I want to have a taste of everything Korean foods!!! but I know I can't even if I spend so much time in Korea when I get the opportunity to visit. Thanks to my love for Kdrama, I have my Korean foods bucket list to cross off if I ever visit there.
I may not be a big foodie, I eat only mostly when I'm hungry or craving something randomly and I've never have to travel to another country then try their meals but I have experience of trying out new meals for the first time, the adventure in it.
I don't know how the Koreans do it with their series, always showing off their meals and making us even know how to prepare some of them if we had the ingredients, while we were only trying to have a nice time with their dramas.
So here comes my top three Korean food I must explore if I ever visit Korea... They all have a common reason I want them... They are SPICY!!!
Kimchi
From my years of watching kdrama, I've learnt that this sumptuous looking meal is like the Korea's signature to have a taste of the other meals. You're a Korean and haven't tasted this meal, you're not Korean lol. So it's first on my list.
The preparation is the most fun part for me, I love cabbages and it is lavishly used for this recipe. Although, I'm not a fan of too salty meals which I fear for this meal but it could be moderated and still be enjoyed, then there is the spice to go with.
I can't remember the drama I saw it in, a old woman prepared it and made her daughter have a taste using her hands... I have a special love for meals I could eat with my bare hands anytime lol.
Kimchi is popularly described to taste tangy, spicy and savory. It can be eaten with soup and stew. It is filled with vegetables so it's a healthy meal and widely eaten by the citizens, a must try.
Ramyeon
This has to be my favourite, like it's in every kdrama and it's so funny that there is a naughty meaning to "Do you want to have Ramyeon with me?" lol. An instant noodle dish with a spicy and bold flavors, as I've read and noticed. I want one!
Like the Koreans do in their movies, I believe I'll have this meal as my go-to especially the cup ramyeon on busy days to keep full. Sadly, I learnt from a fellow's experience that it doesn't taste as amazing as they make it seem in their movies.
Scenes where they prepare the instant cup noodles (Ramyeon is Korean for noodles) always gets me, the excitement they show when it's all ready and the speed they use to finish it up before it gets soggy.
Ramyeon is a quick-cooking noodles that comes with different flavours and noodle styles, I saw that the cup noodles have spice packets and dried vegetables, a friend suggested I don't use all the spice if I can't handle too spicy noodle lol.
Tteok-bokki
Tteok-bokki! Tteok-bokki! Tteok-bokki!!! kdrama characters have almost made it seem like I'd have to sing that out before I go get it at a restaurant lol. They get so excited about it, but I noticed a lot of them would prefer Jjajangmyeon.
They are different dishes entirely but both are delicious in their own way. If I must say, I think these meals are not for professionals or high profiles to have in public or maybe that's what the kdrama made it seem like for us, the viewers lol.
Tteok-bokki has a sweet, savoury and spicy taste and could come with eggs, I love eggs so I'll definitely want it on mine. Eomuk and scallions aren't familiar to me but they are other common ingredients paired with tteok-bokki in dishes.
For real, there are a lot of other Korean dishes I'd love to try, like their Bibimbap or kimbap, Korean barbecue (pork or beef), fried chicken and even a sip of their soju as I'm not good with alcohol but still want to try it out. For the records, I've never tried any korean meal before but I will someday.
This is my entry to Korean Hive Village Contest.
Images are AI generated