A brighter year 2021! Here, I’ve updated my collection of Korean traditional New Year dishes.
Hope this list will help you celebrate the New Year with delicious food. Happy New Year to you and your family! 새해 복 많이 받으세요.
Tteokguk (or dduk guk) is Korean rice cake soup! This starchy and soothing bowl of soup is not only a New Year’s tradition but is classic comfort food any time of year!
Also see: Tteok mandu guk (with dumplings) and Oyster tteokguk.
These Korean dumplings filled with a kimchi mixture are highly popular in Korea. If you like kimchi, you’ll love this dumpling recipe. Kimchi adds tons of spicy and savory flavors!
Also see Mandu (dumplings).
3. Japchae (Stir-fried starch noodles with beef and vegetables)
Made with bouncy sweet potato starch noodles, japchae (or chapchae) is a classic Korean dish everyone loves! Find out how to make authentic, delicious japchae with this time tested, readers’ favorite recipe!
Also see spicy seafood japchae.
4. Modeumjeon (Fish, shrimp, zucchini pan-fried in egg batter)
5. Nokdujeon (Mungbean pancakes)
Nokdujeon, aka nokdu bindaetteok, is a type of savory Korean pancake made with ground nokdu (mung beans). These crispy golden brown pancakes are soft on the inside with some crunch from the vegetables. They are deliciously nutty!
6. Tteok sanjeok (Skewered rice cake with beef and vegetables)
Sanjeok is a variety of jeok – skewered meat and vegetables. The ingredients are skewered and then grilled or pan-fried.
7. Gujeolpan (platter of nine delicacies)
What better way to kick off the new year than with this beautiful and nutritionally well-balanced dish called gujeolpan (구절판)?Historically being a royal court dish during the Yi Dynasty, gujeolpan consists of 8 delicate fillings served around thin crepe-like wheat flour pancakes called miljeonbyeong (밀전병).
8. Wanjajeon (Pan-fried meatballs in egg batter)
9. Yukjeon (pan-fried battered beef)
10. Galbijjim (Braised beef short ribs)
Also see Slow cooker galbijjim and Instant Pot Spicy Galbijjim.
12. Tteokgalbi (Beef short rib patties)
14. Nabak kimchi (Water kimchi)
Nabak kimchi is a traditional holiday kimchi. Growing up, we always had nabak kimchi with tteokguk (rice cake soup), which is a New Year soup. They are delicious together!
15. Yaksik (sweet rice with dried fruits and nuts)
Also see Youngyang chaltteok (Healthy sweet rice cake).
Finally, no Korean feast can be without vegetable side dishes. See my 15 Vegetable Side Dishes. Traditionally, vegetables are served in three colors (white, black/brown, and green), which are collectively called samsaek namul, 삼색나물. They commonly are doraji (bellflower roots), gosari (fiddlehead ferns), and siguemchi (spinach) namul dishes.
