Korean Food for Beginners: Signature Dishes and How to Eat Them

How a Korean meal is built

A typical Korean meal centers on rice and a soup or stew, served with a spread of side dishes. The sides range from seasoned greens and kimchi to stir-fried and braised dishes, and at restaurants a set of basic sides usually arrives automatically with whatever you order. Four seasonings form the backbone of the cuisine. Chili flakes and chili paste bring heat and that red color, soybean paste gives an earthy depth, and soy sauce adds salt and savoriness. Garlic, green onion and sesame oil go into almost everything, and that combination is what gives Korean food its familiar aroma.

Good dishes to start with

If you are unsure about spice, the dishes below are hard to go wrong with. Most are built on soy sauce or broth, and any spicy sauce usually comes on the side.

• Bulgogi: thin slices of beef marinated in soy sauce and grilled
• Bibimbap: rice topped with vegetables, meat and egg; you add as much chili paste as you like
• Gimbap: rice and fillings rolled in seaweed and sliced, easy to eat on the go
• Samgyetang and seolleongtang: milky, gentle soups that you salt yourself
• Japchae: glass noodles stir-fried with vegetables, meat and soy sauce

Reading the spice level

When a dish name tells you nothing, look at the color and the words in the name. Red broth or sauce usually means spicy, and names containing eolkeun, maeun or bul ("fire") are reliably hot. Clear broth or soy-colored sauce tends to be mild. Kimchi, though, shows up at nearly every meal, and even a mild dish may come with a slice of chili floating on top. The same dish can vary a lot from one restaurant to another, so at a new place the most reliable move is to ask the staff.

• Mild: bulgogi, galbi, japchae, seolleongtang, samgyetang, gimbap
• Medium: kimchi stew, soybean paste stew, dakgalbi, spicy stir-fried pork
• Hot: tteokbokki, jjamppong, stir-fried octopus, spicy braised chicken dishes

Asking for less heat

Many restaurants will adjust the spice if you add one phrase when ordering. Dishes that are prepared in advance may not be adjustable; if they say no, just pick something else. When your mouth is burning, rice, milk or something soft like steamed egg helps more than water.

• Mani maewoyo? : "Is it very spicy?"
• Deol maepge hae juseyo : "A little less spicy, please"
• An maepge hae juseyo : "Not spicy, please"
• Gochu-neun ppae juseyo : "No chili peppers, please"

How to eat specific dishes

Mix bibimbap thoroughly with your spoon before eating. If it comes in a hot stone bowl, many people save the crispy rice that forms on the bottom for last. Seolleongtang and gomtang arrive almost unseasoned, so add salt and green onion from the table to taste, and some people stir in a little radish kimchi juice. With naengmyeon, add vinegar and mustard as you like; the noodles are long, and asking staff to cut them with scissors is perfectly normal. Places that sell tteokbokki often give you a cup of fish cake broth, which is a good way to cool down.

How ordering works

Many Korean restaurants specialize in just one or two dishes, so the name on the sign is the menu. Grilled meat and hot pot style stews are often sold with a two-serving minimum, so check first if you are eating alone. For dishes that do not include rice, order an extra bowl of rice separately. Many places will refill the basic side dishes on request, and some have a self-service corner for water and sides. If there is a call button on the table, press it; if not, call out jeogiyo to get a server's attention.

• Eating alone? Ask whether single servings are available
• Check the menu to see whether rice is included
• You usually pay at the counter on your way out

Vegetarian diets and allergies

If you are vegetarian, a dish that looks like vegetables may still not be safe. Kimchi often contains fermented seafood, and soups and stews are commonly made with anchovy or meat stock. Temple food restaurants and places with a clear vegetarian label are the safer choice. If you have an allergy, say so before ordering and point to the ingredient, or show a note written in Korean. Peanuts, shellfish, soy and wheat can hide in sauces and seasonings. If you develop hives, trouble breathing or similar symptoms after eating, get medical help right away.

Street food and seasonal treats

Market stalls and busy streets are full of snack foods like tteokbokki, sundae (blood sausage), fish cakes and fried bites. In winter, carts sell bungeoppang, a fish-shaped pastry filled with sweet red bean, along with honey-filled hotteok and roasted sweet potatoes. In summer people turn to cold naengmyeon, cold soybean noodle soup and shaved ice with red beans, and on the hottest days there is a custom of eating piping hot samgyetang to restore energy. Many seasonal foods are only sold at that time of year, so it pays to look for them when you visit.