Whether you have finally decided to take the plunge and make your own kimchi or you just want an amazing marinate for your next barbeque, Korean cuisine requires a few essential ingredients. Here’s my recommended shopping list to stock your Korean pantry:

The Essentials:

• Korean Chilli Powder (Gochujang), not to be substituted with regular chilli powder
• Korean Chilli Paste (Gochugaru)
• Anchovy Sauce, substitute with Thai fish sauce if necessary
• Sesame Oil
• White sesame seeds
• Korean Soybean Paste (Doenjang)
• Short grain rice, i.e. sushi rice

Optional Ingredients:

• Dried seaweed (Laver), substitute with Japanese nori if necessary
• Dehydrated “Fresh”Seaweed (Gim)
• Daikon radish
• Pears

Sourcing your ingredients:

Korean cuisine is becoming increasingly popular and as a result, finding Korean ingredients has also become much easier; you no longer need to go to specialised Korean supermarkets to find a tub of gochujang! If you are lucky enough to live near a Korean supermarket then great, but if not, some of the larger Chinese supermarkets stock basic Korean products. In fact, Chinese Supermarket often stock cheaper Chinese-made versions of many Korean staple ingredients. It is also worth considering buying large quantities of some items like the Korean Chilli Paste and Powder, especially if you plan to make your own kimchi.

If you would like some great Korean recipes, please follow this link to my Korean Recipe Section: https://themuddledpantry.wordpress.com/category/recipes/korean/

Asian Supermarkets in Cape Town:

Korean Supermarkets:

Korea Mart
451 Premier Centre, Main road, Observatory
021 448 3420

Chinese Supermarkets:

Mun Fong Chinese Supermarket
Fruit & Veg City Centre, Monte Vista Boulevard, Monte Vista
021 558 7840

N1 City Asian Supermarket
Shop 22A N1 Value Centre, 1 Solly Smiedt Street, Goodwood

96 Chinese Supermarket 
94a Monte Vista Boulevard, Monte Vista
021 558 0199