Glossy, springy, and incredibly fragrant, it's served on its own or as a luxurious side dish.
Ingredients:
• Daikon (or the white part of a leek) — 100 g
• Carrot — 1
• Button mushrooms — 100 g
• Spinach — 100 g
• Beef tenderloin — 200 g
• Glass noodles (sweet potato) — 150 g
• Soy sauce — 6 tbsp
• Dark sesame oil — 4 tbsp
• Sugar (cane is best) — 2 tbsp
• Garlic — 3 cloves
• Sesame seeds (toasted) — 1 tbsp
• Vegetable oil (neutral) — 3 tbsp
• Freshly ground black pepper — to taste
Method:
- Prep the meat. Slice the beef into strips 0.5 cm thick. Mix 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp sesame oil, 1 tbsp sugar, 1 minced garlic clove, and a pinch of pepper. Pour the marinade over the meat and let it sit for 20 minutes. Ready for the next step when: the meat has darkened in color and absorbed most of the liquid.
- Prep the vegetables. Cut the carrot and daikon into thin strips 5 cm long. Slice the mushrooms 3 mm thick. Rinse the spinach. Ready when: all the vegetables are evenly cut and sitting in separate bowls.
- Cook the noodles. Boil the glass noodles in boiling water for 6-7 minutes, until completely translucent and soft. Drain and rinse the noodles under cold water. In a deep bowl, toss the noodles with 2 tbsp sesame oil and 2 tbsp soy sauce, then snip them into roughly 15 cm lengths with kitchen scissors. Ready when: the noodles are completely translucent, don't clump, and are coated in an oily film.
- Stir-fry the components. Heat a pan over medium heat with 1 tbsp vegetable oil. Sear the beef 2 minutes per side, until golden brown. Remove from the pan. Stir-fry the daikon, carrot, and mushrooms one at a time (2 minutes per batch), adding a drop of oil each time. Blanch the spinach in boiling water for 30 seconds, squeeze out the water, and toss with 1 tsp sesame oil and a pinch of salt. Ready when: the vegetables have softened slightly but kept their crunch, and the beef has a golden-brown crust.
- Assemble the dish. In a large skillet or wok, combine all the stir-fried vegetables, the beef, and the noodles. Add the remaining soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, and minced garlic. Warm over low heat, stirring constantly, for 3 minutes, until everything comes together and the noodles have soaked up the sauces. Ready when: no liquid sauce remains in the pan and everything is glossy and piping hot all the way through.
- Final plating. Mound the japchae onto a large flat platter. Sprinkle toasted sesame seeds on top. The dish is ready to serve: the noodles should be springy, glossy, and come apart easily with chopsticks.
💡 Fact: Japchae was originally served at the royal court of the Joseon dynasty in the 17th century and was made without noodles — only vegetables and mushrooms. Sweet potato noodles weren't added until a century later.
🥣 Galbitang
A clear, hearty soup of beef short ribs simmered with daikon and aromatic herbs until they're melt-in-your-mouth tender. The broth has a clean, deep meaty flavor with subtle notes of spice.
Ingredients:
• Beef short ribs (meaty) — 1 kg
• Daikon (large) — 1
• Onion — 1
• Garlic — 6 cloves
• Fresh ginger — a 3 cm piece
• Filtered water — 3 liters
• Soy sauce — 2 tbsp
• Green onions — 3 stalks
• Black peppercorns — 10
• Salt — to taste
Method:
- Prep the ribs. Soak the beef ribs in cold water for 1 hour to draw out excess blood. Drain and rinse the meat under running water. Ready when: the soaking water has turned pinkish and the meat feels firm and clean to the touch.
- First boil. Place the ribs in a large pot, pour in 3 liters of water, and bring to a boil over high heat. Boil for 10 minutes. Drain off the cloudy broth and rinse the ribs and the pot clean of scum. Ready when: no dark clots of blood remain on the ribs and the surface of the meat has lightened.
- Second boil. Return the ribs to a clean pot. Add the peeled onion (whole), the crushed garlic cloves, the piece of ginger, and the black peppercorns. Pour in 3 liters of clean hot water. Bring to a boil, turn the heat down to the lowest setting, cover, and simmer for 2 hours. Ready when: the meat is starting to come away from the bone easily and the broth has taken on a deep golden-brown color.
- Prep the daikon. Peel the daikon and cut it into large cubes (about 3x3 cm). After 2 hours of simmering, remove the onion, ginger, and garlic. Add the cut daikon to the pot. Keep simmering on the lowest heat, covered, for another hour. Ready when: the daikon has turned translucent and soft, and a knife slides through it with no effort.
- Separate the meat. Carefully lift the ribs out of the broth. Cut the meat off the bones and return the pieces of meat to the soup. The bones can be discarded. Ready when: only neat, boneless pieces of meat remain in the pot.
- Final seasoning. Season the soup with soy sauce and salt to taste. Finely slice the green onions (into 2 mm rings) and add them to the pot 5 minutes before you turn off the heat. Ready when: the soup is perfectly clear, with islands of glistening fat on the surface, and the meat falls apart into fibers when pressed with a spoon.
💡 Fact: In traditional Korean culture, galbitang is considered a dish for special occasions and holidays, since beef was historically the most expensive and prized meat on the peninsula.
🍯 Yakgwa
Traditional Korean honey cookies, deep-fried and soaked in ginger-honey syrup. They have a dense, slightly layered texture, a golden color, and an incredibly rich sweet-and-spicy aroma.
Ingredients:
• Wheat flour — 250 g
• Dark sesame oil — 4 tbsp
• Honey — 4 tbsp (for the dough)
• Water — 3 tbsp
• Salt — 1 pinch
• Vegetable oil (for deep-frying) — 500 ml
• Honey (for the syrup) — 6 tbsp
• Sugar (for the syrup) — 2 tbsp
• Water (for the syrup) — 3 tbsp
• Fresh ginger — a 4 cm piece
• Pine nuts (or sesame seeds for sprinkling) — 1 tbsp
Method:
- Make the dough. Sift the flour into a deep bowl and add a pinch of salt. In a separate bowl, mix 4 tbsp honey, 4 tbsp dark sesame oil, and 3 tbsp water. Pour the liquid mixture into the flour. Knead the dough by hand — it should come together into a uniform mass but stay non-elastic (don't knead for long, or the cookies will turn out tough). Ready when: the dough has come together into a single smooth ball and no longer sticks to your hands.
- Roll and shape. Gather the dough into a ball, wrap it in plastic wrap, and leave it at room temperature for 30 minutes. Roll the dough out on a floured surface into a sheet exactly 5 mm thick. Cut the dough into diamonds or rectangles roughly 3x4 cm. Poke a small hole in the center of each cookie with a toothpick or a fork. Ready when: all the pieces are the same thickness and have even edges.
- Make the syrup. In a small saucepan, combine 6 tbsp honey, 2 tbsp sugar, 3 tbsp water, and the ginger, thinly sliced. Bring to a simmer over low heat and cook for 5 minutes, until slightly thickened. Strain the ginger out of the syrup and return the syrup to the saucepan. Ready when: the syrup has become thicker and more viscous than when it started simmering.
- Deep-fry. Heat 500 ml of vegetable oil in a deep pan to 150°C. Lower the cookies into the oil in batches of 6-8. Fry over moderate heat for 4-5 minutes, turning from time to time. Ready when: the cookies have turned an even golden brown, stopped releasing air bubbles, and feel firm to the touch.
- Soak in the syrup. Straight after frying, use a slotted spoon to transfer the hot cookies directly into the saucepan of warm ginger-honey syrup. Let them soak for 1-2 minutes, turning occasionally so the syrup coats every side. Ready when: the cookies are glossy and gleaming on all sides.
- Final drying. Transfer the soaked cookies to a rack so the excess syrup can drip off. Let them air-dry slightly for 1 hour. Before serving, sprinkle with pine nuts or toasted sesame seeds. Ready when: the surface of the cookies is matte and sticky but not wet, and the texture inside is soft and crumbly.
💡 Fact: Yakgwa is mentioned in chronicles as far back as the Goryeo dynasty (10th century). It was originally a ritual offering to the spirits of the ancestors, and later became a favorite treat of the Korean nobility thanks to the high cost of honey and sesame oil.
