Ssal-tteok (Rice-Based Tteokbokki Rice Cakes)

When summer arrives in Korea, home cooks eagerly anticipate one of the season’s most cherished ingredients: tender Korean squash leaves, known as hobakip (호박잎). These large, heart-shaped leaves transform from humble garden produce into one of Korea’s most satisfying ways to enjoy a meal. Wrapped around a mound of warm rice and dabbed with savory doenjang, steamed squash leaves deliver a uniquely substantial bite that lettuce simply cannot replicate.

For generations, Korean families have grown squash plants not only for the fruit but also for the edible leaves that emerge throughout the growing season. The practice reflects Korea’s deep appreciation for utilizing every part of the plant, minimizing waste while maximizing flavor and nutrition. Whether served alongside a bubbling pot of doenjang jjigae, stir-fried pork, or grilled meats at a Korean BBQ gathering, Korean squash leaves offer a heartier, more textured alternative to typical ssam vegetables.

When you walk into a Korean home kitchen, one ingredient almost certainly occupies a permanent spot in the freezer: dried anchovies. Known as myeolchi (멸치) in Korean, these small, silvery fish serve as the backbone of countless dishes, from the clear, savory broths that warm cold winter nights to the sweet and crunchy side dishes tucked into children’s lunchboxes. Understanding Korean anchovy opens the door to authentic Korean cooking, where umami-rich flavors develop through simple, time-honored techniques passed down through generations.

Unlike Western cured anchovies packed in oil and salt for pizza toppings, Korean dried anchovies undergo a different transformation altogether. Fresh anchovies are boiled briefly in seawater and then sun-dried, a preservation method that concentrates their savory essence while creating a shelf-stable pantry staple. This processing technique yields fish with clean, subtle flavor that enhances rather than overwhelms other ingredients—making them remarkably versatile in the Korean kitchen.

Walk into any Korean grandmother’s kitchen, and you’ll find it tucked away in the pantry—dark, dried sheets of seaweed that look almost ancient, covered in a mysterious white powder. This unassuming ingredient is dashima (다시마), and without it, the entire foundation of Korean cooking would simply collapse. While flashier ingredients like gochujang and kimchi often steal the spotlight, dashima works quietly behind the scenes, providing the clean, savory depth that makes Korean soups and stews so remarkably satisfying.

Korean kelp represents one of those ingredients that transforms cooking from mere food preparation into culinary artistry. A simple sheet of dried seaweed, when simmered correctly, releases natural glutamates that create what scientists now recognize as umami—the fifth taste that makes food genuinely delicious. For generations, Korean home cooks have understood this instinctively, even before the scientific explanation existed.