By Honorary Reporter Seema Thomas from India

Photo by = Korea.net, Wikimedia Commons

Korean food has seen surging popularity to the point that Korean restaurants have sprung up in almost every country. From the initial craving felt while watching appetizing dishes in K-dramas and videos, Hansik has attracted people from around the world through its rich taste and texture. 

The first thing I noticed about Korean cuisine was the numerous side dishes (banchan) during dinner, a setup similar to that of India. Moreover, many Indian dishes are similar to Korean ones, and the following five are among them.

Kimchi / achaar

Kimchi and achaar (South Asia pickle) are side dishes that enhance the flavor of food with a tangy zest. Just like kimchi, achaar can also be made from just about anything, the most common ingredient being lemon and mango. Both foods have a similar production process that includes seasoning with spices and fermenting. Without kimchi or achaar, a rice meal in either country feels incomplete.

Gamjajeon / aloo paratha and aloo tikki

Just as the names of the foods suggest, potato is the key ingredient in all three of them. Jeon is a fried pancake and gamjajeon is made from grated potatoes mixed with flour and vegetables that are fried in oil. Two similar Indian dishes are aloo paratha and aloo tikki. The former is made from boiled mashed potatoes stuffed in the dough, which is rolled out and cooked, whereas the latter uses the same type of potatoes seasoned with spices and is deep fried in oil.

Yakgwa / jalebi and imarti

Yakgwa is a popular confectionary made with flour. The dough is deep fried and soaked in a mixture of honey and cinnamon. Jalebi and imarti are similar Indian foods, the difference being the key ingredients for the batter: flour for jalebi and black gram for imarti. These are poured into hot oil using a piping bag, deep fried and soaked in sugar syrup before serving.

Hotteok / puran poli

Hotteok is a sweet pancake made of dough filled with crushed nuts, cinnamon and brown sugar. The dough is stuffed with filling, pressed into flatbread and cooked until golden brown. Similarly, puran poli is made of dough filled with chickpea lentils sweetened with jaggery. The dough is filled with stuffing, rolled out and cooked.

Yeot gangjeong / chikki

Both snacks are snacks made of nuts bound with a sweetener like rice syrup or jaggery. Yeot gangjeong is made by mixing roasted nuts with heated rice syrup, flattening them and cutting into small slabs. Likewise, chikki is also made by mixing roasted nuts with hot jaggery syrup, rolling the mixture out and cutting into small slabs.

enny0611@korea.kr

*This article is written by a Korea.net Honorary Reporter. Our group of Honorary Reporters are from all around the world, and they share with Korea.net their love and passion for all things Korean.