If one thing Koreans love is there, it's Convinience Stores, and Mixing together things, yes, like bibimbap.
Convenience stores are planted on almost every street in Seoul, which is perfect because the food is basically a holy grail for college students all over the world (and lazy people). But going to these stores and trying out some crazy recipes is a must-have experience for those visiting Korea in the short term!
It will be an experience that you will never forget, from entering the air-conditioned convenience store and picking out the ingredients from the endless rows of packed snacks, instant ramyun packages, and assorted beverages, to sitting outside at the tables and cooking up these insane meals. Plus, your mouth is going to thank you (and your wallet!) for taking part in this trip.
When you come to Korea, or if possible, with the ingredients from your nearest Asian supermarket, make sure to try these recipes!
1. Cheesy Fiery Noodle Kimbab
This meal, arguably one of the most popular recipes, incorporates the holy trifecta of spice, cheese, and kimbab triangle!
Ingredients: fire noodles, triangle kimbab, and string cheese (tuna mayo is best!)
Directions: By adding warm water to your cup of dry noodles, prepare your fire noodles. For your noodles to soften, wait 3 minutes and drain 90% of the water. Add an extra dry packet and string cheese to your sauce. Before dining, mix well! Attach your triangle kimbab and stick it in the microwave for a minute when you've eaten about half of your noodles. This will not only reduce the amounts of spice, but it will also make for a tasty mixture of noodle-rice.
Tip: Add just half a packet of the sauce (or add more cheese) if you can't handle seasoning!
2. Mark Meal
The Mark Meal was named after GOT7 's Mark, one of the most popular recipes to go viral in the vast areas of the Korean internet.
The recipe was developed by a Mark fan to spread the name of Mark to the general public, and she succeeded greatly. Each big-name mukbanger on YouTube and AfreecaTV started filming themselves enjoying this recipe until the recipe went viral.
It deserves every bit of the praise it has gained, as it is truly delicious!
Hey. P.S. Share this meal with a friend unless you're up for a challenge! The parts are massive.
Ingredients: ddukbokki instant, spaghetti instant, cheese string, sausage
Directions: Along with the cup of instant ddukbokki, prepare the instant spaghetti. Add the respective sauces after both have been cooked and pass the spaghetti noodles into the ddukbboki dish. Attach the cheese string on top, along with the sausage pieces. Then, this ginormous cup microwave (and hope it doesn't spill over!). While it is hot, enjoy it!
3. Gomtang Mandu Stew
This is a grocery store meal that's great for cold days when you just want to fill up with something!
Soups are loved by Koreans, and gomtang is no exception. Gomtang is a delicious beef bone soup that is made by boiling different beef cuts. This recipe is a success, with the addition of mandu (dumplings).
Ingredients: Frozen mandu and Gomtang cup
Directions: Just pop it in the microwave for 2 more minutes after dropping all the ingredients into the gomtang cup. You should get a steaming bowl of gomtang mandu stew automatically!
Let your creative juices run and try using your favorite convenience store food to make your own recipes. Also, do not forget to enjoy the rest of what Seoul has to offer outside of the convenience stores after checking out these recipes!
4. Blue Lemonade Soju Mojito
You're in luck with this recipe if you're born in 1999 or older (if you're younger, keep scrolling). By Korean rule, on January 1 of the year they turn 19, people are allowed to start drinking, so for 2018, it's the golden year for '99ers!
On a burning Korean summer day, this blended drink tastes refreshing, and you can mix it up at your nearest convenience store, with a side of ramyun or some other tasty snack you can easily find in the shop.
Ingredients: soda, soy, ice cup, and blue lemonade
Directions: Dump into the ice cup a shot worth of soju, and equal parts soda and blue lemonade. Before drinking, stir well!
These are only four of the recipes you can try, so let us know if we missed any or if there is one you would like to try during your visit to Korea in the comments!
