How to Order Food off a Korean Menu -- Guk! (국)

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May 08

How to Order Food off a Korean Menu -- Guk! (국)

Tagged in: Korean Stew , Korean Soup , Korean Food

Let's see--where were we? Ah, yes, the world of Korean food and with it, the world of Soups & Stews. Part III of this series will tell you how to order guk (국) off a menu in Korea or while at a Korean restaurant anywhere else? Unlike its counterparts in the jjigae (찌개) and some tang (탕) categories, guk tends to be the most like soup. The former two phylum are frequently thicker and heavier, and more similar to stew.

Photo: Miok-guk. Go shorty, its ya birthday...

Alright then. As my Seoul cabbies are fond of saying: "You might wanna put on your seat belt--I drive fast."

No Soup for You!

Hangul	English Phonetics	Description
떡국	ddok guk	A light soup made with sliced rice cake, or ddok, egg and black pepper. Frequently served as a side with kimbap.
해장국	haejangguk	This "Hangover Soup" eats a heck of a lot better than the usual main ingredient makes it sound. Although it comes in many varietys, the type that you MUST try is spicy enough to help you sweat out that extra shot of soju that you didn't really need. Frequently made with seonji (선지) aka coagulated ox blood and comes with cabbage, sprouts, garlic, green onion and twenjang. You will learn to love it. I promise. But definitely not for rooks.
감자국	kamja-guk	Similar to kamjatang, but this one is veggies only, again, the main focus on the potato.
계란국	kyelan-guk	Egg soup. Similar to egg drop soup, this simple meal often comes with pieces of crab and/or bay shrimp, green onion and black pepper.
콩나물국	kongnamul -guk	Ground up bean sprouts turned into soup--don't worry, this white somewhat grainy soup can be served cold and good.
만두국	mandu-guk	Dumpling soup, similar to ddok guk, and again served usually for lunch with kimbap. Try it with 참치김밥 (tuna).
미역국	miok-guk	Light, seaweed soup with trace bits of pork or sometimes beef. Eaten on your birthday to bring health and luck, similar to eating black eyed peas on New Years in the southern US.
순대국	soondae-guk	A bit more adventurous, soondae is pig or cow intestine stuffed with glass noodles, pig's blood and other ingredients, and is often compared to blood sausage. The soup also comes with veggies, chipped beef and sides of green onions, pepper and gochu.Take care when texting a non-Korean to join you for soondae, however, as the spelling "sundae" may lead to some unpleasantness. Not popular among vegetarians.