Tales of Hansik by Arirang

For anyone who has wanted to learn more about Korean food Arirang television has produced a series called Tales of Hansik that shows some of the major types of Korean food.

The first episode begins with 밥 (bap) rice. Rice is a basic of every Korean meal. Besides plain, regular old white rice I also enjoy 닭죽, chicken and rice porridge, and 비빔밥, rice mixed with various types of 나물 with 고추장 (a spicy chilli paste.)


Episode 2 tells about 떡 (ddeok) rice cake. Favorites for me are: 떡볶이, rice cakes in spicy sauce (some times with onions, fish cakes (오뎅), and some times ramyeon noodles; and 떡국, rice cake soup, a traditional soup eaten on Lunar New Year's Day.


Episode 3 has 국수 (guk su) noodles. I like: 비빔국수, noodles mixed with spicy 고추장 and vinegar sauce with a few slices of cucumber; and 물냉면, buckwheat or arrowroot noodles with refreshing cold and tangy broth.


Episode 4 features 전 (jeon) Korean style pancakes. There are so many types that it is hard to choose just two. I would have to say my most favorite is 파전, incredibly easy too make, you just need flour, water and green onions. My second favorite is 해물전, seafood jeon, another incredibly easy to make pancake, but very delicious.


Episode 5 has 죽 (juk) porridge. I think the most famous kind of juk is 전복죽, abalone porridge, often given to sick people. Another one is 호박죽, pumpkin porridge and is nice and creamy.


Next up for episode 6 is 육류 (yugru) meat! There really are so many delicious types of meat, I think the most famous ones are 갈비/LA 갈비, 불고기, and 삼겹살. I often enjoy: 육회, which you can think of as Korean steak tartare; and 짜장면, which is a Korean-Chinese fusion dish with black bean sauce, noodles, pork, zucchini and onions.


Episode 7 is about 생선 (sang sun) fish (dead fish actually since 물고기 means live fish.) I like 고등어구이, grilled mackerel, and 회덥밥, rice with salad greens, raw fish and a spicy sauce made with 고추장.


Episode 8 국 (guk) most easily explained as soup. Favorites of mine include: 배추 된장국, a nice and easy napa cabbage and soybean paste soup often had with rice for breakfast; I also love 미역국, seaweed soup, I make a large batch of this and freeze it, this is the soup that Koreans have on their birthdays and mothers will eat a lot of this soup after giving birth.


Episode 9 brings us 나물 (namul) I think this is best explained as seasoned vegetable side dishes. Favorites of mine include: 오이 초절임, a cold, sweet and tangy cucumber dish; 시금치나물, blanched spinach mixed with green onions, garlic, soy sauce and sesame oil.


Episode 10 is about 찌게 (jigae) stew. I love 김치찌개, kimchi stew, and 된장찌개, soybean paste stew.


Episode 11 you can't have a story about Korean food without having 김치 (kimchi.) Some of my favorite recipes with 김치, and there are hundreds of types of 김치, are 김치볶음밥, kimchi fried rice, and 부추 김치, garlic chive kimchi.


Episode 12 is all about 두부 (Dubu) bean curd. Some of my favorite dishes with dubu are: 두부부침양념장, a pan fried dubu with a spicy sauce, it is nice and lovely straight from the frying pan and 순두부찌개, a silken dubu stew, which is just great and really a comfort food for myself.


Episdoe 13 is about 반찬 (Banchan) side dishes. Episode 9 was about 나물, which is a type of 반찬. My favorite types of 반찬 are: 멸치볶음, pan fried mini anchovies; and 가지나물 eggplant namul, which is chewy with the eggplant skin but also melts in your mouth.


I hope you enjoy the videos, but remember the videos don't even begin to scratch the surface of Korean food.


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