Korean Pantry for Beginners — The 7 Ingredients You Actually Need

When I first started cooking Korean food outside Korea, I made the mistake of buying everything at once. Fifteen bottles of sauce, three types of pepper flake, fermented this and pickled that. Most of it sat unused until it expired.

Here's what you actually need to get started. Seven ingredients. That's it.

1. Gochugaru (Korean Red Pepper Flakes)

This is the backbone of Korean cooking. Not the same as regular chili flakes — gochugaru is sun-dried, coarsely ground, and has a slightly sweet, smoky quality. You'll use it in kimchi, stews, stir-fries, and most banchan. Buy the coarse flakes (not the fine powder) for most recipes.

2. Gochujang (Fermented Red Pepper Paste)

Thick, sweet, spicy, and fermented. Gochujang is what makes bibimbap sauce, tteokbokki sauce, and dozens of marinades. A small tub lasts months in the fridge. Start with a mild one if you're sensitive to heat.

3. Doenjang (Fermented Soybean Paste)

Deeper and earthier than Japanese miso. Doenjang is the base of doenjang jjigae, one of the most common home-cooked Korean soups. It's also mixed into dipping sauces and used in braised dishes. Not interchangeable with miso — the fermentation process is different.

4. Soy Sauce (Ganjang)

Korean soy sauce tends to be lighter and saltier than Japanese soy sauce. For most recipes on this site, regular soy sauce works fine. If a recipe calls for 'guk-ganjang' (soup soy sauce), it means the lighter, saltier variety used specifically in soups and namul.

5. Sesame Oil

Toasted sesame oil, specifically. A few drops transform any banchan. It goes in after cooking — high heat burns off the fragrance. This is the one ingredient that makes Korean food taste Korean. Don't skip it.

6. Garlic

Korean cooking uses more garlic per dish than almost any other cuisine. Fresh cloves, minced. Pre-minced garlic in a jar works for weeknight cooking. You'll go through it fast.

7. Rice

Short-grain white rice. Calrose or any sushi-style rice works. Korean meals are built around a bowl of rice — the banchan and soups are accompaniments. A basic rice cooker makes this effortless.

What About Kimchi?

Kimchi isn't a pantry staple in the same way — it's a prepared food. But if you're cooking Korean food regularly, keeping a jar of store-bought kimchi in your fridge is practical. Aged kimchi (the sour kind) is actually better for cooking than fresh.

Where to Buy

Most of these are available on Amazon or at any Asian grocery store. H Mart, 99 Ranch, or your local Korean market will have everything. Amazon is convenient for pantry staples that don't need to be fresh.