Kimbap (김밮)

Summer is the time for picnics, and my favorite Korean dish to eat outdoors is kimbap (김밮) or "seaweed rice." As you can see above, it is similar to a sushi roll. The dish originated during the Japanese occupation of Korea. It has evolved from sushi, however, and is now a distinct Korean dish that is sold everywhere in Korea at food stands. 

There are many variations featuring fish cakes, imitation crab meat, eggs, beef, or even spam. I like kimbap with just vegetables, but it also tastes great with tempeh or ground seitan if you want to add more fillings. Pickled yellow radish is essential to kimbap, and you should be able to find it at most Asian grocery stores. You will also need a bamboo rolling mat to make the rolls. While it's tricky at first to roll the kimbap, it gets easier, and I find it fun to do.

Bulgogi (불고기)

Welcome to Chaeshik, a blog featuring homestyle Korean vegetarian and vegan recipes. Chaeshik (채식) means a vegetarian diet in Korean. I love Korean food and have been a vegetarian for about five years. Being a Korean-American vegetarian is a little difficult since Koreans love their meat, but there are delicious Korean dishes featuring vegetables or that can easily be made vegetarian or vegan. 

For my first blog entry, I am posting about bulgogi (불고기), one of the more popular Korean dishes. It is a simple and hearty dish that I remember eating often growing up. It is traditionally marinated meat that is grilled and literally means "fire meat" in Korean. This version features seitan and lots of garlic. Serve with rice or romaine lettuce and wrap the seitan in the lettuce.