Bunsik refers to a generic term that means inexpensive Korean Fast Food or dishes at snack restaurants. These dishes are literally made of flour. So foods, like bread and ramyeon, are considered bunsik.
However, the modern definition of bunsik includes other foodstuffs that you can have in a large portion at a low price, like twigim and eomuk, just to name a few.
Other Popular Bunsik Dishes
Gimbap is made of rice seasoned with salt, vinegar, and sugar. Strips of carrot, eomuk, pickled radish, eggs, and seasoned spinach are lined up in the middle after placing the rice on a laver sheet so as to roll into cylindrical shapes. Afterward, the chef cuts the roll into small and bite-sized pieces.
The taste might be versatile, based on the ingredients you add. Gimbap is also a great meal option when you are on the go.
Sundae is also a popular bunsik dish. Basically, it is a traditional sausage consisting of pig intestines stuffed with a mixture of potato noodles, bean curd, and vegetables.
Normally, it is dipped in seasoned salt, and in some cases, you can serve it with ssamjang, which is mixed in a paste of doenjang and gochujang. Apart from sundae and gimbap, other bunsik dishes include:
- Jeon and buchimgae
- Hotteok
- Kkochi
- Jwipo
Bunsik – Street Food Style
There would be some paper cups set up near a metal tin to serve hot fish cakes. These cups are available for you to scoop soup. It is important to serve soup along with the dish you are having.
Bunsik, the Korean Food Restaurant Kimganae specialty, is mostly loved on winter days to keep you warm.
It is also a culture for Koreans to have bunsik as a snack to eat fast and leave. Plus, it is common to eat while standing, especially if you are eating over the counter.
After School Specialty
Growing up and spending summers in Korea means many weeks of shopping, all-day walking, and of course, eating bunsik dishes. Literally, almost all blocks have two or three stands, and you may see hordes of drinkers in the night and a crowd of children in the daytime.
Bunsik remains the ultimate comfort dish that you can mix and match so as to balance spicy ddukbokki using filling kimbap and cool it down with cheesy corn and potato salad.
Cooking Notes for Beginners – Shrimp Kimbap
Use a regular-sized shrimp if your goal is to fit around two of them into your roll. If a Korean market is not nearby, you can substitute or leave out the Ueong Jorim and Danmuji.
Your kimbap could use some sauce. Otherwise, your bunsik may taste dry. So ensure you put a good sauce on your kimbap, but it can be more than what most professional chefs recommend.
Endless Possibilities of Bunsik – the Takeaway!
Korean street dishes will enable you to try different and new flavors all at once. Apart from the above food mentioned, you can also come across bunsik dishes, such as hoddeok and juipo. Because bunsik dishes are available and cheap, consider eating them as snacks when you tour Korea.
