There’s nothing I love more when the weather gets colder than sour, spicy Korean food. I’ve always been daunted by the host of unfamiliar ingredients and lack of recipe books specifically for Korean food but I really sense a change in the winds, with resources like Maangchi (both her videos and her beautiful cookbook) and Korean grocery stores popping up it’s never been easier to make Korean food at home. I thought I’d give it a try!

First things first, Maangchi—this woman is so incredibly knowledgeable and her videos on YouTube are fun. Her cookbook, published by HMH, is a great resource in combination with the videos and it’s beautifully produced. I’ve recently made two of my favorite Korean recipes, kimchi jigae (kimchi stew) and pork bulgogi (a spicy stir fried pork that I love to eat with rice and tofu.) I’ve included links to those videos and see the pics below!

Looking for advice to try it on your own? Make sure you get the right kind of kimchi. The first time I made the kimchi stew I mistakenly used fresh kimchi that I purchased at H Mart in Cambridge. It was a great stew but it lost that deep, rich, sour taste because my kimchi hadn’t been properly fermented.  Now you can buy kimchi that’s been fermented or just buy the fresh kimchi and stick it in the fridge for a week or more until it starts to smell sour. Comment with any questions!