8 Easy Korean Recipes for Your Next K-Drama Night

Since watching my first K-drama early into this quarantine, I have inevitably slid into the point of no return. And like a real K-drama fan, I’ve since searched for ways to upgrade our K-drama nights at home. The best thing I’ve discovered so far? Learning easy Korean recipes to pair with my favourite Korean movies or series!

I headed to the Korean grocery store for ingredients for all these meals. With all the foreign characters and unfamiliar items, Korean grocery stores can be quite intimidating; but since I did my research beforehand, I didn’t have to spend too much time at the grocery.

By our next K-drama night, I’d successfully put together a seemingly authentic Korean meal! We’re still going through the many grocery items I bought, but here are the easy Korean recipes I’ve been loving so far.

Also read: Budae Jjigae: How to Make This Famous Korean Stew at Home!

Easy Korean recipes for your next K-drama night

1. Ramyeon (Korean ramen)

I wasn’t joking when I mentioned that this list would be of a compilation of easy Korean recipes. Everyone knows how to cook instant noodles! The challenge lies in which flavour you must pick. If you want to feel more ~authentic~, you can try out the kimchi-flavoured ramen.

Ingredients

• 1 pack of instant ramen
• 1 egg
• Water
• Optional: 1 pc carrot, chopped
• Optional: 1 cup of cabbage, chopped

How to cook

1. Add noodles and soup powder to boiling water.
2. Cover and boil for a minute.
3. Optional: Add chopped carrots and cabbage. 
4. Optional: Add a tablespoon of gochujang.
5. Crack an egg into the ramyeon.
6. Serve.

2. Tteokbokki (Rice cakes)

So many Korean characters are a fan of tteokbokki! But honestly, when I first tasted it, I couldn’t understand why. Perhaps it’s a form of comfort food for Koreans? It has a very homey taste, and there are also several flavours to choose from.

Ingredients

• 1 pack of instant tteokbokki
• ¼ cup of water

How to cook

1. In a heated pan, add the rice cakes and sauce.
2. Pour ¼ cup of water.
3. Keep mixing the ingredients together until the mixture thickens.
4. Serve.

3. Kimchi-buchimgae (Korean pancake)

Cooking kimchi-buchimgae is similar to cooking pancakes. Only, in place of milk, you use the liquid from kimchi; hence, the name. Unlike regular pancakes, this savoury dish is great for lunch or dinner too! While you can get Korean pancake mix from the grocery store, you can definitely make this from scratch using the following recipe.

Ingredients

• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• ¼ cup of water
• ¾ cup and 1 tbsp flour
• ½ cup of kimchi, sliced
• 1 stalk of scallion, sliced
• Oil
• Vinegar
• Soy sauce

How to cook

1. In a bowl, whisk together the egg, 1 tablespoon of kimchi liquid, soy sauce, and water.
2. Add flour.
3. Add kimchi and scallions.
4. In a lightly greased pan, spoon the batter.
5. Flip to cook both sides.
6. For the dipping sauce, combine vinegar and soy sauce with a 1:1 ratio.
7. Serve.

Also read: Here’s The Best Way to Make Kimchi at Home!

4. Yubuchobap (Soybean curd)

While this isn’t as popular as the rest of the easy Korean recipes in this list, yubuchobap is still one of my favourites! Basically, yubuchobap is fried tofu stuffed with seasoned rice. (My father calls it a Korean empanada.)

Yubuchobap bursts with sour, sweet, and salty flavours! The rice is vinegared, and the tofu is marinated. It’s such a unique meal, and it’s super easy to make. You can get yubuchobap kits from most Korean grocery stores.

Ingredients

• Yubuchobap kit
• Warm rice

How to cook

1. Press the tofu skin to drain its water.
2. Combine warm rice and seasoning.
3. Add the vinegared sauce into the rice mix. (I only add ¾ of the packet, as the taste can be too strong.)
4. Fill the tofu skin with the rice mix.
5. Serve.

5. Korean curry

Koreans have a slightly different take on curry. Theirs is more watery and soft; usually spicy. Because you can easily score instant Korean curry mixes from the grocery store, you can definitely consider this as one of the easy Korean recipes.

Ingredients

• Vegetables of choice, chopped
• 4 cups of water
• Instant curry mix

How to cook

1. Stir fry vegetables (and/or meat) in a greased pot.
2. After a few minutes, pour water into the pot.
3. Bring to a boil until everything is tender.
4. Add the instant curry mix.
5. Reduce heat to medium-low.
6. Stir until mixture thickens.
7. Serve.

6. Odeng (Fish cake)

A popular banchan, odeng makes a great side dish for your next K-drama night. It’s affordable and easy to make; it also lasts up to a week in the refrigerator. You can buy raw fish cakes at Korean grocery stores.

Ingredients

• Green bell pepper, sliced
• Red bell pepper, sliced
• 1 carrot, sliced
• 1 onion, sliced
• Fish cakes
• ½ tbsp garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsps honey
• 1 tbsp vinegar
• 1 tsp sesame oil

How to cook

1. In a wok, stir fry sliced bell peppers, carrots and onions.
2. Add the fish cake and stir for about two minutes.
3. Fry garlic until brown.
4. Season with soy sauce, honey, vinegar, and sesame oil.
5. Serve.

7. Kimchi fried rice

Is it even an Asian meal without rice? Upgrade your rice by cooking kimchi fried rice! You probably already know the basics of cooking fried rice; still, here’s an easy Korean recipe you can follow.

Ingredients

• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• Meat of choice, chopped
• ½ cup kimchi, chopped
• 3 cups day-old rice
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 2 tbsps soy sauce
• 1 sheet of seaweed, stripped
• 1 stalk of scallion, sliced
• Sesame seeds
• 1 egg

How to cook

1. Fry garlic until brown.
2. Optional: Add meat of choice. Stir until cooked.
3. Add kimchi and fry for a few minutes.
4. Add day-old rice and kimchi juice. Mix well.
5. Add sesame oil and soy sauce.
6. Garnish with seaweed strips, scallions, and sesame seeds.
7. Optional: Top with a fried egg.
8. Serve.

8. Yakult soju

What is a Korean meal without soju, am I right? Filipinos seem to love Yakult soju. The ratio of soju and Yakult would totally be up to your taste, of course.

Ingredients

• • 1 bottle of soju
  • 2 bottles of Yakult
  • Ice
  • Optional: 1 bottle of sparkling water

How to prepare

1. Fill a pitcher with ice.
2. Add soju and Yakult.
3. Optional: Add sparkling water or soda water.
4. Serve.

Also read: 8 Mouth-Watering Movie Recipes You Have To Try Out

These easy Korean recipes will definitely upgrade your next K-drama night! Which one are you whipping up first?