With millions captivated by her infectious personality and no-fuss approach to food, internet sensation Park Mak-rye, aka Korea Grandma, brings 43 years of restaurant know-how and generations of Korean family recipes to home cooks around the world.
Soy Sauce Bibim-guksu
Serves 1
This simple noodle dish is one of my most-loved recipes and a perfect introduction to the everyday flavours of Seoul. It’s the kind of dish that brings a little taste of Korea to your kitchen, wherever you are.
- Thin wheat noodles (somyeon), 1 serving
- 1 carrot, thinly sliced
- 1 Korean zucchini, thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1.5 tbsp sugar
- 0.8 tbsp minced garlic
- 1 tbsp vinegar
- 2 tbsp sesame oil
- Lots of sesame seeds
Boil the noodles, carrot and zucchini together. Drain and rinse everything under cold water. Mix with the soy sauce, sugar, garlic, vinegar and sesame oil. Finish with lots of sesame seeds, toss well and enjoy!
Acorn jelly (Dotori-muk)
Serves 3-4
Acorn jelly is a traditional Korean dish made from acorn starch, known for its light and refreshing texture. You can get it from most Asian supermarkets in the UK.
- 100g Korean acorn powder
- 600ml water
- A pinch of coarse salt
- A little perilla oil
- Mix one part acorn powder with six parts water.
Acorn powder can be difficult to dissolve completely, so straining the mixture through a sieve as you mix will help create a smoother texture. Pour the mixture into a pot and bring it to boil.
Keep stirring continuously until it becomes thick. Don’t stop stirring, as it can easily stick to the bottom of the pot.
Add a pinch of coarse salt.
When it is almost done, drizzle in a small amount of perilla oil and stir to combine.
Pour the mixture into a round or rectangular container and leave it to cool and set.
Once completely firm, the acorn jelly is ready.
Stir-Fried Zucchini & Pork Rice Bowl
Serves 2
This hearty rice bowl is a simple example of the everyday home cooking that makes Korean food so special. Packed with Korean flavours and seasonal vegetables, it’s a taste of the food culture I hope inspires people to explore Seoul for themselves.
- Plenty of Korean zucchini
- 300g pork shoulder
- 1 carrot
- 1 onion
- 2 green onions
- 2 fresh chillies
- 300-400g cooked rice
- For the seasoning
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 3 tbsp cooking oil
- 2 tbsp Korean beef short rib sauce (galbi sauce)
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- ⅓ tbsp minced ginger
- 1 tbsp Korean plum extract (maesil-cheong)
- A little black pepper
- A pinch of MSG
- 2 tbsp sesame oil
- Sesame seeds
Slice the carrot, onion, zucchini, green onion, and chilli pepper. Be generous with the zucchini.
Cut the pork shoulder into thin strips, roughly the same size and shape as the zucchini.
Add the pork to a pan along with the soy sauce, cooking oil, galbi sauce, minced garlic,
ginger, Korean plum extract, black pepper and MSG. Stir-fry together.
Once the pork is partially cooked, add the prepared vegetables and continue stir-frying.
When everything is fully cooked, finish with two tablespoons of sesame oil and a generous sprinkle of sesame seeds.
Serve generously over a bowl of warm rice.
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