The Health Benefits of Korean Cuisine: A Guide to Nutritious Korean Recipes

Radhika Dadhich

Perex : Explore the vibrant and healthful world of Korean cuisine, where each dish is a celebration of fresh ingredients and balanced nutrition. Delve into delicious recipes that offer significant health benefits, making Korean food a perfect choice for a wholesome diet.

Korean cuisine is typically characterized by plenty of vegetables, rice, and fish or meat. The meals are often served with a variety of small sides, fermented cabbage, also known as kimchi and broth-based soups. 

Korean recipes are generally considered to be quite healthy, and are known for including many health-promoting and enhancing ingredients like fermented foods. Korean culture showcases food as a source of nourishment and healing, and is often seen as medicine. As a result, finding healthy korean recipes is not a difficult task at all. 

In this article, we will take a close look at three of the healthiest yet extremely delicious Korean recipes that are sure to amaze you and your loved ones when cooked to perfection.

Three classic Korean recipes that are clearly healthy

These three recipes mentioned below are extremely healthy, but that doesn't make them compromise their taste in any way. Let's take a look at them.

Korean beef bowl

With the mouthwatering blend of healthy ground beef, garlic, ginger, a touch of honey, and plenty of spring onions sesame oil, this Korean beef bowl dish is ideal for serving over rice, with a side of vegetables of your choice, to form an easy and wholesome meal. However, the best part is, it can be on your dining table within 20 minutes only!

Ingredients- Lean ground beef, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, rice wine vinegar, red pepper flakes, honey, sesame oil, and pickled vegetables. 

Directions- Quickly pickle your chosen set of vegetables if you desire. Now, brown the beef with soy sauce, garlic, ginger, and spring onions. Then, whisk together the rice wine vinegar, honey, ginger, and red pepper flakes. Pour this mixture over the beef and then stir nicely so that it gets coated evenly. Remove it from the heat and stir in the sesame oil for a few minutes. Finally, serve it hot with rice or any other base of your choice and desired toppings. ENJOY!

When it comes to the base, you can opt for brown rice, quinoa, cauliflower rice, or even stir fried noodles. They'll all taste amazing with this Korean beef bowl recipe, and will still be healthy and nutritious to say the least.

Manduguk

Also known as the Korean dumpling soup, this is one of the healthy korean recipes that you get your hands on, and bless your taste buds. 

Ingredients- 8 Korean dumplings (200g-600g), 4 ½ cups Korean soup stock, 1 tbsp regular soy sauce, ½ tsp minced garlic, two eggs beaten, 1 tsp sesame oil, 1-2 stalks of spring onion that's thinly sliced, two eggs with their egg white and yolk separated, dried seaweed (nori) that's thinly sliced, and fine sea salt and black pepper to taste.

Directions- Boil the soup stock over medium-high heat and add garlic and soy sauce. Once the stock starts to boil, add the dumplings. Boil the soup until the dumplings seem to be fully cooked. Now, pan-fry the egg white and egg yolk separately at a low temperature, with a hint of sesame oil. Thinly slice them and set them aside. Now, beat an egg and drizzle it over the soup like making an egg drop soup. Finally, add sesame oil and spring onions. 

When it comes to serving this soup, you can serve it in a bowl and garnish it with nori (dried seaweed) and/or egg yolk and egg white (optional). You may even season the soup with sea salt and grindings of black peppers as per your taste. 

Bibimbap

Also known as the Korean rice bowl, this is a humble dish that's revered all around the world! The things that really seal the deal in this dish are the Korean marinated beef and the signature bright red, spicy bibimbap sauce.

Ingredients- White rice (cauliflower rice or brown rice can also be used), a sunny side up egg, gochujang sauce (the real star of the bibimbap sauce), thinly sliced cucumbers, bean sprouts, shredded carrots sautéed in sesame oil, sautéed spinach, and sautéed shiitake mushrooms. 

Directions- Start by cooking the rice. While it is still simmering, whisk together the gochujang sauce and prepare your veggies. Start with the cucumbers so that they have enough time to marinate. Then, blanch, sauté the shiitake mushrooms, spinach, and carrots, and blanch the bean sprouts. Finally, cook the eggs.

When it comes to serving, assemble every bowl with a base of cooked white/brown/cauliflower rice that's topped with a sunny-side-up egg. Place your veggies in sections around the perimeter of each bowl, surrounding the egg, and then drizzle with the spicy gochujang sauce. When it's time to eat, break the egg yolk and mix every component together to enjoy a meal that's flavorful, fun to eat, and healthy at the same time. These healthy Korean recipes not only delight your taste buds but also support maintaining a healthy body mass.

Final Words 

When it comes to healthy korean recipes, this article provides with you three of the best ones that are not only easy to prepare, but are also amazing to eat and will definitely be loved by everyone. So, what are you waiting for? Cook one of these dishes tonight and embrace a mouthwatering Korean feast with your loved ones!

Summary

Embrace the nutritious and delicious world of Korean cuisine with these easy-to-prepare recipes that promote health and wellness. Try cooking Korean Beef Bowl, Manduguk, or Bibimbap to delight your taste buds and nourish your body.