Cabbage Kimchi (통배추김치)
Traditional Napa cabbage kimchi may be a little smelly, but this deliciously tangy, spicy banchan (side dish) is served with everything in Korea and is the main ingredient in many popular Korean dishes.
Pickled Radish (치킨무)
Crunchy, crisp radish in sweet, tart pickling juice is very easy to make. The cubes are always served with KFC (Korean Fried Chicken), thus the name Chikin (Chicken) Mu. The slices are often used as wraps and are therefore called Ssam Mu (Ssam = Wrap in Korean).
Spicy Cucumber Salad (오이무침)
Everyone seems to enjoy this fresh, spicy salad that is one of the staple banchan (side dishes) served at Korean BBQs.
Seaweed Salad (미역무침)
The texture of this extremely healthy salad may take some getting used to, but the flavor is mouthwatering with a refreshing hint of the ocean.
Soy-braised Potatoes (감자조림)
Gamja jorim is similar to Swedish sautéed potatoes and American diced hash browns, but more moist and flavorful. They go with just about anything, especially meat.
Japchae (잡채) / Korean Stir-fried Noodles
This dish can easily be modified to your liking and served as an entrée or banchan (Korean side dish). My version uses marinated beef, mushrooms and plenty of vegetables with the traditional sweet potato noodles.
Ssamjang (쌈장) / Korean Dipping Sauce
This cold sauce is delicious with grilled meat and chicken, or even by itself on top of rice wrapped in lettuce! The name means “wrap paste” since it is often used in bite sized wraps, in particular with grilled pork.
Teriyaki Sauce
This sweet, garlicy Japanese sauce is delicious with any grilled meat, fish or poultry.
Short-grain Rice
This rice goes well with Asian dishes and its sticky nature makes it perfect for cold rice wraps and sushi. The rice is soaked before cooking and uses less water than other rice cooking methods.
Semla (Swedish Lent Bun)
Swedes will go to almost any lengths to get a hold of this delicacy that used to be available only before Lent and served primarily on Shrove Tuesday. These days bakeries start selling them shortly after Christmas because they are so popular. Sweet bread filled with almond paste and whipped cream – what’s not to like?