Make Yourself Feel Better with Something HOT- VISITKOREA

Make Yourself Feel Better with Something HOT

Stress-Relieving Spicy Foods

Korean Spicy Food Optimized to Relieve Stress

Young Koreans these days rave about spicy food. It is a trend to relieve stress by having something spicy that numbs your mouth, and makes you sweat furiously when you feel down or mad about something. The stinging sensation, spiciness on your tongue, is caused by capsaicin vitalizing the sympathetic nerves and stimulating the discharging of adrenalin and endorphins. This means there is a scientific basis behind having spicy food for stress relief. The following spicy Korean dishes recommended by young Koreans will make your eyes tear up and nose go runny but are oh-so-delish at the same time.

Spicy from the Beginning

Here are some spicy dishes that are loved by Koreans for their spiciness. Stir-fried Octopus and Spicy Braised Chicken have been some of the most representative spicy Korean foods for a long time, and they will leave both spiciness and sweetness on your palate. In other words, they are “spicy but moreish” dishes.

① Stir-Fried Octopus, a Representative Spicy Korean Dish

Stir-fried octopus with spicy seasoning and vegetables

A picture of lifting an octopus with chopsticks

Spicy and Zingy Stir-Fried Octopus

Other than some countries with seafood dishes, such as Italy and Greece, long-legged octopuses and other octopuses have been regarded as the “devil of the sea” in Europe and is not consumed. But in Korea, the long-legged octopus is regarded as a stamina-boosting healthy food that is said even to “raise an unconscious bull back to its feet.” In fact, the long-legged octopus is rich in taurine, making it a great stamina-boosting food ingredient.

Koreans enjoy a variety of octopus dishes such as Octopus Hot Pot, Chopped Live Octopus, Octopus Soup, Stir-fried Octopus, and more. In particular, spicy and zingy Stir-fried Octopus is a stir-fry food made with long-legged octopus, green onion, onion, and carrots, with a sauce of Red Chili Paste and sugar. Stir-fried Octopus is also a popular choice for drinking occasions. Mix plain noodles that reduce spiciness and Chilled Bean Sprout Soup to control the spiciness if you are not great with spicy food. You can also create Spicy Octopus Bibimbap by mixing Stir-fried Octopus with rice, bean sprouts, sesame oil, and dried laver.

Yeokjeonhoegwan Mapo Branch
47 Tojeong-ro 37-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul
+82-507-1392-0248
11:00-22:00 (Closes at 21:30 on Sundays) / Break time 15:00-17:00 / Closed Mondays
Stir-fried Octopus KRW 36,000
Grilled Live Octopus KRW 52,000
Thin-sliced Bulgogi KRW 36,000

Seorin Nakji
19 Jong-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul
+82-2-735-0670
11:30-21:20 / Break time 15:00-17:00 /
First and third Mondays & Second and fourth Sundays of every month
Stir-fried Octopus KRW 36,000
Clam Soup KRW 17,000
Grilled Bacon and Sausage KRW 36,000

Sigolgil Inland Flagship Store
61 Dunsan-ro 31beon-gil, Seo-gu, Daejeon
+82-42-487-1638
11:00-21:30 / Open all year round
Stir-fried Octopus (2 Servings) KRW 30,000
Stir-fried Prawn and Octopus (2 Servings) KRW 38,000
Fishcake Soup KRW 12,000

② Ever-Popular Spicy and Zingy, Spicy Braised Chicken

Spicy braised spicy chicken cooked with various ingredients

Ever-Popular Spicy and Zingy Spicy Braised Chicken

Spicy Braised Chicken may sound like a stir-fry dish without broth, but it looks more like a brothy braised dish. A chopped chicken is seasoned with red chili powder, Red Chili Paste, green onion, onion, and garlic, and braised, finished with thick broth. Add additional ingredients, such as potato, carrot, and onion, for extra flavors. The broth with deep chicken flavors and chili powder that seeped into the soft chicken meat offers spicy and wonderful savoriness. Spicy Braised Chicken has a similar recipe to Indian chicken curry. Also, thanks to its spicy and zingy taste, it is often introduced as the favorite Korean dish of Indian residents in Korea.

Yurim Dakdoritang
5 Gonghang-daero 71-gil, Gangseo-gu, Seoul
+82-2-3665-3930
11:30-21:50 /
Closed on Seollal (Lunar New Year's Day) & Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving Day) holidays
Braised Chicken (1 whole chicken) KRW 50,000
Braised Chicken (1.5 chicken) KRW 73,000
Whole Chicken Soup with Rice and Shingled Hedgehog KRW 60,000

Gyerim
39 Donhwamun-ro 4-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul
+82-2-2263-6658
11:30-21:30 / Closed Sundays
Spicy Braised Chicken (small serving) KRW 28,000
Spicy Braised Chicken (medium serving) KRW 40,000
Spicy Braised Chicken (large serving) KRW 53,000

Sangolnongwon Sottukkeong Dakbokkeumtang
75-7 Eobisangil 99beon-gil, Seorak-myeon, Gapyeong-gun, Gyeonggi-do
+82-31-584-7415
10:30-20:00 (Saturday-Sunday 10:00-20:00) / Last orders at 18:00
Caldron-lid Spicy Braised Chicken (1 whole chicken) KRW 80,000
Extra half-chicken KRW 40,000
Riceball KRW 3,000

Tastier Flavors, Dishes Coated with Spiciness

Koreans are crazy about spicy food and add extra spiciness to already spicy food to create a whole new level of spicy food. New types of spiciness, like adding spicy sauce to sweet and savory Braised Galbi and Pork Cutlet, are gaining popularity in Korea.

① Spicy Braised Galbi that Sets Your Tongue on Fire

Braised short ribs cooked spicy with red pepper powder

A picture of you lifting braised short ribs with chopsticks

Spicy Braised Galbi is a dish made by adding spicy sauce to Braised Galbi. Normal Braised Galbi is based on soy sauce marinated with added sweetness, but Spicy Braised Galbi is braised with Red Chili Paste or chili powder for spiciness. Spicy Braised Galbi was said to have been first invented by a groggery in the back alley behind the police substation in Dongin 1-dong in Jung-gu, Daegu, in 1972, as a companion dish to makgeolli. Spicy Braised Galbi cooked on briquette fire gained popularity. In turn, similar shops sprung up in the area, creating a Spicy Braised Galbi Alley. Spicy Braised Galbi has the tender and chewy texture of beef and the charming spiciness of the sauce. Additional ingredients to galbi are bean sprouts, mushrooms, carrots, and glass noodles. If you find the spiciness too much, order a serving of Steamed Eggs or a sweet beverage when you get Spicy Braised Galbi to control the fire on your tongue.

In the 1960s, Braised Galbi places that serve Galbi marinated with garlic and chili powder sauce cooked over a briquette fire as a drink companion, began to spring up in the alley of Dongin-dong, Daegu. They gained popularity, becoming the famed Braised Galbi Alley of today. The difference lies in the sauce. Unlike the sweet and savory soy sauce-based marinate sauce, it has spicy, zingy, and sweet chili powder and garlic sauce.
Dongin-dong 1-ga, Jung-gu, Daegu
Operating hours vary by store; Check before your visit.

Spicy braised short ribs cooked with various ingredients

Spicy Braised Galbi, with Added Spiciness

② Spicy Pork Cutlet, a Thrilling Flavor

A picture of dipping pork cutlet in spicy sauce

Spicy Pork Cutlet was chosen as the spiciest Korean food back in 2012 by CNN. In general, spicy sauces are red in color, but this Korean Spicy Pork Cutlet sauce is so spicy that it’s dark red. This dark red sauce is made with Indian chili, the spiciest in the world, starch syrup, and medicinal herbs, and it is so spicy that it is called the “sauce of death.” Spicy Pork Cutlet shops often offer special deals to those who can finish the dish, waiving them the payment for the food, but it is rarely finished. To have a Spicy Pork Cutlet, you must bring these two things; an unwavering heart and plain milk to quench the fire in your belly.

Spicy Pork Cutlet, One of the Most Spiciest Korean Foods Reported by CNN

Onjeong Pork Cutlet
60 Jowon-ro, Gwanak-gu, Seoul
+82-2-3281-3330
11:30-20:15 / Last order at 19:40 / Closed Tuesdays
Spicy Pork Cutlet KRW 12,000
Pork Cutlet KRW 10,000
Fish Cutlet KRW 11,500

30cm Jumbo Pork Cutlet
27 Yeonseo-ro 26-gil, Eunpyeong-gu, Seoul
+82-507-1415-3045
11:00-21:00 / Open all year round
Spicy Pork Cutlet KRW 8,500
30cm Jumbo Pork Cutlet KRW 10,000
Cheese Stuffed Pork Cutlet KRW 9,500

In life, we sometimes encounter events that annoy or disappoint us. Why don’t you go and have something spicy with your friends? The thrilling spiciness will blast all your stress away and fill you with new vitality.

* This column was written in September 2023. Please check stores before visiting as changes could have been made.

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