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The Basics of cooking Korean Food

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• 1) Non-glutinous rice

  Wash, remove foreign materials, and soak in water for 30 minutes to 1 hour to make steamed rice. For porridge, soak for 2 hours.

• 2) Glutinous rice

  Wash, remove foreign materials, and soak in water for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

• 3) Barley

  Wash by rubbing the barley, remove foreign materials, and soak in water for 1 hour.

• 4) Glutinous African millet

  Wash by rubbing the millet until the water runs clear, and soak in water for 1 hour.
  

• 5) Glutinous millet

  Wash and remove foreign materials.

• 1) Soybeans

  Wash, remove foreign materials, and soak in water for 8 hours.

• 2) Red beans

  Wash and remove foreign materials. Add red beans and water to a pot, heat for 2 minutes on high heat. When it boils, discard the boiled water, add additional water, and boil again.

• 3) Black beans

  Wash, remove foreign materials, and soak in water for 3 hours.
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• 4) Mung beans

  Wash, remove foreign materials, and soak in water for 8 hours.
  

• 5) Kidney beans

  Wash, remove foreign materials, and boil in a pot with water.

• 1) Sweet potato and potato

  Wash, peel and soak in water.

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• 1) Green onion

  Remove root and peel off outer leaves. Use white area for seasonings and green area for broth.

• 2) Onion

  Cut off root and stem area, peel and wash. To make onion juice, grate on a grater, wrap with cotton cloths and squeeze the juice out.

• 3) Garlic

  Peel and wash. Use the whole clove, or shred or mince for seasonings.

• 4) Ginger

  Peel the outer skin and wash. To make ginger juice, grate on a grater, wrap with cotton cloths and squeeze the juice out.
  

• 5) Cucumber

  Rub the skin with salt and wash in water.

• 6) Burdock and lotus roots

  Peel the skin with a special knife or back side of a knife, soak in vinegar water or slightly blanch in vinegar water to prevent discoloration.

• 7) Spinach

  Cut off the roots with knife and remove yellowish leaves. Halve lengthwise if too wide. When blanching, add salt to the boiling water, add spinach root-side down, blanch slightly, and rinse in cold water.

• 8) Korean cabbage

  When trimming tough and heavy cabbage, remove tough outer leaves and cut off the stem end. Use the leaves after removing each one by one. For Kimchi, make a criss-cross with a knife on the stem end of the cabbage, split the cabbage lengthwise and soak in salt water.

• 9) Korean radish

  Cut off leaves and tail; scrub with brush and rinse in water.

• 10) Red pepper

  Wash, remove stem, cut diagonally or halve lengthwise and seed. Cut into thin strips or mince.

• 11) Zucchini

  Wash, halve lengthwise, and cut into half-moon shapes, rounds or matchsticks.

• 12) Soybean or mung bean sprouts

  heads and tails or just tails and wash.

• 13) Dried vegetables such as bracken

  Soak in water for about 8 hours.

• 1) Korean pear

  Peel and soak in sugar water. Grate on a grater, wrap with cotton cloths and squeeze out juice to make pear juice.

• 1) Beef

  Rinse beef, remove tendons, and cut into desired size. Before cooking, pound the beef with a meat tenderizer or the back side of a knife to keep the beef from curling up during cooking, and to make it more tender. When cooking pressed meat, tie it up with kitchen string to make a nice shape, and boil.

• 2) Pork

  Rinse, pound with a meat tenderizer or the back side of a knife to make the meat tender.

• 3) Chicken

  When cooking whole chicken, trim off the yellow fat, the tail part and wing tips. When cooking chicken pieces, remove the yellow fat.

• 4) Intestines

  Clean by massaging with salt and wheat flour several times; rinse in water.
  

• 5) Ox feet. knee bone. Gristle

  Soak in water to draw out the blood for about 3 to 4 hours, changing water as needed.

• 1) Sea bream

  Scale from tail to head, remove fins and pleats from inside of the gill with scissors or a knife. Remove internal organs and wash thoroughly.

• 2) Yellow corvina

  Scale from tail to head, remove fins and internal organs, and wash thoroughly.

• 3) Squid

  Insert hand in between head and legs and remove internal organs, taking care not to tear the body; cut off the internal organs just above eyes. Skin the body and wash thoroughly.

• 4) Octopus

  Remove internal organs and eyes, clean by massaging vigorously with salt, rinse in water.
  

• 5) Clam

  Soak in salt water to draw out sediments; rub vigorously with hands under water.

• 6) Oyster. Clam meat

  Rinse gently in salt water; drain in a strainer.

• 7) Crab

  Scrub the shell with a brush, remove end part of the legs. Separate the top shell from the rest of the body and cook the entire body, or cut into smaller pieces.

• 8) Shrimp

  Insert a toothpick or skewer into the back side to remove internal organs. Cook after removing head and shell, or removing just the sharp triangle part above the tail.

• 1) Kelp

  Wipe with damp cotton cloth, add cold water, boil and drain water.

• 2) Brown seaweed

  Soak in water, wash thoroughly and cut into the desired size.

• 3) Laver

  Remove foreign elements and toast each sheet on a grill.

• 1) Black sesame

  Wash thoroughly, remove foreign materials; drain in a strainer and stir-fry on low heat.

• 2) Sesame

  Soak in water for about 1 hour, rub with hands; remove foreign materials, drain in a strainer, and stir-fry on medium heat.

• 3) Fresh ginseng

  Wash thoroughly and remove the head part.

• 4) Cinnamon sticks

  Wash inside and outside and cut into the desired size.
  

• 5) Omija

  Wash thoroughly, soak in cold water for about 12 hours, filter through cotton cloths.

• 5) Salted yellow corvina

  Slice the flesh. Boil head and bones in water, filter through a strainer and let cool.

• 5) Salted shrimp

  Mince the solid ingredients.
  
  
  * Source:  The beauty of Korean Food: With 100 Best-loved recipes by Institiute of Tranditional Korean Food