11 Korean Dinners at Home That Taste Like Your Favorite Seoul Restaurant

You do not need a plane ticket to Seoul to eat like you are there. These Korean dinners bring bold, cozy flavors to your own kitchen: sweet bulgogi, bubbling stews, crispy fried chicken and chewy rice cakes. Most use a few key pantry items like gochujang, soy sauce and sesame oil, which most big grocery stores now carry. Once you have them, a whole world of flavor opens up. Hungry for more global eats? Try these street food dishes from around the world too. Grab your chopsticks and let us cook..

Korean Dinners Start With a Bowl of Bibimbap

Bibimbap means mixed rice, and that is exactly how you eat it. A warm bowl of rice is topped with seasoned beef, carrots, bean sprouts, spinach and zucchini, then crowned with an egg yolk. Add a spoon of gochujang, the sweet and spicy chili paste, and stir it all together. Every bite is crunchy, savory and a little fiery. It is also a great way to use up leftover vegetables. Have you ever tried bibimbap?

You will need: 4 cups cooked short grain rice, 1/2 lb ground beef, 2 carrots, 2 cups bean sprouts, 2 cups spinach, 1 zucchini, 4 eggs, 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp sesame oil, 1 tsp sugar, 2 cloves garlic, gochujang

How to make it: Cook the beef with soy sauce, sugar and garlic until browned. Quickly saute the carrots, zucchini, sprouts and spinach one at a time with a little sesame oil and salt. Divide the rice among bowls and arrange the toppings in sections. Top with a fried egg and gochujang, then mix and eat.

Korean Dinners Everyone Loves: Beef Bulgogi

Bulgogi means fire meat, and it is the dish that makes most people fall in love with Korean dinners. Thin slices of beef soak in a sweet marinade of soy sauce, garlic, sesame oil and grated pear, then cook in minutes over high heat. The pear makes the meat extra tender. Serve it over rice or wrap it in lettuce leaves. Quick poll: A) rice bowl, B) lettuce wraps, C) both?

You will need: 1 1/2 lb thinly sliced ribeye or sirloin, 1/4 cup soy sauce, 1 Asian pear or apple grated, 2 tbsp brown sugar, 1 tbsp sesame oil, 4 cloves garlic, 1 onion sliced, 3 green onions, sesame seeds

How to make it: Mix the soy sauce, pear, sugar, sesame oil and garlic. Add the beef and onion and marinate at least 30 minutes. Cook in a very hot pan in batches for 2 to 3 minutes. Top with green onions and sesame seeds and serve with rice.

Spicy Kimchi Seafood Stew

Kimchi stew, or kimchi jjigae, is the comfort food Korean families make when the kimchi gets old and extra sour. That sourness gives the broth its deep, tangy flavor. This version adds crab and shrimp for a seafood twist, but pork or tofu work just as well. It bubbles away in one pot and warms you right up. Do you like your stew A) mild, B) spicy, or C) fire hot?

You will need: 2 cups aged kimchi chopped, 1/2 cup kimchi juice, 1/2 lb shrimp, 1/2 lb crab legs, 1/2 block tofu, 1 onion, 1 tbsp gochugaru (chili flakes), 1 tbsp gochujang, 3 cups water or broth, green onions

How to make it: Saute the kimchi and onion in a pot for 5 minutes. Add the gochugaru, gochujang, kimchi juice and water and simmer 15 minutes. Add the crab and cook 5 minutes, then add the shrimp and tofu for 3 minutes more. Top with green onions and serve with rice.

Japchae Glass Noodles

Japchae is a party dish in Korea, served at birthdays and holidays, but it is easy enough for a weeknight. Chewy sweet potato noodles are tossed with colorful vegetables, a little beef and a glossy soy and sesame sauce. The noodles are naturally gluten free, so if that matters to you, check that your soy sauce is too. It tastes great warm or at room temperature, which makes it perfect for potlucks.

You will need: 8 oz sweet potato glass noodles, 1/4 lb beef strips, 1 carrot, 1 bell pepper, 1 onion, 2 cups spinach, 4 mushrooms, 3 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp sugar, 2 tbsp sesame oil, 2 cloves garlic, sesame seeds

How to make it: Boil the noodles for 6 minutes, drain and cut them a few times with scissors. Stir fry the beef, then the vegetables one by one. Mix the soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil and garlic. Toss everything with the noodles over low heat and finish with sesame seeds.

Korean Dinners for Game Night: Crispy Fried Chicken

Korean fried chicken is famous for one thing: crunch. The secret is frying it twice. The first fry cooks the chicken, and the second makes the coating shatter when you bite it. Then it gets tossed in a sticky sweet and spicy gochujang glaze. It stays crispy even under the sauce, which feels like magic. Would you pick A) spicy glazed or B) plain crispy with salt?

You will need: 2 lb chicken wings or thighs, 1/2 cup potato starch, 1/4 cup flour, 1 tsp salt, oil for frying, 3 tbsp gochujang, 3 tbsp honey, 2 tbsp soy sauce, 3 cloves garlic, green onions

How to make it: Toss the chicken with salt, starch and flour. Fry at 340 F for 8 minutes and rest 5 minutes. Fry again at 375 F for 3 to 4 minutes until deep golden. Simmer the gochujang, honey, soy sauce and garlic for 2 minutes and toss with the chicken. Top with green onions.

Tteokbokki Spicy Rice Cakes

This is the favorite street food of Korea. Chewy rice cakes simmer in a thick red sauce that is spicy, sweet and very addictive. Fish cakes and a boiled egg turn it into a full meal. Look for rice cakes in the fridge or freezer section of an Asian grocery store. If you love chewy textures like mochi, this one is for you. Can you handle the heat?

You will need: 1 lb Korean rice cakes, 4 oz fish cakes, 3 cups anchovy broth or water, 3 tbsp gochujang, 1 tbsp gochugaru, 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp sugar, 2 green onions, 2 boiled eggs

How to make it: Soak the rice cakes in warm water for 10 minutes if they are hard. Bring the broth to a boil and stir in the gochujang, gochugaru, soy sauce and sugar. Add the rice cakes and fish cakes and simmer 10 minutes until the sauce thickens. Add the green onions and eggs.

Korean Dinners on a Budget: Army Stew

Army stew, or budae jjigae, was born after the Korean War, when people mixed spam and hot dogs from US army bases with kimchi and noodles. Today it is a beloved, bubbling hot pot that families share at the table. It is salty, spicy, cheesy and wildly comforting. Most of the ingredients come from the pantry, which makes it a great cheap meal. Would you try spam in a stew?

You will need: 1 can spam sliced, 2 hot dogs sliced, 1 cup kimchi, 1/2 block tofu, 1 pack instant ramen, 2 tbsp gochujang, 1 tbsp gochugaru, 1 tbsp soy sauce, 4 cups broth, 1 slice American cheese, 2 eggs, green onions

How to make it: Arrange the spam, hot dogs, kimchi and tofu in a wide pot. Mix the gochujang, gochugaru and soy sauce and add with the broth. Bring to a boil and simmer 10 minutes. Add the ramen and eggs and cook 3 minutes. Top with cheese and green onions.

Samgyeopsal Grilled Pork Belly

Samgyeopsal is the star of barbecue night in Korea. Thick strips of pork belly sizzle on a grill or pan until golden and crispy, then everyone cuts them into bites with scissors. Wrap each piece in lettuce with garlic, a dab of ssamjang sauce and a slice of kimchi. It is one of the most fun Korean dinners, loud and social, just like a night out in Seoul. Who in your family would be the grill master?

You will need: 2 lb thick sliced pork belly, 1 head lettuce, 6 cloves garlic sliced, 1 cup kimchi, salt and pepper. For ssamjang: 2 tbsp doenjang, 1 tbsp gochujang, 1 tsp honey, 1 tsp sesame oil

How to make it: Mix the ssamjang ingredients. Heat a grill pan until very hot. Cook the pork belly 4 to 5 minutes per side until crispy, then cut it into bite size pieces. Grill the garlic and kimchi in the pork fat. Wrap the pork in lettuce with sauce, garlic and kimchi.

Korean Dinners You Can Pack: Kimbap Rolls

Kimbap looks like sushi, but it is very different. The rice is seasoned with sesame oil instead of vinegar, and the fillings are cooked, like egg, carrots, spinach and crab stick. It makes a fun meal where everyone rolls their own, and leftovers go straight into tomorrow lunch box. Kids love the colorful circles. Have you ever rolled your own kimbap or sushi?

You will need: 4 sheets seaweed (gim), 3 cups cooked short grain rice, 1 tbsp sesame oil, 1/2 tsp salt, 2 eggs, 1 carrot, 2 cups spinach, 4 crab sticks, 4 strips pickled radish

How to make it: Mix the rice with sesame oil and salt. Make a thin omelet and cut it into strips. Saute the carrot strips and blanch the spinach. Spread rice thinly over a seaweed sheet, line up the fillings and roll tightly with a mat. Brush with sesame oil and slice.

Dakgalbi Spicy Chicken Stir Fry

Dakgalbi comes from the city of Chuncheon, where it is cooked in giant iron pans right at the table. Chicken thigh pieces, cabbage, sweet potato and rice cakes are stir fried in a bold gochujang sauce. When you are almost done, add rice and cheese to the leftover sauce and fry it until crispy. That last part is what people fight over. Would you add the cheese?

You will need: 2 lb boneless chicken thighs, 3 cups chopped cabbage, 1 sweet potato sliced, 1 onion, 1 cup rice cakes, 3 tbsp gochujang, 1 tbsp gochugaru, 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp sugar, 4 cloves garlic, green onions

How to make it: Mix the gochujang, gochugaru, soy sauce, sugar and garlic and marinate the chicken for 30 minutes. Cook the chicken in a large pan for 5 minutes. Add the cabbage, sweet potato, onion and rice cakes and stir fry 10 minutes until tender. Top with green onions.

Crispy Seafood Scallion Pancake

Koreans love pajeon on rainy days, maybe because the sizzle sounds like rain. A thin batter holds lots of green onions and seafood, and the pancake fries until the edges are lacy and crisp. Cut it into squares and dip it in a soy vinegar sauce. It makes a great light meal or a side for any of these Korean dinners. Would you eat this on a rainy day?

You will need: 1 cup flour, 1/4 cup rice flour or cornstarch, 1 cup ice water, 1 egg, 1 bunch green onions, 1/2 cup small shrimp or squid, salt, oil. For the dip: 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp rice vinegar, chili flakes

How to make it: Whisk the flour, rice flour, ice water, egg and salt. Lay green onions in a hot oiled pan and pour the batter over them. Scatter the seafood on top. Cook 4 minutes, flip and cook 3 more minutes, pressing down. Slice and serve with the dipping sauce.