seaweed

While I enjoy heavy and rich foods, I usually crave something light and refreshing during the warmer months of the year. This Korean seaweed salad recipe, known as miyeok namul, is the perfect side dish for those craving something that tastes fresh. Quick and easy to make, this healthy side dish gives strong flavors of the sea as well as a slightly nutty note from sesame oil. 

Recently, I wrote about a Korean fried seaweed snack known as ‘kim bugak’ (or gim bugak). Traditionally, people in Korea make this fried crispy seaweed chip by coating dried seaweed in a glutinous rice paste. Then, they would once again dry out the seaweed and rice paste before deep-frying it. Nowadays, people have started making this traditional dish using pre-made rice paper instead of making rice paste from glutinous rice flour. Not only does it skip a few steps, but it also is less messy. Here, we will learn about this new trendy way of making kim bugak!

Have you heard of temple food? In South Korea, temple cuisine refers to a type of culinary culture that originated in Buddhist temples. A popular type of fried seaweed snack, known as kim bugak (김부각), started out as a Buddhist temple food. Nowadays, people often eat these fried seaweed chips as a quick bite, banchan (side dish), or anju (drinking snack).