A Korean pantry

By Korea.net Honorary Reporter Alexandra Gray 

Photos = Korea.net DB

If, like me, you love to cook Korean food, you should put together a Korean pantry.

A collection of commonly used sauces and spices are used to make all sorts of dishes. If you've made a few dishes already, you've probably noticed that a lot of the same ingredients go in to many Korean recipes. I put together a list of the most-used ingredients. All the things on the list should last you a while, as they're all made to be used over time rather than all in one go. 

Dried red pepper flakes (고추가루)

This is the main spice used in Korean cooking. It’s available coarse or fine, but coarse is most common. It’s best stored in an air tight container in the fridge, as it can go mouldy at room temperature.

Sesame seeds (참깨)

Sesame seeds are used as a garnish for many Korean dishes, side dishes being the most common. They add color but, also, add a nutty flavor and crunchy texture.

Sugar syrup (올리고당)

Available from a variety of different sources -- rice, corn, fruit or other base ingredients -- it's basically sugar syrup used to add sweetness to dishes, but also to give food a shine. If you don’t want to add this type of sweetener, you can use honey instead.

Garlic (마늘)

Garlic is probably the most used ingredient in Korean cooking. Unless you’re making a dessert, your recipe will most likely call for some garlic. Almost every type of Korean dish has garlic as an ingredient, to be honest. You can even buy a jar of minced garlic, which makes it easy to follow recipes calling for smaller amounts.

Red pepper paste (고추장)

This is probably the most well-known Korean condiment. Though it’s quite spicy, it also gives dishes a sweet note. It’s used in a wide variety of dishes, from soups to side dishes.

Soy sauce (간장)

There are two broad types of soy sauce: regular soy sauce, and then soy sauce for soups (국간장). Soy sauce for soups is a little lighter in colour and a little saltier. It's used for stews and to make broths. Everything else uses the regular soy sauce.

Dried anchovies (멸치)

These tiny dried fishes are sold in a variety of sizes. The smaller ones are used in side dishes and the larger ones are used to make soup stock. 

Soybean paste (된장)

Soybean paste is made by fermenting soybean bricks over a long period of time. Homemade soybean paste is known to have a very pungent smell.  

wisdom117@korea.kr

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