Hands up if you love those scrumptious Korean dishes! But, are you Muslim, and that keeps you away from a lot of Korean dishes out there even though you badly want to eat them? When eating out, Muslims are limited in the Korean food options they can eat due to meats not being halal, cross contamination with pork, use of alcohol and blood in some of their popular recipes. Below is our take on some of the most popular, yummy and halal friendly Korean dishes that you can now enjoy at home. Check out the recipes below to learn more about how you can make them at home:
1. Bibimbap
“Bibimbap’ translates to ‘rice with meat and vegetables. This dish is eaten widely in Korean homes as it’s easy to make and tastes extremely delicious. While Koreans usually make this dish with raw meat, you can definitely alter the recipe and use cooked beef or chicken instead.
Recipe to make Bibimbap (3 – 4 servings)
Ingredients:
Meat and marination:
- 100 grams of minced beef (you can also take minced chicken)
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- ¼ tsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp brown sugar
Bibimbap Sauce:
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp water
- 2 tbsp gochujang (Korean red chili paste)
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp vinegar
- 1 tbsp roasted sesame seeds (optional)
Other ingredients:
- 100 grams mushrooms of your choice
- 120 grams carrots (julienne cut)
- 250 grams spinach
- 250 grams bean sprouts
- ½ tsp sea salt
- Steamed rice (3 to 4 servings)
- Egg yolks (3 to 4 depending on servings)
- Cooking oil
Note: You can also add your choice of vegetables too.
Directions:
- Mix the minced beef with the soy sauce, sesame oil, brown sugar, and minced garlic. Marinade for about 30 minutes.
- Add 3-4 tbsp oil to a pan and cook the meat thoroughly as desired.
- Now, mix all the ingredients mentioned under Bibimbap sauce in a bowl and keep it aside.
- First, boil the spinach, drain the water and mix it with salt, green onion, and minced garlic.
- Now boil the bean sprout. Once boiled, drain the water and salt to your liking. You can also add sesame oil and roasted sesame seeds to the bean sprouts for added flavor.
- Saute carrots in cooking oil along with ¼ tsp of salt for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Now saute sliced mushrooms with ¼ salt in a separate pan until they are well cooked.
- Cook 3-4 fried eggs. Make sure that the sunny side is up.
- Now that all the ingredients have been cooked and prepared separately, time to put the dish together. Take a bowl, and put rice into it. Then add meat, vegetables, and Bibimbap sauce.
- Top off the dish with a fried egg on top and serve hot.
2. Kimchi Fried Rice
If you want to satisfy your Korean food cravings, you can make Kimchi fried rice that is quick to make with a short list of ingredients, and the result? Finger-licking good Kimchi rice! There are plenty of variations of Kimchi rice online. But if you want a halal version with readily-available items, read our recipe below:
Recipe to make Kimchi Fried Rice (3 servings)
Ingredients:
- ¾ cup of Kimchi (you can find halal kimchi online)
- 1 carrot finely chopped
- ¼ small onion chopped
- 1 scallion chopped
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp gochujang (Korean red chili paste)
- 2 cups of cooked white rice
- ½ tbsp sesame oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Oil for stir-frying
- Optional: you can also add meat like chicken and beef if you like.
Directions:
- Dice the carrot, kimchi, onion, and scallion.
- Add 3 tbsp of oil in a pan and toss the scallion and onion. Stir-fry them quickly over high heat.
- Add the diced carrots and kimchi along with the soy sauce and red chili paste to the pan. Stir-fry for about 4 to 5 minutes.
- Add the prepared rice and ensure there are no clumps as you mix.
- Fry the rice on high flame. Add salt, pepper, and sesame oil as per your taste.
- Serve and enjoy! Add a fried egg (optional) or seaweed on top for added flavor.
3. Honey-garlic Chicken Wings
Talk about finger-licking good! These Korean honey-garlic chicken wings are truly a win-win dish for a party, late lunch, or snack. In about 30 minutes, you can make this delicious dish with just a few ingredients you can easily find in your pantry. Here is the recipe for halal honey-garlic chicken wings:
Recipe to make Honey-garlic Chicken Wings (3 servings)
Ingredients for chicken wings:
- 2 lb chicken wings (12 to 15 pieces – flat and drum both detached from each other)
- 1 tsp ginger puree
- 1 pinch of pepper
- 1 pinch of salt
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 tsp sesame oil
Honey Garlic Sauce:
- 3 cloves minced garlic
- 2 tbsp honey
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
Directions:
- Place the chicken wings in a bowl and add ginger paste, salt and pepper, toasted sesame seeds, and sesame oil. Mix well with wings and set aside.
- Combine all the ingredients for the honey garlic sauce in a bowl and mix well. Set aside for later use.
- Heat oil in a skillet, add wings, and cook each side for 2 minutes on medium to high heat.
- Cover the skillet and turn the heat to low.
- Cook for five more minutes or until wings are cooked well (poke the meat and if juices are clear, the chicken is cooked well. If the juice is pinkish in color, you may need to cook it a bit longer).
- Once the wings are cooked, remove the lid and turn the heat to high. Pour the honey garlic sauce over the wings and let it bubble. Continue to mix the wings to ensure the wings are well coated with the sauce.
- Remove the wings from the skillet and sprinkle sesame seeds. Serve warm!
4. Jjamppong
This popular Korean noodle soup is loaded with flavors! Jjamppong is a common dish especially in the winter season. If you are a seafood lover and enjoy spicy foods, then this dish is a must. Here is how you can make it.
Recipe to make Jjamppong (2 servings)
Ingredients for meat and seafood:
- 100 grams of thinly sliced beef or chicken (this dish requires both meat and seafood)
- 4 to 5 mussels
- 4 to 5 shrimps
- 100 grams squid (cut into bite size)
- 4 to 5 littleneck clams
- Any other seafood of your choice
Note: You can add seafood of your choice or skip any of the above seafood ingredients as per your liking.
Vegetables:
- 1 small carrot thinly sliced
- ½ zucchini thinly sliced
- 100 grams Green cabbage or as needed
- 3 to 3 shiitake mushrooms thinly sliced
- 2 scallions
- ¼ onion thinly sliced
Other ingredients:
- 5 cups chicken stock (will serve two persons)
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 2 tbsp gochugaru (Korean chili pepper flakes)
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- Salt and pepper as needed
- 1 tbsp oil
- Wheat noodles/hand-pulled noodles
Directions:
- Heat a pot of water, once the water starts to boil, add the noodles. Cook the noodles for 5 to 8 minutes until tender.
- Heat a large pot or a wok over high heat. Add oil, ginger, chili pepper flakes, scallion, and soy sauce and stir-fry for two minutes.
- Add the meat (chicken or beef) to the wok and stir-fry until the meat is fully cooked.
- In the same wok, add in the carrots, onions, mushrooms, zucchini, and cabbage. Add a bit of salt and cook until the vegetables are softened.
- Pour in the chicken stock and boil until all the vegetables are nicely cooked (not too soft).
- Add the clams as they take more time to cook. Once they are nicely done, add shrimps, squid, and mussels.
- Bring everything to a boil and add salt and pepper to taste.
- Add noodles in a bowl and top with the soup that you just cooked. Serve immediately while it’s hot.
Sundubu Jjigae (tofu stew)
If you are a savory stew lover, then treat yourself to a hot bowl of Sundubu Jjigae (tofu stew). This famous Korean stew is made with a few ingredients and is halal too! This stew is loaded with nutritional ingredients and is very comforting to eat. Read on and make your own tofu stew at home:
Recipe to make Sundubu Jjigae (2 servings)
Ingredients:
- 350 – 400 grams Korean tofu
- 4 ounces little neck clams (about 110 grams)
- 6 banana prawns
- 100 grams enoki mushrooms
- 2 to 3 shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced
- 1 green onion
- 1 egg
Ingredients for soup:
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 1 tbsp Korean chili oil
- 2 tbsp gochugaru (Korean chili pepper flakes)
- ½ tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- Sea salt to taste
- Pepper to taste
- ½ tsp sesame oil
Directions:
- Heat the pot and add chili oil, garlic, and chili powder. Stir them for 1 minute and make sure to not burn the spices.
- Add shrimps and clams. Toss them with the sauce already in the pot. Add the soy sauce and stir well.
- Add stock and boil for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add tofu, egg, and mushrooms and cook for another 3 to 4 minutes. Season with salt as per taste.
- Turn off the stove and sprinkle green onion, sesame oil, and black pepper.
- Serve hot with rice or a side dish of your choice.