K-Food RecipesK-Food Recipes
Guides
🫙

Essential Korean Pantry (Essential Korean Pantry Items)

"If you stock these 6 items in your kitchen, you can turn your room into a Korean restaurant at any time."

Gochujang (Gochujang / Red Chili Paste)

The gold standard of sweet, salty, and spicy. It is the soul of Tteokbokki and Bibimbap.

🛒 Amazon

Doenjang (Doenjang / Fermented Soybean Paste)

The base of deep Umami. It is heavier and more savory than Western cheese or Miso.

🛒 Amazon

Jin-Ganjang (Jin-Ganjang / Soy Sauce)

A sweet and salty base soy sauce that forms the backbone of Bulgogi and Japchae.

🛒 Amazon

Chamgireum (Toasted Sesame Oil)

A finishing oil that you drizzle at the end of cooking to add an overwhelming nutty aroma.

🛒 Amazon

Gochugaru (Gochugaru / Chili Flakes)

Not fine powder but coarse particles; it adds a clean and vibrant red spiciness to stews and seasoned dishes.

🛒 Amazon

Electric Rice Cooker (Korean Electric Rice Cooker)

Above all, delicious rice is the start of Korean cuisine. Korean rice cookers like Cuckoo or Cuchen cook rice using pressure and IH (Induction Heating) methods, creating a level of glossiness and stickiness that is on a different level from Western electric rice cookers. Because they evenly steam everything from white rice to multigrain and brown rice using customized cooking modes, you can perfectly replicate the taste of freshly cooked Korean restaurant rice at home. No matter how well you make side dishes and soup, if the rice is undercooked or mushy, the meal isn't complete, so this is the first tool worth investing in for your Korean pantry.

🛒 Amazon

This site earns commissions from Amazon on purchases made through links on this page.