9 K-Drama Food Recipes You Can Try: From Scorched Rice To Sundubu Jjigae

You were watching your favourite K-drama when suddenly, your stomach growls! This is normal because K-dramas are filled with so many delicious temptations. From nurungji to ram don, have a taste of the delicious Korean delicacies that were featured in your favourite TV series through the following Korean recipes below!

• Nurungji – Crash Landing On You
• Miyeok Guk – Goblin
• Jjapaguri – Parasite
• Bibimbap – Strong Woman Do Bong Soon
• Sundubu Jjigae – Itaewon Class
• Odeng Soup –  Weightlifting Fairy: Kim Bok Joo
• Samgyetang – Descendants Of The Sun
• Tteokguk – Hotel Del Luna
• Omurice – Rooftop Prince

1. Nurungji

Can’t get over Crash Landing On You, one of the greatest K-dramas of 2020? Neither can we! To truly enjoy the best viewing experience, rewatch the series again while munching on one of Yoon Se-Ri’s favourite snacks – nurungji! Nurungji is a scorched rice cracker that boasts a great crunch. Dip it into sugar like Yoon Se-Ri did for a sweet treat!

Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Servings: 2

Recipe Ingredients:

• 2 cups white short-grain rice
• 3 cups water
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• Sugar (for dipping)

Recipe Instructions:

1. Wash two cups of Okome short-grain rice with cold water multiple times
   Pro Tip: Be sure to wash the rice thoroughly to remove the starchy outer layer. This prevents the rice from turning soggy.
2. Cook the rice in a rice cooker
3. Once cooked, air the rice for 10 minutes
4. Brush some sesame oil on a non-stick frying pan
5. Cover the base of the pan with a thin layer of rice and cook over medium heat
6. Flip the nurungji after 15 minutes
7. Sprinkle sugar on the nurungji
8. Once the nurungji starts to get scorched on both sides, take it off the pan and let it cool
9. (Optional) You can dip the nurungji in raw sugar for more flavour

2. Miyeok guk

Another hit drama from Korea is Goblin, a fantasy series that involves Gods and ghosts. Our female protagonist, Ji Eun Tak, was seen sneaking a few mouths of miyeok guk in the kitchen on her birthday. Miyeok guk, which means seaweed soup in English, is a must-have dish for Koreans on their birthday. But truth to be told, you can enjoy a bowl of warm seaweed soup any day of the year! Read on down below to find out how to make this simple dish for you and your family.

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Servings: 3-4

Recipe Ingredients:

• 15g dried seaweed
• 120g beef chuck, sliced
• ¼ tsp fine sea salt
• Few cracks of black pepper
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 1½ tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 5 cups water

Recipe Instructions:

1. Soak the dried seaweed in cold water for about 10 minutes. Throw out the water and wash the seaweed.
2. Squeeze the water out of the seaweed and cut it into short strips. Set aside.
3. Marinate some NZ Riverlands Angus beef chuck tender with salt and black pepper. Set aside.
4. Add sesame oil, seaweed and beef to a pot over medium heat. Stir fry the beef until it’s partially cooked.
5. Mix in soy sauce, garlic and water. Bring the soup to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook for 15 minutes.
6. Add salt to flavour

3. Jjapaguri with steak (ram don)

The Oscar-winning Asian film, Parasite, may have had us on the edges of our seats. But that doesn’t mean we didn’t notice the mouth-watering ram don that Kim Chung Sook was tasked to whip up in a jiffy!

If Mrs Kim can make it so quickly, so can you! All it takes is to mix Chapagetti and Neoguri instant noodles together with the beef. Refer to the recipe below to discover the yummy flavours of ram don.

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Servings: 2

Recipe Ingredients:

• 230g ribeye steak
• Salt (to taste)
• Pepper (to taste)
• 1 tbsp olive oil or butter
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 pack Chapagetti instant noodle
• 1 pack Neoguri instant noodle
• 4 cups water

Recipe Instructions:

1. Slice beef ribeye steak into bite-size pieces. Season with salt and pepper.
2. In a pot, boil four cups of water
3. While waiting for the water to boil, heat up olive oil on a pan. Add garlic cloves.
4. Throw in the beef cubes when the garlic browns and fry everything for a few minutes until evenly cooked
5. Add Chapagetti and Neoguri instant noodles to the pot of boiling water. Throw in the instant noodles’ vegetable mixes. Boil for three minutes.
6. Strain noodles and set the ramen water aside
7. Add the cooked noodles into the pan with the beef. Pour in a cup of ramen water.
8. Cook everything in the pan over medium heat before adding the whole packet of Chapagetti sauce. Then, add in about half a packet of Neoguri sauce.
9. Stir the mixture for about a minute until it thickens slightly
10. Remove the pan from the stove. Pour in the Chapagetti oil packet.

4. Bibimbap

Bibimbap is a common and quick dish that is jam-packed with vegetables – one of the healthiest Korean dishes to try! While bibimbap has been featured in many Korean dramas, it really stood out in Strong woman Do Bong Soon simply because of how cute Ahn Min Hyuk was when he watched enviously as Do Bong Soon devoured the whole bowl of bibimbap next to his hospital bed. If you have no idea what to cook for dinner today, try this simple and nutritious bibimbap recipe!

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Servings: 2-3

Recipe Ingredients:

Rice

• ¾ cup short-grain brown rice
• 1¼ cups water
• Pinch of sea salt

Vegetables

• 3 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 cup finely shredded carrot
• 1 cup thinly sliced zucchini
• 1 cup spinach
• 1 cup bean sprouts
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp tamari
• 2 large eggs

Flavouring

• 2 tbsp Korean gochujang sauce
• 2 tbsp kimchi
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

Recipe Instructions:

1. Boil 1¼ cup of water, rice and salt in a saucepan
2. Once the mixture is boiling, reduce the heat to simmer. Put on the lid.
3. Cook for about 20 to 30 minutes until all water is absorbed. Remove from heat and set aside with the lid still on.
4. Heat the Tramontina non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add a tablespoon of sesame oil to coat the pan.
5. Once the oil is hot, throw in the vegetables one type at a time and cook until slightly browned
6. Season the vegetables with minced garlic and a pinch of Health Paradise organic tamari sauce. Set the vegetables aside in a bowl.
7. Add a little more oil to the skillet. Crack the eggs into the skillet and cover with the lid for about a minute.
8. Open the skillet and cook until the egg whites are cooked but the yolks are still runny. Set the eggs aside in a plate.
9. Scoop rice into a Korean stone bowl and top with the cooked veggies and eggs. Add two tablespoons of the Chung Jung One sunchang gochujang paste, kimchi and sesame seeds into the bowl. Mix everything together before eating.

5. Sundubu jjigae

If you’ve watched Park Seo Joon’s record-breaking drama, Itaewon Class, you should be familiar with sundubu jiggae (soft tofu stew). This flavourful hot dish is great to have on rainy days or when you’re feeling under the weather. It will warm your body up instantly! Moreover, it can even be tweaked to suit vegans. Simply eliminate the pork, garlic and egg.

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Servings: 2

Recipe Ingredients:

• 340g silken tofu
• ⅓ cup sliced kimchi
• 85g pork
• 2 tsp gochugaru (Korean red chili pepper flakes)
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 3 tbsp kimchi juice
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 cup water
• A pinch of black pepper
• 1 scallion, chopped
• 1 egg

Recipe Instructions:

1. Slice the Churo pork belly and Yangban kimchi into bite-sized pieces. Set aside the kimchi juice.
2. Add the kimchi, meat, garlic, sesame oil and Gochugaru into a pot over medium heat
3. Stir-fry the meat in the pot for about three minutes
4. Pour one cup of water and three tablespoons of kimchi juice into the pot. Bring to a boil for four minutes. Remove the froth on the surface of the stew.
5. Throw in big chunks of tofu along with a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook for five more minutes.
6. Sprinkle chopped scallions and crack an egg into the pot, then remove from heat to serve.

6. Odeng soup

We have got to admit, Weightlifting Fairy: Kim Bok Joo is probably one of the most unconventional Korean dramas we’ve seen in the past few years. The drama revolves around college female weightlifters. Since bulking up is one of the main aspects of becoming a weightlifter, it comes as no surprise that our lead character, Kim Bok Joo, is always eating!

One of her favourite street food is odeng soup, which is a tasty Korean fish cake stew that’s unbelievably easy to cook at home. There’s no need to travel to Korea to taste this hot snack as you can cook it yourself at home!

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Servings: 2

Recipe Ingredients:

• 200g Korean fish cake sheet
• 30g green onion, sliced
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp rice wine
• 6 cups water
• Cracks of black pepper
• A pinch of fine sea salt
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 10g dried kelp
• 30g dried anchovy, head and innards removed
• 100g white radish, thinly sliced

Recipe Instructions:

1. Throw anchovies in a big stainless steel strainer and place it into a pot.
2. Add six cups of water and dried kelp. Boil for 10 minutes over medium heat.
3. While waiting for the soup to cook, rinse the fish cake sheet with hot water
4. Slice the fish cakes sheet into long strips and stick them through some wooden skewers
5. Scoop and discard the kelp in the soup. Add radish slices into the pot and boil for another 10 minutes.
6. Once done, remove the radish and set aside. Take out the strainer. Pour the soup through a linen cloth into another pot.
7. Then, add the radish back into the soup and cook on medium-high heat. Add Woh Hup premium light soy sauce, Taiwan cooking rice wine and garlic. Once the soup is boiling, reduce the heat to medium.
8. Add fish cake skewers into the soup and boil until they become soft. Sprinkle salt, pepper and green onions to serve.

7. Samgyetang

With a star-studded cast like Song Joong Ki and Song Hye Kyo, it’s no surprise that Descendants Of The Sun is one of the most popular K-dramas of the decade. Impress the love of your life like Yoo Si Jin did in the show by cooking samgyetang! Also known as ginseng chicken soup, samgyetang is the perfect dish to show your dedication for someone special as it can be quite tricky to master.

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 50 minutes
Servings: 3-4

Recipe Ingredients:

Broth

• 2kg whole chicken
• 5 litre water

Stuffing

• ¼ cup sticky rice, soaked overnight
• 1 Korean ginseng
• 4 peeled whole garlic cloves
• 5 dried red dates
• 4 peeled ginkgo nuts
• 4 peeled chestnuts

Flavouring

• 1 tbsp green onion, sliced
• Fine sea salt
• Ground black pepper

Recipe Instructions:

1. Wash the chicken thoroughly under cold running water
2. Here comes the tedious step! Stuff the chicken with sticky rice, ginseng, garlic cloves, Natural Brand Xin Jiang red dates, ginkgo nuts and Tong Garden chestnuts.
3. Prevent the ingredients from pouring out by crossing the chicken legs and tying them together with a cotton string
4. Place the stuffed chicken into a large pot and fill it with water. Cover the pot and boil it over medium-high heat for 20 minutes.
5. Thereafter, reduce the heat gradually until medium-low. Boil for another 30 minutes until the chicken is completely cooked. Check that the stuffed sticky rice is also cooked too.
6. Skim off the froth on the surface of the soup
7. Add green onion slices into the soup and serve with sea salt and black pepper on the side

8. Tteokguk

Hotel Del Luna was probably one of the most mesmerising dramas in 2019. From Jang Man-wol’s (played by IU) elaborated fashion sense to her good taste in food choices, there’s just so much to appreciate in this masterpiece. On one of Jang Man-wol’s food hunt with Gu Chan-sung, the couple shared their love through a bowl of tteokguk, also known as rice cake soup in English.  This is a common traditional dish eaten on New Year’s Day in Korea. It also symbolises good luck and fortune for the whole year. Start 2021 on the right note by making your family a bowl of tteokguk this new year!

Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 90 minutes
Servings: 3-4

Recipe Ingredients:

Beef Stock

• 500g skinless-fat less brisket
• 10 cups water
• 1 large onion
• 2 stalks green onion (just the white part, keep the green part for toppings)
• 10 whole black peppers

OR you could get a pre-ready beef stock or beef stock seasoning powder to reduce cooking time

Main & Soup Sauce

• 400g Korean rice cakes for soup
• 1 Tbsp Korean Soy sauce for soup
• 1/2 tsp minced garlic
• Fine sea salt

Toppings (optional, based on your personal preferences)

• 2 eggs
• 2 to 3 sheets of Korean roasted dried seaweed
• 1 to 2 stalks green onion (green part only)
• Shredded cooked brisket

Recipe Instructions:

For making beef stock from scratch (otherwise, skip to step 3):

1. Fill a pot with water, black peppers, onion and green onion. Boil over medium-high heat. Once the water boils, add the meat.
2. Boil the mixture on medium-high heat for another 5 minutes. Reduce to medium heat and boil for about 50 minutes.
3. Sieve the stock through a Cheese Cloth. Discard the vegetables but set the stock and meat aside.
4. Cool the meat down for about 10 minutes. Shred it down using your hands and season with salt and sesame oil. Set aside to cool.
5. Soak the Rice Cakes in cold water for 15 minutes
6. Meanwhile, prepare the Eggs for your topping. Separate the egg white and the yolk. Pan-fry them separately at a low temperature with a little oil. Slice them up thinly and set aside.
7. Drain the rice cakes
8. Boil the stock in a pot on medium-high heat. Once boiling, add minced garlic, soy sauce and rice cakes. Cook the rice cakes for 3 minutes.
9. Garnish the soup with toppings to serve

9. Omurice

Time travel was a popular genre in the Korean drama universe a few years back. And of all the time-travelling shows that were released, Rooftop Prince took the cake as an enjoyable rom-com that brought endless laughter to its viewers.

While the modern world had many surprises in store for the four men from Joseon era, they were most grateful to discover the invention of omurice! If you’re out of ideas on what to cook, try out this simple omelette rice recipe below! It’s guaranteed to produce a hearty meal that will satisfy your growling belly.

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes
Servings: 2

Recipe Ingredients:

• 1/2 medium onion
• 1 scallion
• 1 small carrot
• 113g meat of your choice – beef, pork, chicken or shrimp
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1-1/2 tablespoon ketchup
• Salt and pepper
• Oil for pan-frying
• 2 servings of cooked rice
• 4 eggs

Recipe Instructions:

1. Chop onion, scallion, carrot and meat by finely and set aside
2. Add 2 tablespoons of Cooking Oil to a large non-stick frying pan and heat it over medium-high heat
3. Add the onion, scallion, carrot and meat to the pan. Stir fry until the meat is cooked. Pour 1 tablespoon of soy sauce as well as some salt and pepper to taste.
4. Reduce the heat to medium. Throw in the rice and stir until all ingredients are combined. Add 1½ tablespoon of ketchup and salt and pepper to taste before scooping the rice onto a plate.
5. Beat 2 eggs in a bowl and add a pinch of salt. Pour oil into a small pan and heat it over medium-low heat. Pour the egg mixture into the pan and swirl it around quickly until the pan base is fully covered.
6. When the bottom of the egg is set but the top is still runny, turn off the heat. Pour the fried rice onto the middle of the egg omelette.
7. Fold the omelette over the rice with a spatula and serve on a plate

Discover a whole new world of flavours

These Korean recipes are not only easy but also fun to make. Now, all that is left is to tune in to your favourite Korean dramas while you dig into your homemade Korean feast! Your loved ones are sure to be impressed with your culinary skills!

This article was first written by Shopee Singapore, and repurposed with permission by MiddleClass. 

*Follow MiddleClass.sg on Facebook, Instagram and Telegram for more food, travel and trending stories!