There are so many ingredients to turn into dishes for your menu, but some of the most exciting things are from the inspiration of those who want to blend exotic ingredients to create something completely new. We’ve prepared a small list of Korean side dishes and ideas to help you imagine your next menu.
Homemade Kimchi – Kimchi can be prepared with many bases, though most notably it’s created with Napa cabbage and incredible amounts of chili pepper. We’ve had kimchi with radishes, and have actually had some that were blends of cabbage and cucumber. If you learn the basics, you can try your own experiments.
Mung Bean Sprouts – Sprouts of every sort are difficult to keep fresh, but if you can, the flavors are excellent. Mung bean sprouts are very popular in Korea. You can mix them with quite a number of things, including cucumber, kimchi, and rice. The only thing you have to do is make sure that they’re fresh when you put them into the mixing bowl.
Gochujang – Think hot Korean ketchup. It’s ubiquitous in Korea. You’ll find it in the homes of Korean chefs everywhere. The ingredients for gochujang, according to this prominent Korean food blog, are barley malt powder, water, sweet rice flour, rice syrup, fermented soybean powder, hot pepper powder, and salt.
These are but a few of the wonderful ingredients that Korean culture brings us. There are many more, and we encourage you to check out some of the flavors at your local Korean restaurants.
