Materials & extras
Downloads
Handouts, flashcards, and note cards from your instructor — print any of them.
HandoutHandout 1: Supply & Shopping List
Handout 1: Supply & Shopping List
Here's the thing — you do not need a special trip to get started. Most of this is a Macey's run plus one Costco pass. There's one trip to the Korean grocery up in Salt Lake that'll set your pantry for a couple months, and after that you're just restocking produce and meat like normal. Write this down and you won't be scrambling the night before class.
Pantry Staples (Budget Tier — get these first)
- Soy sauce, regular (not low-sodium, we're seasoning on purpose)
- Sesame oil, toasted
- Rice vinegar
- Brown sugar
- Garlic, a whole bag, you'll go through it
- Fresh ginger
- Green onions
- Gochugaru (Korean red pepper flakes) — this one's worth the Asian market trip, the stuff at regular grocery stores isn't the same and it matters here
- Gochujang (Korean red pepper paste) — same deal
- Short-grain rice, a decent-size bag. Skip the cheap long-grain stuff, it won't behave the way this food needs it to
- Toasted sesame seeds
That list covers bulgogi, a solid marinade, and your rice. Under thirty dollars if you're not starting from zero on soy sauce and sesame oil.
Equipment (Budget Tier)
- A good sized skillet or a wok if you've got one, doesn't need to be fancy
- Tongs
- A rice cooker
I know a rice cooker sounds like an extra appliance you don't need. Heck no, get one. Best forty dollars you'll spend in this whole class. Rinse your rice till the water runs clear, measure it right, and the machine does the rest. We're at 4,600 feet here and the air's dry, so give your rice a touch more water than the bag says — the machine handles most of that for you anyway, which is half the point.
Nice-to-Have Tier (not required, but useful if you cook this stuff regularly)
- A mandoline, for banchan prep — saves your knuckles
- Kimchi containers with a release valve (ask me about this one, I have a story, we'll get to it)
- A grill pan, if you want that char without going outside in February
- Korean chili paste in bulk if you know you're going to be making this a habit — cheaper per ounce at the Asian market than buying small jars over and over
Produce & Meat — buy fresh, closer to class day
- Thinly sliced beef (ask the butcher counter, some will slice it for you if you ask nicely — Costco's ribeye works well and it's not a bad price per pound)
- Napa cabbage
- Carrots, cucumber, spinach — whatever banchan we're doing that week, I'll specify
- Garlic and green onion, again, because you'll use more than you think
Shopping Notes
Costco covers your beef, garlic, and sesame oil in bulk, which is genuinely the better buy if you're going to keep cooking this after class ends. Macey's has soy sauce, rice vinegar, and produce, no problem. The one trip that actually matters is the Korean grocery up in Salt Lake — go once, get your gochugaru, gochujang, sesame oil if you want the good brand, and rice. That one trip stocks you for a couple months. Don't overthink where else to shop after that.
Store-bought kimchi is fine, by the way. I'll die on that hill. If a jar off the shelf is what gets this food on your table on a Tuesday, buy the jar. We'll make our own in class because it's satisfying and it's cheaper long term, but nobody's grading your pantry.
See you at the first session. Come with your shopping done and we'll get right into it.
HandoutHandout 2: Your Core Techniques Cheat Sheet
Handout 2: Your Core Techniques Cheat Sheet
Print this one out and stick it on the fridge. This is everything we covered on technique, all in one place, no story attached — just the stuff you actually need when you're standing at the stove trying to remember what I said in class.
---
Rice (non-negotiable, but not hard)
- Rinse until the water runs clear. Not "kind of clear." Clear.
- Standard ratio is 1 cup rice to 1 to 1.1 cups water, but at our elevation (4,600 ft, dry air) lean toward the higher end.
- Rice cooker: dump it in, walk away. Best forty bucks you'll spend, I mean that.
- Stovetop: bring to a boil, lid on, drop to lowest heat for 12-13 minutes, then let it rest off heat for 10 minutes before you touch it. Don't lift the lid to check. I know you want to. Don't.
- Fluff with a rice paddle or fork, not a spoon that mashes it.
Marinade Timing (write this down)
- Bulgogi: 2-4 hours. That's it.
- Overnight is not "extra flavorful," it's mushy and too salty. Learned that one the hard way.
- Set an actual timer. Don't eyeball it.
- If you're short on time, 30 minutes with a slightly stronger marinade gets you 80% of the way there. That's fine for a Tuesday.
Gochugaru Math
- "Until it looks right" is not a measurement, no matter what your Korean mother tells you.
- For a standard kimchi batch (one medium cabbage): about 2 tablespoons to start. Adjust from there once you know your own heat tolerance.
- Coarse vs. fine gochugaru matters for texture, not really for heat. Coarse is more traditional for kimchi. Either works.
Kimchi Basics
- Salt the cabbage, let it sit and sweat, rinse, then season.
- Pack it tight in the jar. Air pockets are where trouble starts.
- Burp the jar. Once a day for the first few days, open the lid a crack and let the pressure out. I did not do this my first time. Scott can tell you how that went. He won't, because he still doesn't want to talk about it, but I'll tell you: it was bad.
- Store-bought is fine. I mean it. Homemade is satisfying and cheaper over time, but a jar from the store is a completely legitimate way to get kimchi onto your table.
High-Heat Pan Work (bulgogi, bibimbap toppings)
- Get the pan properly hot before the meat goes in. A cold pan is how you end up steaming instead of searing.
- Don't crowd the pan. Cook in batches if you have to.
- Keep your tongs close and your sleeves back. Oil pops. Kids do the prep, not the pan, until they've got some practice in.
Banchan, Realistically
- You do not need eight side dishes to make a real Korean meal.
- Two good banchan plus rice is dinner. Start there and build up if you feel like it.
- Make banchan while something else is cooking (the rice, the meat resting) — this is a logistics problem, not a multitasking miracle. Plan the order.
Shopping, Short Version
- Costco and Macey's cover more of this than you'd think — garlic, scallions, soy sauce, sesame oil.
- One trip to the Korean grocery up in Salt Lake stocks your pantry for a couple months: gochugaru, gochujang, doenjang, rice cakes if you're not making your own (I don't either).
- I'll hand out the full list separately. Don't overthink the shopping. Get the list, go once, you're set for a while.
---
Here's the thing — none of this is complicated once it's written down. That's the whole point of the card. Don't overthink it, just follow the numbers the first few times until your hands know what to do without them.
WorksheetHandout 3: Your Pantry & Marinade Checklist
Handout 3: Your Pantry & Marinade Checklist
Write this down and keep it on the fridge. Half the battle with Korean cooking at home is having the right things on hand before you start, not scrambling mid-recipe. Check things off as you shop.
---
Pantry Basics (Costco / Macey's cover most of this)
- [ ] Soy sauce (regular, not low-sodium — you control salt other ways)
- [ ] Toasted sesame oil
- [ ] Rice vinegar
- [ ] Brown sugar
- [ ] Garlic, fresh (a lot more than you think you need)
- [ ] Fresh ginger
- [ ] Green onions
- [ ] Short-grain rice (not the cheap long-grain stuff — write this down)
One Trip to the Asian Market (State Street) Covers Two Months
- [ ] Gochugaru (Korean red pepper flakes)
- [ ] Gochujang (fermented chili paste)
- [ ] Doenjang (fermented soybean paste)
- [ ] Toasted sesame seeds
- [ ] Fish sauce or salted shrimp (for kimchi, if you're making your own)
- [ ] Sweet potato noodles (for japchae)
- [ ] A jar of kimchi, if you're not making it yet — that's fine, buy the jar
---
Bulgogi Marinade Checklist
Marinate for time, not vibes. Set an actual timer.
- [ ] Meat sliced thin, against the grain
- [ ] Soy sauce
- [ ] Sugar (brown or a splash of pear/apple juice if you have it)
- [ ] Sesame oil
- [ ] Garlic, minced
- [ ] Black pepper
- [ ] Onion, sliced
Marinate time: 2–4 hours. Not overnight. I did that once and served mushy, oversalted meat because I'd already made the rice. Don't be me on this one.
---
Rice Checklist (This Is Not Optional)
- [ ] Rinse rice until water runs clear — takes longer than you think, keep going
- [ ] Measure water correctly for your rice cooker (check the markings, don't eyeball it)
- [ ] Remember we're at elevation — a touch more water than a sea-level recipe calls for
- [ ] Let it rest 10 minutes after cooking before you lift the lid
If you don't have a rice cooker yet, that's the best forty dollars you'll spend all semester. Not required for this class, but heck yes it'll change your life.
---
Banchan: Pick Two, Not Eight
Circle the two you want to try first. That's a real meal with rice. You do not need a full spread on week one.
- [ ] Spinach (sigeumchi namul)
- [ ] Bean sprouts (kongnamul muchim)
- [ ] Cucumber (oi muchim)
- [ ] Kimchi (store-bought is fine)
- [ ] Braised potatoes (gamja jorim)
---
Before Next Class
- [ ] Buy: ___________________________
- [ ] Have on hand: ___________________________
- [ ] Rice cooker status: Yes / No / "I'll manage on the stovetop"
Here's the thing — you don't need everything checked off to start. Get the pantry basics and rice sorted, and add the rest as you go. Don't overthink it.
HandoutHandout 4: Troubleshooting Guide
Handout 4: Troubleshooting Guide
Here's the thing — everybody hits the same handful of snags with Korean cooking, and none of them mean you did it wrong as a person. Below are the ones I see over and over in this class. Write these down, tape this to the inside of a cabinet, whatever gets it in front of you next time.
---
1. My rice is mushy or gluey. You didn't rinse it enough, or you used too much water for our elevation. Rinse until the water actually runs clear — takes three or four changes of water, not one swish. And at 4,600 feet you may need to nudge the water down slightly from what a sea-level recipe says, not up. Get a rice cooker if you don't have one. Best forty dollars you'll spend on this whole class.
2. My bulgogi came out tough and dry. Two likely culprits. Either the meat wasn't sliced thin enough, or the pan was too cool and the meat steamed instead of seared. You want it shaved thin — ask the butcher counter to slice it for you if you don't trust your knife skills yet, that's a completely fair use of a butcher counter. And get the pan hot before the meat goes in. It should sizzle the second it touches down.
3. My bulgogi is too salty or weirdly mushy. You over-marinated it. I've done this. Left it overnight thinking more time equals more flavor, and the pear and soy just broke the meat down into something sad. A few hours is plenty. Set a timer, don't eyeball it.
4. My kimchi exploded, leaked, or smells like it's angry at me. You didn't burp the jar. Fermentation makes gas, gas needs somewhere to go, and if you don't crack the lid once a day for the first few days it will find its own way out, usually onto your fridge shelf. Learned this one the hard way. Scott still brings it up.
5. I doubled a kimchi recipe and now cabbage is everywhere. Doubling isn't just doubling the numbers — the volume gets away from you fast, and you need way more jar space and counter space than you'd think. Do the math on containers before you start, not while cabbage is sliding off your counter.
6. My rice cooker died / I don't have one tonight. You can absolutely finish rice on the stovetop. Bring it to a boil, drop it to the lowest simmer you've got, lid on, and don't peek for a good fifteen to eighteen minutes. Let it rest off heat for ten more before you touch it. It'll be fine. I've done this mid-dinner-party and nobody knew.
7. I can't find an ingredient and I'm ready to give up. Don't. Costco and Macey's cover more of this than people expect — gochujang, sesame oil, a lot of your produce. One trip to the Korean grocery up in Salt Lake will stock your pantry for a couple months. You do not need a special trip every time you cook. That's fine, but if you truly can't get something, ask me — there's almost always a workable substitute.
8. My banchan spread feels overwhelming and I'm not making any of it. You don't need eight side dishes. This is where people give up before they start. Pick two good ones and put them next to rice and you have a real meal. Build up from there over months, not in one Tuesday.
9. My kids/spouse won't touch it. Keep making it anyway. My daughter wanted only "American food" for about three years and now she asks for bibimbap on her birthday. Don't overthink it — put it on the table, don't make a thing out of it, let time do the work.
10. I got hot oil on myself / a small splatter burn. Keep your tongs and a lid within reach, and don't lean over the pan when you flip. If it happens, cool water on it right away, not ice, and watch it — if it blisters or won't stop hurting, get it looked at. Small burns from cooking oil are common and usually minor, but don't shrug off a bad one.
That's the list. None of it is exotic. Cook it again this week while it's fresh — that's the real fix for all ten of these.
FlashcardsPrintable flashcards — Bulgogi & Beyond: Korean Home Cooking
Print it, fold it, stick it on the fridge.
Bulgogi & Beyond: Korean Home Cooking ## Flashcard Set — Print & Cut
Cut along the lines, stack them by lesson or shuffle them, whatever gets you to actually use them. I punch a hole in the corner and keep mine on a binder ring by the stove. Front side faces out when you're testing yourself; flip for the answer. If you laminate these, laminate the rice ones first — those are the ones you'll reach for every single week.
FRONT BACK Why do we start every lesson with rice? Because if your rice is wrong, everything else on the table is compensating for it. Most people's rice is undercooked, not because they can't cook — because they don't rinse it enough or they guess the water level. Rice cooker method: rinse, measure, cook — what's the water ratio? Rinse until the water runs mostly clear (won't ever be fully clear, don't chase that). Then use the marks on the pot, or 1:1 rice to water by volume for short-grain, adjusted slightly up if the rice is older. Your rice cooker dies mid-week. What's the stovetop fix? Rinsed rice, same water ratio, lid on, high heat until it boils, then lowest heat for about 12 minutes, then off heat resting for 10 more. Do not lift the lid during the rest. That's not optional, that's the whole method. What's on the pantry list you can grab at Costco or Macey's? Soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, garlic, brown sugar, a big bag of short-grain rice, gochugaru if your store carries it, eggs, green onion, cucumbers. What's worth the one trip to the Korean grocery? Gochujang, doenjang, good gochugaru if you didn't find it elsewhere, sweet potato starch noodles for japchae, and a real jar of fish sauce. Buy in bulk — it keeps, and you're not driving back next week. What four things build a basic bulgogi marinade? Soy sauce, sugar, garlic, sesame oil. Everything after that is seasoning to taste — pear or onion for tenderizing, black pepper, a little mirin if you have it. Marinate for time, not vibes — what does that actually mean? It means set a timer instead of eyeballing it. Thin-sliced beef: 30 minutes minimum, 4 hours max in the fridge. Past that the texture turns on you. I don't care how busy your day got. Why do the tongs stay close when you're cooking the meat? Because bulgogi cooks fast in a hot pan and it's easy to walk away for "just a second." Thin-sliced meat goes from marinated to shoe leather in about ninety seconds of inattention. What cuts of beef hold up as substitutes when you can't find thin-sliced ribeye? Flank steak or sirloin, sliced thin against the grain, partially frozen first so your knife doesn't fight you. Can you swap the sugar in a marinade? What holds up? Brown sugar, honey, or Asian pear all work. White sugar is fine in a pinch but flatter. Don't use a sugar substitute here — it doesn't caramelize the same way in the pan. Is low-sodium soy sauce a fair substitution? Yes, but add a little extra — the salt is doing flavor work, not just seasoning work, and you'll taste the gap otherwise. How does the chicken variation change the marinade? Same base marinade, but chicken thigh can sit longer — up to overnight — without breaking down the way beef does. What's the pork variation's one big adjustment? Add a touch more sugar and let it cook a little longer — pork needs to actually finish cooking through, unlike quick-seared beef. What is banchan, in plain terms? The small side dishes that sit around the rice and the main dish. Not garnish — they're their own food, meant to be refilled and mixed into your rice as you go. Where do people usually give up on banchan? Right at the start, thinking they need six kinds on the table before dinner counts. Start with two. Nobody's grading you. What's the method for seasoned spinach (sigeumchi namul)? Blanch briefly, shock in cold water, squeeze dry — really squeeze, more than feels necessary — then season with sesame oil, garlic, salt. What makes soy-braised potatoes and eggs (gamja jorim) forgiving for beginners? It's a simmer-and-reduce dish — small cubed potatoes, boiled eggs, soy, sugar, simmered until the sauce clings. Hard to overcook into a disaster. What's the fix if your cucumber salad turns watery? Salt the cucumber slices first and let them sit 10 minutes, then drain before dressing. Skipping that step is the whole problem. How long does most banchan actually keep in the fridge? Three to five days in a sealed container, most of it. Namul dishes are best within three — they lose their texture after that. What's "the hill I'll die on" about store-bought banchan or kimchi? That it's completely fine to buy some of it. Homemade everything, every week, isn't sustainable, and a good jarred kimchi doesn't make you less of a cook. What's the first physical step in making kimchi, before any seasoning? Salting the cabbage and letting it sit until it wilts down — this pulls water out and is what gives kimchi its texture. Don't rush this part. What goes into the kimchi paste besides gochugaru? Garlic, ginger, fish sauce or salted shrimp, sugar, and usually a rice-flour slurry to help it cling to the cabbage. What does "burping the jar" mean and why do it? Cracking the lid briefly during fermentation to let built-up gas escape, so the jar doesn't pressure itself into a mess on your counter. Do this daily for the first few days. What's a good use for kimchi that's gone past its prime? Fried rice or jjigae (stew) — older, funkier kimchi actually cooks up better in those than fresh kimchi does. Nothing here is wasted. What is gochujang, and how is it different from gochugaru? Gochujang is a fermented, thick chili paste — sweet, salty, savory. Gochugaru is just the dried chili flake. You use them differently: gochujang in sauces and stews, gochugaru for texture and color. What's the loose structure of a bibimbap bowl? Rice on the bottom, a few banchan or sautéed vegetables arranged around the edge, protein of your choice, egg on top, gochujang mixed in at the table — not before. What's the key texture note for japchae noodles? Sweet potato starch noodles should be chewy, not mushy — pull them from the boiling water a little before you think they're done, they keep cooking as you toss them. Where do soups like doenjang jjigae tend to go wrong? People add the doenjang too early and boil off its flavor, or they add it all at once instead of dissolving it into a little broth first. Add it toward the middle of cooking, dissolved, not dumped. When planning a family dinner menu, what comes first? The rice timing. Everything else on the menu gets scheduled backward from when the rice needs to start. What's the general prep order for a multi-dish Korean dinner? Start the rice, prep anything that needs marinating time first, do banchan while things simmer or marinate, cook the main dish last since it's fastest. Why does cooking timing change at altitude — say, 4,600 feet? Water boils at a lower temperature, so rice and simmered dishes need a little more time or a little more liquid than a sea-level recipe assumes. What's the point of setting the whole spread out at once instead of serving in courses? It's how the meal is meant to work — rice, banchan, and main dish together, so you're mixing and pairing bites as you go, not eating them in sequence. ---
I still check the water level on my rice with my fingertip before I hit start, every single time, twenty years in. Some habits aren't superstition — they're just insurance.
Memory helpsMnemonics & memory helps
Print it, fold it, stick it on the fridge.
Mnemonics & Memory Helps
A few tricks I made up over the years because I got tired of forgetting my own steps. Some of these are a little corny. I'm not sorry about all of them.
Margin note: I still use every single one of these myself, including the one I apologize for below. That's how you know they work.
---
"R.I.C.E. First, Ask Questions Later"
Unpacks: Why we start with rice, and why yours is probably undercooked.
- R — Rinse until the water runs almost clear
- I — Immerse (let it soak, don't rush this)
- C — Correct water ratio, every time, no eyeballing
- E — Even heat, lid stays on, no peeking
Most undercooked rice happens because someone skipped the soak and lifted the lid three times out of nerves. The lid is not a suggestion.
---
"Wash Two, Walk Away"
Unpacks: Rinse, measure, cook — the rice cooker method.
Rinse the rice twice, walk away for the water-to-fingertip measure (knuckle test, first line), and let the machine do the rest. Two rinses is the sweet spot — enough to get rid of surface starch, not so much you're standing at the sink having an existential moment about rice.
I still check this one myself. Every time. Twenty years in.
---
"No Machine, No Problem: 5-15-10"
Unpacks: Stovetop rice for when the rice cooker dies on you (and it will, usually on a Tuesday).
- 5 minutes high heat until it boils
- 15 minutes low heat, lid on, don't touch it
- 10 minutes off heat, still covered, resting
5-15-10. Say it like a phone number. It's the same rhythm as the machine, you're just doing the thinking the machine usually does for you.
---
"The C-M-K Rule"
Unpacks: The pantry list — what Costco and Macey's cover, and when you actually need the Korean grocery.
- Costco: soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic, the big stuff
- Macey's: produce, eggs, everyday sweeteners
- Korean grocery: the things nobody else carries — gochujang, gochugaru, doenjang, fish sauce, the good rice cakes
If it's not one of the K items, you probably don't need to make a special trip. That's the whole test.
---
"One Trip, Three Bags"
Unpacks: Making one trip to the Korean grocery count.
Mentally sort your list into three bags before you even leave the house:
- Pastes and powders (gochujang, gochugaru, doenjang)
- Sauces and liquids (fish sauce, rice vinegar, mirin)
- Fresh and frozen (rice cakes, perilla leaves, kimchi if you're not making your own)
Three bags means you're not wandering the same aisle twice wondering what you forgot. You forgot something anyway. It's fine.
---
"S.O.G.S." for the Marinade
Unpacks: What goes in a bulgogi marinade and why.
- S — Soy sauce (the salt and the savor)
- O — Onion and other aromatics, grated or pureed, for sweetness and tenderizing
- G — Garlic, always more than you think
- S — Sugar or pear, the thing that actually breaks the meat down
I tell people: if you remember S.O.G.S., you'll never forget that the pear is doing real work, not just flavor. It's an enzyme thing. It's not decoration.
---
"Set It, Don't Sniff It"
Unpacks: Marinating for time, not vibes — actually setting a timer.
You cannot smell whether meat is "marinated enough." I don't care how good your nose is. Set a timer. Thin-sliced beef: 30 minutes minimum, up to overnight. No sniffing, no poking, no "I think it's ready." The timer decides, not your impatience.
---
"Tongs Never Sleep"
Unpacks: Cutting and cooking the meat — and why the tongs stay in your hand the whole time.
Corny, but it's saved me more than once: the tongs never sleep, and neither do you while that pan is hot. Bulgogi cooks fast over high heat. The second you set the tongs down to check your phone is the second something scorches.
I'm not apologizing for this one. It's saved dinner too many times.
---
"Swap Smart: C.S.S."
Unpacks: Substitutions that actually hold up — cuts, sweeteners, soy.
- Cuts: ribeye or chuck instead of the traditional cut, sliced thin against the grain
- Sweeteners: brown sugar or honey can stand in for pear in a pinch, though pear is still better
- Soy: low-sodium is fine, coconut aminos is not the same dish, know that going in
C.S.S. — remember it like you're checking a website's security. If the substitution doesn't hold up under heat, it wasn't a real substitution.
---
"Same Bones, Different Bird" (and Pig)
Unpacks: Chicken and pork variations on the base marinade.
The marinade skeleton stays the same — soy, aromatics, sweetener — you're just changing what's wearing it. Chicken takes less time to marinate and cooks faster. Pork (I like shoulder) can take a little more time and a little more heat. Same bones, different bird. Yes, I know pork isn't a bird. It rhymes better than it makes sense. I'm okay with that.
---
"Banchan = Backup Singers"
Unpacks: What banchan actually is, and where people give up on it.
Banchan aren't the main event — they're the backup singers. They don't need to be perfect, they need to show up and support the lead. People give up because they're trying to make six banchan as complicated as the entrée. Don't. Pick two or three, keep them simple, let the main dish be the main dish.
---
"Namul in Under Ten"
Unpacks: Seasoned spinach and other quick namul.
Blanch, squeeze, season — under ten minutes, under ten ingredients, no exceptions. If a namul recipe is asking for more than sesame oil, garlic, and salt, it's trying too hard. Namul is supposed to be the thing you make while something else is cooking, not its own project.
---
"Braise Low, Braise Slow, Don't Say No to the Egg"
Unpacks: Soy-braised potatoes and eggs.
A reminder that this dish rewards patience, not heat. Low and slow gets you that glossy, dark coating. And don't skip the boiled eggs at the end just because you're tired — they soak up the braising liquid better than anything else in the pot. They're doing more work than the potatoes, honestly.
---
"Cool Cuke Rule"
Unpacks: Marinated cucumber for hot days.
Salt it, let it sweat, squeeze it out, then dress it. Skipping the salt-and-squeeze step is the difference between a crisp side dish and a watery one sitting in a puddle of its own regret. Cool Cuke Rule: salt first, dress last.
---
"Fridge Math"
Unpacks: Make-ahead and storage — what keeps, and for how long.
- Banchan: 3-5 days, most of them
- Marinated meat, uncooked: up to 2 days, then freeze it
- Cooked bulgogi: 3 days, reheats fine
- Kimchi: basically forever, it just changes personality
Fridge Math isn't complicated, but it's the one thing people forget to actually do — write the date on the container. Your future self does not remember what "recently" meant.
---
"The Store-Bought Hill"
Unpacks: Store-bought is fine — the hill I'll die on.
Not really a mnemonic, more a permission slip: kimchi, gochujang, even pre-cut meat from the store are all fine. This is the hill. I will die on it. Nobody's homemade-everything Instagram photo is feeding their family on a Tuesday. Mine isn't either, some weeks.
---
"S.R.P." for Cabbage Prep
Unpacks: Salting and prepping the cabbage for kimchi.
- Salt it generously, layer by layer
- Rest it, 1-2 hours, flipping once
- Press out the water before you do anything else
If you skip the rest step, your kimchi will be watery and sad. S.R.P. — salt, rest, press, in that order, no shortcuts.
---
"Paste First, Cabbage Second"
Unpacks: Mixing the paste with gochugaru.
Always build your paste — gochugaru, fish sauce, garlic, sugar, the works — in its own bowl before it touches the cabbage. Mixing it directly in the cabbage bowl means uneven seasoning and a lot of regret in week two.
---
"Jar, Wait, Burp, Repeat"
Unpacks: Jarring, fermenting, and burping the jar.
Jar it loosely packed, wait a day at room temp, burp the jar (open the lid briefly to release gas), then repeat that burp daily for the first few days. Jar, Wait, Burp, Repeat — say it like a jump-rope rhyme if that helps you remember. It helped my nephew, and he was seven.
---
"Old Kimchi Never Dies, It Just Gets a New Job"
Unpacks: Using kimchi past its prime — fried rice and jjigae.
Overripe, extra-sour kimchi isn't a mistake, it's an ingredient for something else. Old kimchi's new job is jjigae or fried rice, where that sourness is exactly what you want. Don't throw it out. Promote it.
---
"Gochujang Is Not Gochugaru (Say It Three Times)"
Unpacks: What gochujang actually is and how to use it — separating it from gochugaru in people's heads for good.
Gochujang — thick, fermented, salty-sweet paste. Gochugaru — dry, red pepper flakes. They are not interchangeable, and mixing them up is the single most common mistake in my classes. Say it three times before you shop: jang is paste, garu is flakes.
---
"B.Y.O.B.: Build Your Own Bowl"
Unpacks: Bibimbap, assembled your way.
Rice on the bottom, namul and protein arranged around the edge like a clock, egg or gochujang in the center. B.Y.O.B. — Build Your Own Bowl — because the actual order of assembly matters less than people think. This one's genuinely flexible. Use what you have.
---
"Soak, Stretch, Snip"
Unpacks: Japchae with sweet potato noodles.
- Soak the noodles until pliable, not mushy
- Stretch them out to check doneness — they should have some give, not snap
- Snip with kitchen shears if they're too long for polite eating
Sweet potato noodles are stretchier and more stubborn than regular noodles. Soak, Stretch, Snip covers the whole relationship.
---
"Doenjang Doesn't Rush"
Unpacks: Doenjang jjigae, and where soups get me every time.
The mistake I make, and see other people make, is turning up the heat to speed up a soup that needs low and slow to develop flavor. Doenjang doesn't rush, so neither do you. If you're impatient, that's a sign you started the soup too late, not a reason to blast the heat now.
---
"Menu Like a Map"
Unpacks: Planning a family dinner menu.
Think of the menu as a map with one main road (the protein) and a few side streets (banchan) that all
Cheat sheetOne-page note card — Bulgogi & Beyond: Korean Home Cooking
Print it, fold it, stick it on the fridge.
Bulgogi & Beyond — Fridge Note Card
Tape this above the stove. Everything else is in the recipe cards.
---
Rice (Get This Right First)
What How Rinse 3–4 times, water goes from cloudy to mostly clear Rice cooker ratio 1 cup rice : 1 cup water, flat on top Stovetop backup Same ratio, boil uncovered 2 min, lid on, low 12 min, off heat rest 10 min Altitude note (4,600 ft) Add 1–2 extra Tbsp water, rest longer, don't peek If your rice is crunchy in the middle, it's not the recipe — it's the resting time. Give it the 10 minutes.
---
Bulgogi Marinade (Ratio, Not Vibes)
Per 1 lb thin-sliced meat: - ¼ cup soy sauce - 2 Tbsp sugar (brown or white, both work) - 2 Tbsp grated pear or apple (or 1 tsp extra sugar if you're out) - 1 Tbsp sesame oil - 3 cloves garlic, grated - Black pepper
Marinate: 30 min minimum, 4 hrs max in the fridge. Set a timer. Longer isn't better — the meat gets mushy.
---
Substitutions That Actually Hold Up
Instead of... Use... Ribeye, thin-cut Chuck or sirloin, sliced thin and partially frozen first Korean pear Apple, or just extra sugar Regular soy sauce Low-sodium is fine — add a pinch of salt back Chicken/pork version Same marinade, add 1 Tbsp gochujang for pork ---
Pantry List
- Costco/Macey's covers: soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic, brown sugar, rice, eggs, cucumbers, spinach, potatoes
- One Korean grocery trip: gochugaru, gochujang, doenjang, sweet potato noodles (dangmyeon), a jar or two of good store-bought kimchi as backup
Store-bought kimchi is fine. I will die on this hill. Make your own when you want to, not because you have to.
---
Quick Banchan (Where People Give Up — Don't)
- Seasoned spinach: blanch 30 sec, shock in cold water, squeeze dry, toss with sesame oil, garlic, salt
- Soy-braised potatoes: cube, simmer in soy sauce + sugar + water until glossy, 15 min
- Cucumber salad: salt, sit 10 min, squeeze out water, dress with vinegar, sugar, chili flakes
- Banchan doesn't need to be a production. Three small things on the table counts.
---
Kimchi Basics
- Salt cabbage, let sit 1–2 hrs, rinse, squeeze
- Mix paste: gochugaru, garlic, ginger, fish sauce, sugar
- Massage into cabbage, pack into a clean jar
- Burp the jar daily for 2–3 days on the counter, then fridge
- Past its prime? Into fried rice or jjigae — that's not a failure, that's the plan
---
Gochujang, Fast
Sweet, salty, slow-burn heat. Thin with a little water or sesame oil before using as a sauce. Goes in bibimbap, marinades, and stirred into soup for depth.
---
Bigger Dishes
- Bibimbap: rice, namul, protein, fried egg, gochujang — assemble your way, no wrong order
- Japchae: soak sweet potato noodles, don't overcook, toss hot with sesame oil so they don't clump
- Doenjang jjigae: this is where soups get me — taste before you salt, doenjang is already salty
---
Family Dinner: The Order of Operations
- Rice starts first (it holds fine once done)
- Banchan while rice cooks
- Marinate meat the night before if you can
- Cook meat last, tongs within reach
- Everything hits the table at once — that's the whole point
---
I still check the marinade timer myself. Every time. It's not about being sloppy — it's about having your hands free to do something else while it works.
From your classmates
Recipes, cheat sheets, and notes that class members typed up and shared.
Recipebulgogi-recipe-community-ed-handoutshared by Bailey Madsen
OUR VERSION OF THE BULGOGI FROM CLASS
(this is the marinade we landed on after making it like 5 times this summer - Jeffrey has opinions, kids have opinions, I have opinions, this is the compromise)
WHAT YOU NEED
- Thin sliced beef (ribeye if you're feeling good about life, chuck if it's a Tuesday). Macey's has pre-sliced bulgogi meat in the Asian foods section by the produce side, which saved me a LOT of time trying to slice it thin myself in the freezer like the instructor showed us. If they're out I just ask the meat counter to slice a chuck roast thin for me! They'll do it! You just have to ask.
- Soy sauce
- Brown sugar (we use more than the recipe says, my kids like it sweet, don't @ me)
- Asian pear OR a regular pear if that's what's in the fridge - I honestly can't always tell the difference once it's blended
- Garlic, a lot, more than feels reasonable
- Sesame oil
- Green onion
- Black pepper
THE ACTUAL METHOD
Blend the pear, garlic, a splash of the soy sauce, and a little water till smooth. Mix that with the rest of the soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil, green onion, pepper! Pour over the meat. Let it sit minimum 2 hours, overnight if you can manage your life well enough to plan that far ahead (I rarely can 😂)!
Cook it hot and fast in a big pan, don't crowd the meat or it steams instead of sears - learned that one the hard way, first batch was sad and gray.
WHERE I GET STUFF
Sesame oil and the good soy sauce (not the grocery store brand) I get at WinCo, they have a whole shelf of it for less than anywhere else. Green onion and garlic obviously anywhere, I just grab at Macey's since it's closest to the house.
Serve with rice, obviously, and whatever banchan didn't get eaten straight out of the container standing at the fridge (that's a me thing, not a recipe thing).
At the end of the day (ironically) this is the one Korean dish my whole family will eat without complaint, so it's staying in rotation.
Recipekimchi fried rice - jen's weeknight versionshared by Baylee Davis
kimchi fried rice (the kid-friendly version jen shared)
jen made this for our last class potluck and i made dustin request it again the following week, so. here it is, written down before i lose the paper i scribbled it on.
what you need - leftover rice (day-old, cold, this actually matters, fresh rice turns to mush) - kimchi, chopped up, plus a couple spoonfuls of the juice - bacon, cut into little pieces (jen's shortcut instead of pork belly, works great, don't @ me) - one egg per person, fried - butter - soy sauce - green onion if you have it, skip it if you don't, no one will know
how she does It brown the bacon first in a big pan till it's crispy-ish. take it out but leave the grease in there (this is the whole trick, jen says, do not drain it).
throw the kimchi in that bacon grease and let it cook down for a few minutes, it gets a little jammy and less sharp.
dump in the rice, break it up with your spatula, mix it all around with the kimchi and bacon. add a splash of the kimchi juice and a glug of soy sauce. let it sit undisturbed for a minute so the bottom gets a little crispy, then stir, repeat once.
melt a pat of butter in at the very end (jen swears this rounds out the sourness, and she's right, don't skip it).
fry an egg for each person, runny yolk, plop it on top.
for the kids jen rinses a little of the kimchi under water first if her kids are being picky that week, cuts the sharpness way down. liam ate this. brody picked out the kimchi pieces and ate everything else, which honestly, still a win in my book.
good with the costco kimchi, don't need anything fancy... and if you're out of bacon, this would probably work with the little hot dogs too, i haven't tried it but jen said her sister does it that way.
Zoom dial-in transcripts
We run an optional Zoom Q&A between classes — join by computer or dial in by phone. Transcripts are auto-generated, so forgive the mess.
Zoom transcriptZoom dial-in Q&A — week 2 (transcript)
Auto-transcript from the weekly Zoom dial-in, lightly cleaned up. Mistakes, tangents, and all.
[7:01 PM]
CAROLINE: —can everyone hear me okay, I feel like I say that every single week
BAILEY: we hear you, yeah
CAROLINE: okay good because last week apparently half of you were watching me mouth words for like three minutes and nobody said anything
BAYLEE: [laughing] we thought it was like, artistic
CAROLINE: uh huh. okay well hi everybody, welcome back, this is week two dial-in, so tonight's technically about the marinade stuff and the, um, the quick-pickle banchan we did in class, so if you have questions on the bulgogi marinade or the oi muchim, this is the time
KRISTY: sorry I'm — can you hear me okay, I'm on my phone, I'm driving to pick up my kid so
CAROLINE: you're driving?
KRISTY: [inaudible] —hands free, I promise, I just wanted to catch the beginning
CAROLINE: okay well drive safe, and your audio's a little underwater but we'll work with it
DIANNA: [7:03 PM] hi sorry I'm late, what'd I miss, did we already do the marinade ratio thing
CAROLINE: no we're just starting, you're fine. okay so, the big question I got a bunch of emails about this week was the pear. the asian pear in the marinade
BAILEY: yes okay thank you because mine turned out weird
CAROLINE: what happened
BAILEY: it was like, really watery? like the whole thing was soupy and the meat didn't really — it wasn't sticking to anything
CAROLINE: okay so this is really common, um, so when you grate the pear you're getting a ton of liquid out of it, that's normal, that's the enzyme doing its job, breaking down the meat fibers. but if your pear was really ripe, like really juicy, you're gonna get too much liquid and it dilutes your soy sauce ratio and then nothing reduces properly in the pan
BAILEY: so do I use less pear
CAROLINE: you could, or — actually what I do, and I didn't say this in class because I ran out of time, I drain some of the grated pear in a fine mesh strainer for like five minutes before I mix it in. just squeeze some of that liquid out. keeps the marinade from being soup
DIANNA: can you use a different fruit if you can't find asian pear, cause the American Fork Smith's did not have it last week, I looked
CAROLINE: [laughing] yeah the produce situation here, I know. um, kiwi works, actually kiwi's even more aggressive with the tenderizing so use less of it, like half. regular pear, the bartlett kind, works in a pinch but it's not as effective, you'll want to marinate a little longer if you use that
ALISHA: [7:06 PM] hi um, can I ask about the timing, like how long is too long, I left mine in overnight and I got nervous
CAROLINE: overnight's fine, that's actually where I land most of the time, um, the thing you don't want is like — two days, three days, because then the texture gets almost mushy, it's not a good mushy, it's like
ALISHA: mealy?
CAROLINE: yeah, mealy, that's the word. so overnight, or even like six hours if you're short on time, six hours is genuinely enough, people think you need this whole day-long thing and you don't
[dog barking, loud]
CAROLINE: sorry that's — Biscuit, hold on
[pause]
CAROLINE: sorry, he does this every single call, I don't know what's out there
BAYLEE: no worries
CAROLINE: okay where was I. oh — six hours minimum if you're doing weeknight bulgogi, that's kind of my whole thing anyway, dinner by 6:15, you don't have time for a day-long marinade on a Tuesday
KRISTY: [garbled] —sorry can you say that again, I lost you for a second, something about six
CAROLINE: six hours, minimum marinade time, you're good
KRISTY: okay got it, [inaudible] almost at the school
CAROLINE: go get your kid, we'll catch you up
BAILEY: can we talk about the oi muchim, the cucumber thing, mine was really watery too, is that a theme tonight
CAROLINE: [laughing] apparently, um, so with the cucumber same idea, salt draws out water, that's the point, but you have to actually drain it, like a lot of people salt it and then just dump the dressing on right away and it gets diluted. you gotta let it sit ten minutes, then squeeze it, like actually squeeze it in a paper towel or a clean dish towel
DIANNA: how hard are we talking, like
CAROLINE: like you're wringing out a washcloth. don't be delicate about it
DIANNA: okay [laughing] noted
ALISHA: is the gochugaru amount flexible, cause mine was really spicy and my husband couldn't eat it
CAROLINE: yeah completely, that recipe card amount is kind of medium-spicy for me, which probably means it's very spicy for other people, my spice tolerance is not a great baseline honestly. cut it in half, taste, add back if you want more
BAYLEE: quick tangent, is anyone else's weather just insane right now, it was like 98 today
CAROLINE: [laughing] I saw that, yeah, I was sweating just walking to get the mail, um — okay but that's actually relevant, in hot weather your marinade time should trend shorter if you're doing it on the counter, don't leave it out, fridge only, I say that every week too I think
BAILEY: you do
CAROLINE: okay good, consistency
[kid's voice in background, muffled, "mom is it done yet"]
DIANNA: [laughing] sounds like somebody's hungry
CAROLINE: that's not even my kid, I don't think, is someone's mic —
BAYLEE: sorry that's mine, one sec — [muffled] not yet buddy, five minutes — sorry, go ahead
CAROLINE: no you're good. um, did anyone try the quick-pickled radish, the one substitution I mentioned for people who don't want to source Korean radish
ALISHA: I used regular daikon, worked fine I think? it was a little more watery than what you showed in class
CAROLINE: yeah daikon's got more water content generally, that tracks, so same fix, salt it a little longer, squeeze it out before you pickle
DIANNA: is there a substitute for rice vinegar if you're out, I got halfway through and realized I didn't have any
CAROLINE: apple cider vinegar in a pinch, it'll be a little sharper, not as clean tasting, but it'll work for one batch. I wouldn't make it a permanent swap
DIANNA: okay good cause that's what I used, glad I didn't ruin it
CAROLINE: no you're fine
BAILEY: what are we doing next week, is it the stews or
CAROLINE: next week's doenjang jjigae and a couple banchan to go with it, I'll send the recipe card out Thursday like usual
BAYLEE: can you do the shopping list a little earlier this time, I keep going to the store without it
CAROLINE: yeah, that's fair, I'll try to get it out Wednesday instead, no promises
ALISHA: okay one more question, sorry, is the tofu supposed to be the soft kind or the firm kind for that stew, I'm asking now so I don't panic buy the wrong thing next Tuesday
CAROLINE: soft, like the silken-ish soft tofu, not the extra firm you'd use for pan-frying, I'll put it on the shopping list so you're not guessing
ALISHA: thank you
CAROLINE: of course. okay does anyone have anything else or are we —
BAYLEE: I think we're good, thank you Caroline
CAROLINE: yeah of course, okay I'm getting the signal from my kitchen that dinner— alright, see everybody
Zoom transcriptZoom dial-in Q&A — week 5 (transcript)
Auto-transcript from the weekly Zoom dial-in, lightly cleaned up. Mistakes, tangents, and all.
[7:01 PM]
CAROLINE: —can everyone hear me okay, I see Bailey and Baylee both on here which every week I have to like, mentally sort you two—
BAILEY: [laughing] we get that a lot
CAROLINE: I know, I know. Okay so, sorry, I was un-muting and re-muting, my computer's being weird tonight. Um. Okay I think we're recording, or — Kristy are you seeing the recording thing?
KRISTY: I think so, yeah there's a little red dot
CAROLINE: great, okay. So welcome everybody, this is the week five dial-in, so we're off of Tuesday's class which was the kimchi stuff, the napa cabbage kimchi and then the quick radish one, the kkakdugi — did I say that right, I never say it the same way twice—
BAYLEE: kkak-doo-gi?
CAROLINE: sure, yeah, close enough, my mom would wince but. Okay so what's on people's minds, who's got a—
DIANNA: [7:03 PM] sorry can I jump in, I joined a little late, did I miss anything or are we just starting
CAROLINE: no we're just starting, don't worry, we were just doing the hi-how-are-you part
DIANNA: okay good, sorry, my dog would not stop barking at the door, someone was doing something on my porch, I don't even know
CAROLINE: no worries. Okay so, questions, go.
BAILEY: okay so mine is about the salt ratio for the napa. Because I did it Tuesday night and then again last night just to like, practice, and the second batch tasted so much saltier and I don't know if I did something wrong or if it's just, I don't know, that it needs to sit longer or—
CAROLINE: okay so a couple things. First, are you weighing the cabbage or are you eyeballing it
BAILEY: eyeballing
CAROLINE: that's probably it, honestly. Because the salt for the brine, the ratio only works if you're being somewhat consistent about how much cabbage you've got, and eyeballing, one head of napa versus another, they're wildly different weights depending on— so my mom would just say "use your judgment" and I hated that answer for years, that's actually part of why I started writing all this down, because "use your judgment" is not a recipe, it's a — it's a personality trait
BAILEY: [laughing] right
CAROLINE: so the ratio I give in the recipe card, it's by weight, and if you don't have a kitchen scale I'd actually just — get one, they're twelve dollars, it'll change your life, not just for this. But also, second thing, did you rinse after the salt sat?
BAILEY: um, I think so? I did the thing where you leave it like an hour and then
CAROLINE: rinse it, though, like actually rinse, multiple times, cold water, because if you don't rinse enough you're layering salt on salt on salt once the seasoning paste goes on, and that compounds
BAILEY: I don't think I rinsed enough then
CAROLINE: yeah that's probably your answer. Try again this weekend and actually taste the cabbage after the rinse, before you season it, it should taste like — barely salty, not aggressively salty
[dog barking, muffled]
DIANNA: sorry, sorry, one second—
CAROLINE: no it's okay
DIANNA: [inaudible] —he's fine, he just does this—
CAROLINE: [laughing] all good. Okay who else
ALISHA: I have one but it's kind of a dumb question
CAROLINE: there's no dumb questions, go
ALISHA: okay so the radish kimchi, the kkakdugi, mine did not get that like, cubed uniform look, like yours in the demo, mine's all kind of, some pieces bigger some smaller, does that actually matter for like fermentation reasons or is it just aesthetic
CAROLINE: it's mostly aesthetic but it does matter a little for timing, because the bigger cubes ferment slower than the small ones, so if you've got a real mix in there you might get some pieces that are ready before others, texturally. Not a huge deal, but if you want that really consistent crunch across the whole jar, try to get them closer to like, three-quarter inch, all similar. I use a ruler the first few times I taught myself this, which sounds insane but—
KRISTY: wait you used an actual ruler
CAROLINE: I did, don't tell my mom, she'd never
[crosstalk]
BAYLEE: that's such a — sorry, go ahead
KRISTY: no no you go
BAYLEE: I was just gonna say that's such a logistics-brain thing to do, like measuring radish cubes with a ruler
CAROLINE: [laughing] yeah that's — that's fair, that's very on brand for me, my husband makes fun of me for this exact thing actually, Scott, he's like "you time-blocked the kimchi" and I was like yes, I did, because otherwise I lose track of which jar started when
[7:11 PM]
CAROLINE: okay, other questions, or are we good on kimchi and I should—
KRISTY: I have one, um, it's kind of unrelated maybe, is it okay if the house smells like fermenting cabbage for like, days, is that normal or did I do something wrong
CAROLINE: [laughing] no that's normal, that's kimchi, I'm sorry, my house smells like that basically the entire month of— honestly I've made peace with it. If it's really strong strong, like sulfur-y strong, that can mean it's fermenting a little warm, so if you've got it on a counter near a heat vent or in direct sun, move it somewhere cooler, that'll slow it down and mellow the smell some
KRISTY: okay good, it's not like, spoiled
CAROLINE: no, spoiled is a different smell, you'll know it, it's like — off in a bad way, not just pungent. If it's ever fuzzy or a weird color, throw it out, but smell alone, no, that's just the process
DIANNA: can I ask something totally off topic, sorry
CAROLINE: sure
DIANNA: is it supposed to snow this weekend, I saw something on the news and I was like, in June, really
CAROLINE: I saw that too, I don't— I mean this is Utah, so, nothing shocks me anymore, my kids' school did a snow day in April one year, so
BAILEY: [laughing] we had a hailstorm on Memorial Day
CAROLINE: see, exactly, exactly this
[kid's voice in background, muffled]
CAROLINE: sorry, one sec — [inaudible, muffled] — no, in a minute, mommy's doing her class — sorry, everybody
BAYLEE: no worries
CAROLINE: okay where were we, sorry. Kimchi, smell, not spoiled, good. What else, we've got about ten more minutes I think before people start peeling off
ALISHA: can you go over the fish sauce versus salted shrimp thing again, like when do you use which
CAROLINE: yeah so for the napa kimchi I use both, the fish sauce and the saeujeot, the salted shrimp, together, because they do slightly different things, the fish sauce gives you that deep savory base and the shrimp adds a little more brightness and funk on top. If you can't find saeujeot, which, I know, depending where you're shopping in Utah County that's a real possibility, you can just increase the fish sauce a little and it'll still work, it won't be identical but it'll be good
ALISHA: okay that's helpful, I could not find it at my regular grocery store obviously
CAROLINE: yeah you'd need the H Mart out in — is it Cottonwood Heights? Or there's the one further—
BAYLEE: I think there's one in Sandy now too
CAROLINE: oh good to know, okay, I'll double check that, I don't want to send you on a wild goose chase, if I'm wrong about the location I'll — I'll find out and let you know next week
[phone participant, garbled]
PHONE VOICE: [inaudible] —sorry can, can everyone hear me, I'm dialing in from my, I'm in the car—
CAROLINE: oh hi — sorry who is this, I can barely—
PHONE VOICE: it's Marilyn, I'm sorry the connection's really [inaudible] —
CAROLINE: Marilyn, hi, you're really cutting out, can you maybe text your question and I'll try to answer
PHONE VOICE: [garbled, inaudible] —the marinade—
CAROLINE: I'm getting like every third word, I'm sorry, try texting me
[7:17 PM]
CAROLINE: okay while we wait on that, anybody else, we're getting close to time
KRISTY: just quickly, next week is the last class, right, is that the bulgogi one or did we already—
CAROLINE: no we did bulgogi week two, next week's actually the japchae and the banchan spread, kind of a pull-it-all-together week
KRISTY: oh right, okay
CAROLINE: yeah so bring your appetite, mentally, for that one
DIANNA: okay I'm getting the signal from my kitchen that dinner— alright, see everybody
CAROLINE: bye Dianna, see you Tuesday—
BAYLEE: bye everyone
CAROLINE: okay I think that's most of us, if Marilyn's question comes through by text I'll just answer the group over email probably, um—
Around the web
Sites we keep coming back to — some picked by your instructor, some shared in class.
- Kimchimari ↗shared by Baylee Davis
Great kimchi troubleshooting posts, which you will want around week 4.
- My Korean Kitchen ↗shared by Bailey Madsen
Clear steps and honest substitution notes for when you can't find an ingredient locally.
- Korean Bapsang ↗
A home cook's blog I trust. Her doenjang jjigae is the one I'd start with.
- Maangchi ↗
The queen of Korean home cooking on the internet. Her recipes are exact and they work.
- Gochujang (Wikipedia) ↗
What it is and how it's made. Read this and the tub label starts making sense.
- Banchan (Wikipedia) ↗
All the little plates, named. Good for putting words to what you ate at a restaurant.
- Bulgogi (Wikipedia) ↗
Decent history of the dish, and it settles the 'fire meat' translation debate from week 1.
Practice corner
6 quizzes and 2 games — playable by anyone, no account needed.
Open the practice corner →