Some non-Koreans may be puzzled to see Koreans eating anchovies with their eyes and head all attached to them. After watching a few cooking shows on the food channel, I found out Americans usually use anchovies in sauce, mostly melted (so the perplexity understood).

Koreans use anchovies mainly in two different ways: using bigger anchovies to make broth and using smaller anchovies to make a tasty side dish - myulchi bokkeum. [......]

Doenjang jjigae is a popular Korean dish made with fermented Korean soybean paste, doenjang. It’s a great dish to take all the nutrients of doenjang. Because it’s one of the most common and popular dishes in Korea, you will probably find it in almost all Korean restaurants.

But if you’d like to try this at home, don’t hesitate. It’s very simple to make it, and it doesn’t take a lot of time.* [......]

Doenjang, a traditional Korean fermented soy bean paste, has been one of the main ingredients in Korean dishes for centuries. The taste and smell of doenjang may be too strong for non-Koreans who try it first time because it’s fermented for weeks or months, but for that reason, its nutritional value is very high. [......]

Dubu Kimchi (Tofu with Kimchi Bokkeum) is one of the most popular anju (snacks for alcoholic beverages) for soju lovers. But it can be a great side dish for regular meals, or it can replace a regular meal for those who want to shed extra pounds.

It is indeed an excellent “healthy” diet food for those who like kimchi. Dubu (Tofu, soy bean curd), high in protein, low in saturated fat, has low calories and can reduce the risk of heart diseases by lowering the bad cholesterol level. It’s a good source of vitamin E, B-vitamins and calcium. Kimchi is also full of vitamins and minerals. Depending on how you cook and what to add, you can minimize the fat from this dish. [......]

Tteok Manduguk - Korean dumpling soup with rice cake has become one of my favorite dishes these days because it’s one of the easiest guk(soup) that I can make and still delicious. Of course, it will will be a very different story if I dare to make mandu(dumpling) from the scratch. (I do have a strong ambition to make mandu myself one of these days, though!)

But not any time soon. I buy pre-cooked frozen mandu from local Korean grocery stores. There are many different kinds such as kimchi mandu, pork mandu, vegatable mandu, seafood mandu, etc. It usually costs $3 to $6, and one package contains 20 to 40 dumplings. [......]