Korean home cooking with Maangchi
Maangchi's site is all about Korean home cooking: recipes with videos, from kimchi and jjimdak to street food and vegetarian dishes, with Korean names and personal stories.
What it is
Maangchi is the personal site of a cook who has spent years teaching people how to make Korean home food. "It's all about Korean home cooking," as she puts it on the front page. Many recipes come with videos, dishes carry its Korean name in both romanization and Hangul, and the write-ups often slip in something personal — like the note that green onion pancake skewers were her late father's favorite.
The home page mixes new, updated and classic recipes, with collections for street food and vegetarian dishes and a search that works by recipe or ingredient. There's also a free monthly newsletter about Korean cooking.
Why we picked it
Korean food is everywhere now, but a lot of the recipes online are simplified beyond recognition. Maangchi's versions are home-style dishes from someone who grew up eating them, and plenty are designed around ingredients you can actually find — like that small-batch bok choy kimchi. The site is clearly still being updated, with new and refreshed recipes on the front page.
We also like how the culture around the food comes through: street snacks, the buttery potatoes sold at highway rest stops, small-batch kimchi you can make for one or two people.
Where to start
- Make the bok choy kimchi — it's small-batch and uses easy-to-find ingredients.
- Try jjimdak, braised chicken with vegetables and noodles, for a family dinner.
- Browse the street food section: tteokbokki, hotteok, fish cakes and more.
- If you don't eat meat, go straight to the vegetarian collection.
- Sign up for the free monthly newsletter.
Who it's for
Anyone who fell for Korean food at a restaurant and wants to cook it at home. K-drama fans who keep wondering what the characters are eating. Vegetarians looking for new ideas. And home cooks who are tired of rotating the same five dinners.
Quick answers
Will I need hard-to-find ingredients? For some dishes, yes, but plenty of recipes work with a regular supermarket haul.
Are there videos? Yes, many recipes come with a video, and some play right on the home page.
Is it free? Yes, the recipes and the monthly newsletter are free; there are also cookbooks.
