ingredient

Allium tuberosum, otherwise known as garlic chives, Oriental garlic, Asian chives, Chinese chives, and Chinese leek, is a species of clump-forming perennial plant native to the Chinese province of Shanxi. Then, over time, it became cultivated and naturalized throughout Asia and much of the world. In South Korea, people refer to this plant as ‘buchu’ (부추). This ingredient is widely used in traditional and modern Korean cuisine.

In South Korea, people use different types of sweeteners beyond sugar to add depth of flavor to dishes. Such sweeteners can include rice syrup, fresh Asian pears, corn syrup, mirim, malt syrup, honey, and more! In this article, I will teach you about Korean green plum extract, known as ‘maesil cheong,’ otherwise known as maesil syrup, Korean green plum extract, or green plum syrup.

In our household, we eat a lot of fruits and vegetables prepared using Korean seasoning, sauteing, and stir-frying methods. One of the most popular fruits used to make side dishes in South Korea is the ‘gaji,’ otherwise known as Korean Eggplant. Here, we will learn about the Korean eggplant as well as list some dishes that use it as the main ingredient!

In South Korea, people use different ingredients besides sugar to naturally sweeten foods. Some of these ingredients include Asian pears, green plum syrup, honey, and more. Another one of these foods that naturally sweetens food is the jujube (daechu)! This small, date-like fruit adds a hint of sweetness as well as tartness to a dish. Here, we discuss this ingredient and how it is used in Korean cuisine! 

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.