Nuts & Seeds

Hot mustard, otherwise known as ‘gyeoja’ (겨자) in the Korean language, is an ingredient made by grinding mustard seeds into a bright yellow-orange powder. In this article, we learn about this ingredient!

You may have heard of chestnuts. Or, maybe you have eaten macadamia nuts…but have you ever tried ginkgo nuts? In the United States, we eat all sorts of seeds that we call ‘nuts,’ but never eat those from the ginkgo tree. In many East Asian countries, ginkgo nuts are a traditional ingredient used in traditional cooking. Often, in China, people use these nuts as an ingredient in congee. In Japan, people use them in dishes such as chawanmushi, a steamed egg custard dish in a pot. In South Korea, people add them to dishes in the autumn months and eat them on skewers. Here, we discuss ginkgo nuts in Korean cooking as well as answer some questions you may have about this ingredient. 

Have you ever heard of black sesame seeds? For many countries, such as China, Japan, and South Korea, these seeds are an integral part of the traditional food culture. Here, we learn about this ingredient and how to use it in Korean cooking.

Have you ever eaten in a Korean restaurant or made Korean food at home? If so, you may have noticed people often finish Korean dishes with a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds. Sesame seeds add a rich, nutty, and warm flavor when used as a seasoning ingredient. Many of our recipes use this ingredient (and/or sesame oil) as a finisher to the dish. Here, we want to introduce sesame seeds for those interested in Korean cooking.