# Mama Kim Cooks

> Korean foods, made for memories.


## Posts

- [Oi Muchim (Korean Spicy Cucumber Salad) Recipe](https://mamakimcooks.com/recipes/oi-muchim-korean-spicy-cucumber-salad-recipe/): Learn to make oi muchim, the crisp Korean cucumber banchan seasoned with gochugaru and sesame. I'll walk you through the knife cuts and salting.
- [How to Make Gochujang Paste Without Fermenting Anything](https://mamakimcooks.com/recipes/how-to-make-gochujang-paste-without-fermenting-anything/): How to make gochujang paste at home with five ingredients and no fermentation — full control over heat level and ready in under five minutes.
- [Why Korean Fried Chicken Is So Crispy (And How It's Different)](https://mamakimcooks.com/korean-food-culture/why-korean-fried-chicken-is-so-crispy/): Korean fried chicken stays crisp because it's double-fried, uses a thin starch batter, and fries low first. Here's why it's different from American and Japanese styles.
- [Is Kimchi Vegetarian? Why Most Store-Bought Versions Aren't (And How to Find the Ones That Are)](https://mamakimcooks.com/ingredients/is-kimchi-vegetarian/): Most kimchi contains jeotgal (fermented seafood), making it non-vegetarian. Here's how to read labels, find vegetarian options, and what to look for.
- [20 Korean Street Foods Worth Knowing and Eating](https://mamakimcooks.com/guides/20-korean-street-foods-worth-knowing-and-eating/): Steam curling off a paper cup of fish cake broth. A griddle of hotteok turning golden in the cold. The red glow of tteokbokki sauce under fluorescent strip lights. Korean street food is best understood from a pojangmacha (Korean street food tent) on a cold night, when you are hungry and everything smells good and doesn’t cost you a leg. This guide covers 20 of the most popular Korean street food finds at markets and pojangmacha across Korea. Some are savoury, some are sweet, and a few are both. Most can be made at home. Whether you first spotted these […]
- [Tteok, the Korean Rice Cake That Shows Up at Every Major Moment](https://mamakimcooks.com/korean-food-culture/korean-food-rice-cake/): In Korea, rice cakes show up at almost every moment that matters. A baby’s first birthday. Lunar New Year morning. The Chuseok table in autumn. A wedding. A funeral. The Korean word for all of these is tteok (Korean rice cake), and it covers far more ground than most people outside Korea realize. If your only reference point is the chewy cylinders in a plate of tteokbokki (spicy Korean rice cakes), you are seeing one branch of a very large tree. I used to think the same thing, honestly. Tteok meant tteokbokki, and that was it. Then I had tteok […]
- [Tteokbokki: Spicy Korean Rice Cakes in Gochujang Sauce](https://mamakimcooks.com/recipes/korean-food-tteokbokki-recipe/): This tteokbokki recipe makes chewy Korean rice cakes in glossy gochujang sauce with fish cakes and boiled eggs. Classic street food, ready in 30 minutes.
- [What is Bibimbap? Explaining Korea's Mixed Rice Bowl](https://mamakimcooks.com/korean-food-culture/what-is-bibimbap/): Korean food bibimbap is a rice bowl built from seasoned vegetables, meat, egg, and gochujang. Learn what goes in it, how to eat it, and why it matters.

## Pages

- [Home](https://mamakimcooks.com/): Oi Muchim (Korean Spicy Cucumber Salad) Recipe Recipes Learn to make oi muchim, the crisp Korean cucumber banchan seasoned with gochugaru and sesame. I’ll walk you through the knife cuts and salting. How to Make Gochujang Paste Without Fermenting Anything April 2, 2026 Recipes, Korean Sauces How to make gochujang paste at home with five ingredients and no fermentation — full control over heat level and ready in under five minutes. Continue Reading Why Korean Fried Chicken Is So Crispy (And How It's Different) March 29, 2026 Korean Food Culture Korean fried chicken stays crisp because it’s double-fried, uses a […]
- [About](https://mamakimcooks.com/about/): Korean foods, made for memories. Mama Kim Cooks covers the recipes, the ingredients, and the cultural context behind one of the world’s most distinct food traditions. For anyone who wants to cook it well, not just try it once. About Mama Kim Cooks It started with one trip The first time I ate bibimbap that genuinely mattered, it was at a small place in a town whose name I have since forgotten. A solo trip across South Korea, peak autumn. The maples were turning. The air had that particular cold in it that makes hot food taste better. I ordered […]
- [Privacy Policy](https://mamakimcooks.com/privacy-policy/): Last updated: March 2026 This Privacy Policy explains how Mama Kim Cooks (“we”, “us”, or “our”), operating at mamakimcooks.com, collects, uses, and protects information about visitors to our website. Please read it carefully. By using this website you agree to the practices described below. If you have questions about this policy, contact us at: hello@mamakimcooks.com 1. Information We Collect 1.1 Information You Provide Directly We collect information you voluntarily provide, including: • Name and email address when you subscribe to our newsletter or email list • Name and email address when you submit a comment on a post • Payment […]

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