Cooking & Recipes

Korean Basic Conversation 4

Chapter 2 · Cooking & Recipes: Ingredients, Instructions & Kitchen Talk

🍲 Cooking & Recipes — 요리와 레시피

In this chapter you follow a recipe and talk about cooking. The grammar: -아/어 놓다 ("do in advance"), -(으)면서 ("while", revisited) and the ways of ordering the steps of a recipe with -고, -아/어서 and -(으)ㄴ 후에. For the background, see Korean Grammar 3 5 (Auxiliary Verbs I) for 놓다 and Korean Grammar 2 5 (And, But, So) for the linking endings.

① Asking for a Recipe — 김치찌개 레시피

A:어제 먹은 김치찌개가 정말 맛있었어요. 어떻게 끓였어요?The kimchi stew I ate yesterday was really good. How did you make it?

B:먼저 돼지고기와 양파, 두부를 썰어 놓았어요.First I chopped the pork, onion and tofu and set them aside.

A:그다음에는요?And after that?

B:냄비에 김치와 고기를 넣고 볶았어요. 고기가 익으면 물을 붓고 끓이세요.I put the kimchi and meat in the pot and fried them. When the meat is cooked, add water and boil.

A:양념은 뭘 넣었어요?What seasoning did you use?

B:고춧가루 한 큰술하고 간장 한 큰술이요. 마지막에 두부를 넣으면 돼요.One tablespoon of chilli flakes and one of soy sauce. Add the tofu at the end.

Hard words: 끓이다 kkeu-ri-da boil, make (a stew) · 썰다 sseol-da chop · 볶다 bokk-da stir-fry · 익다 ik-da be cooked · 고춧가루 go-chut-ga-ru chilli flakes

② At the Market — 시장에서

A:두부 한 모하고 대파 한 단 주세요.One block of tofu and one bunch of spring onions, please.

B:네, 또 필요한 거 있으세요?Yes. Anything else you need?

A:양파 세 개하고 마늘도 한 봉지 주세요.Three onions and a bag of garlic as well, please.

B:마늘은 껍질을 벗겨 놓은 게 있는데, 그걸로 드릴까요?We have peeled garlic. Shall I give you that?

A:네, 그게 편하겠네요. 전부 얼마예요?Yes, that'll be handy. How much is everything?

B:만 이천 원이에요. 봉지에 담아 드릴게요.12,000 won. I'll put it in a bag for you.

Hard words: 모 mo block (of tofu) · 단 dan bunch · 봉지 bong-ji bag · 껍질 kkeop-jil peel · 벗기다 beot-gi-da peel

③ Tasting — 간을 봐요

A:국물 맛 좀 봐 주세요. 간이 어때요?Please taste the broth. How is the seasoning?

B:음, 좀 싱거워요. 소금을 조금 더 넣으세요.Hmm, it's a little bland. Add a bit more salt.

A:이 정도면 될까요?Is this enough?

B:아, 이번에는 너무 짜요. 물을 더 넣어야겠어요.Oh, now it's too salty. We need to add more water.

A:처음부터 조금씩 넣으면서 맛을 봤어야 했네요.I should have added a little at a time and tasted as I went.

B:괜찮아요. 한 번 더 끓이면 맛이 맞을 거예요.It's fine. If you boil it once more the taste will be right.

Hard words: 간 gan seasoning, saltiness · 싱겁다 sing-geop-da be bland · 짜다 jja-da be salty · 맛을 보다 ma-seul bo-da taste · 정도 jeong-do degree, amount

④ Cooking Together — 같이 요리해요

A:양파를 볶으면서 마늘을 넣어 주세요.Please add the garlic while you fry the onion.

B:네. 불은 어느 정도로 할까요?Yes. How high should I make the heat?

A:중불로 하세요. 센 불이면 금방 타요.Use medium heat. On high heat it burns quickly.

B:알겠어요. 저는 요리하면서 음악 듣는 걸 좋아해요.Got it. I like listening to music while I cook.

A:저도요. 그런데 요리하면서 휴대폰을 보면 음식이 탈 수 있으니까 조심하세요.Me too. But if you look at your phone while cooking, the food can burn, so be careful.

B:네, 저는 팬 옆에 서서 지켜볼게요.Okay, I'll stand next to the pan and keep watch.

Hard words: 중불 jung-bul medium heat · 센 불 sen bul high heat · 타다 ta-da burn · 지켜보다 ji-kyeo-bo-da watch over

⑤ Preparing in Advance — 미리 준비해요

A:주말에 손님이 오시는데 뭘 준비하면 좋을까요?Guests are coming at the weekend. What should I prepare?

B:미리 재료를 다 썰어 놓으면 편해요.It's easier if you chop all the ingredients in advance.

A:반찬은 전날 만들어 놓아도 돼요?Can I make the side dishes the day before?

B:네, 나물이나 김치는 만들어 놓으면 더 맛있어요. 냉장고에 넣어 놓으세요.Yes, seasoned vegetables and kimchi taste better if made ahead. Keep them in the fridge.

A:국은 어떻게 할까요?What about the soup?

B:국은 손님이 오기 직전에 데우면 돼요. 밥도 미리 해 놓지 마세요.Just heat the soup right before the guests arrive. And don't make the rice too far ahead.

Hard words: 반찬 ban-chan side dish · 나물 na-mul seasoned vegetables · 냉장고 naeng-jang-go fridge · 직전 jik-jeon just before · 데우다 de-u-da heat up

⑥ Between Friends (casual) — 뭐 해 먹을까?

A:배고프다. 오늘 뭐 해 먹을까?I'm hungry. What shall we cook and eat today?

B:냉장고에 계란이랑 김치밖에 없어.There's nothing in the fridge but eggs and kimchi.

A:그럼 김치볶음밥 어때? 김치 썰어 놓을게.Then how about kimchi fried rice? I'll chop the kimchi.

B:좋아. 나는 계란 프라이 할게. 먹으면서 영화 볼래?Good. I'll do the fried eggs. Want to watch a film while we eat?

Hard words: 배고프다 bae-go-peu-da be hungry · -밖에 없다 -bakk-e eop-da nothing but · 김치볶음밥 gim-chi-bo-kkeum-bap kimchi fried rice · 계란 프라이 gye-ran peu-ra-i fried egg

🔑 Key Phrases — 중요한 표현

English	Polite (-요)	Casual (friends)
Chop it in advance.	미리 썰어 놓으세요.	미리 썰어 놔.
How is the seasoning?	간이 어때요?	간 어때?
It's a little bland.	좀 싱거워요.	좀 싱거워.
It's too salty.	너무 짜요.	너무 짜.
Add a little more salt.	소금을 조금 더 넣으세요.	소금 좀 더 넣어.
Turn the heat down.	불을 줄이세요.	불 줄여.

🔤 Three Verbs — 동사

Verb	Dictionary	Polite present	Past	-아/어 놓다
to chop	썰다	썰어요	썰었어요	썰어 놓다
to stir-fry	볶다	볶아요	볶았어요	볶아 놓다
to boil	끓이다	끓여요	끓였어요	끓여 놓다

🧰 Grammar Tools — 문법

1. -아/어 놓다: "do it in advance / leave it done"

Take the -아/어 form of a verb and add 놓다 to say that you do something in preparation, or that you leave it in that state: 썰어 놓다 ("chop and set aside"), 켜 놓다 ("leave on"). The meaning is that the result stays. After a vowel with ㅏ or ㅗ use -아, otherwise -어, and 하다 becomes 해: 준비해 놓다.

Verb	With 놓다	Meaning
사다	사 놓다	buy in advance
만들다	만들어 놓다	make ahead
열다	열어 놓다	leave open
준비하다	준비해 놓다	prepare in advance

Example: 손님이 오기 전에 반찬을 만들어 놓았어요. "I made the side dishes before the guests came." In speech, 놓다 often shortens: 써 놨어요 ("I wrote it down"), 해 놔. A close relative is -아/어 두다 (leave for later), also covered in Korean Grammar 3 5.

2. -(으)면서: "while… / although…"

You met -(으)면서 in the sense of "while doing two things at once, with the same subject": 먹으면서 이야기해요. (We talk while eating.) Use -면서 after a vowel (or ㄹ) stem and -으면서 after a consonant stem. It also joins two statements that contradict each other, "although / while at the same time": 알면서 모른 척해요. (He knows but pretends not to.) With a noun, use 이면서: 학생이면서 일도 해요. (She is a student and also works.)

Meaning	Example
two actions at once	음악을 들으면서 요리해요. I cook while listening to music.
two actions at once	양파를 볶으면서 마늘을 넣어요. I add garlic while frying the onion.
although / yet	알면서 모른 척해요. He knows, yet pretends not to.
both… and (two qualities)	맛있으면서 건강에도 좋아요. It is tasty and good for you too.
noun + 이면서	요리사이면서 작가예요. She is a cook and a writer.

3. Ordering the steps: -고, -아/어서, -(으)ㄴ 후에

A recipe is a chain of steps. Korean has three main ways to link them.

Pattern	Use	Example
-고	and then (two separate steps)	김치를 볶고 물을 부으세요. Fry the kimchi, then add water.
-아/어서	do it and then use the result (the steps are closely joined)	두부를 썰어서 넣으세요. Cut the tofu and put it in.
-(으)ㄴ 후에 / -(으)ㄴ 다음에	after doing	십오 분 끓인 후에 불을 끄세요. After boiling for fifteen minutes, turn off the heat.

Watch out: -고 or -아/어서? Use -아/어서 when the thing you did to the first object is carried on to the next step: 썰어서 넣다 (the cut pieces go in). Use -고 when the two steps are separate: 씻고 썰다 (wash, then cut). Also, -아/어서 never takes a tense inside the clause: the tense goes at the end.

4. Measures and kitchen words

Korean	English
한 큰술 / 한 작은술	one tablespoon / one teaspoon
한 컵 / 두 컵	one cup / two cups
두부 한 모 / 대파 한 단 / 양파 세 개	a block of tofu / a bunch of spring onions / three onions
약한 불 / 중불 / 센 불	low heat / medium heat / high heat
냄비 / 프라이팬	pot / frying pan

📰 Reading — 읽기

Read the recipe text, then check the English and the word list. Then answer the true/false questions.

김치찌개 만드는 법

김치찌개는 한국 사람들이 자주 먹는 음식이에요. 먼저 돼지고기와 양파, 두부를 썰어 놓으세요. 냄비에 김치와 돼지고기를 넣고 볶으세요. 고기가 익으면 물을 붓고 끓이세요. 고춧가루 한 큰술과 간장 한 큰술을 넣으세요. 십오 분쯤 끓인 후에 두부와 대파를 넣으세요. 마지막으로 간을 보세요. 싱거우면 소금을 조금 더 넣으세요. 밥과 함께 먹으면 맛있어요.

English: Kimchi stew is a dish that Koreans eat often. First chop the pork, onion and tofu and set them aside. Put the kimchi and pork in the pot and fry them. When the meat is cooked, add water and boil. Add one tablespoon of chilli flakes and one tablespoon of soy sauce. After boiling for about fifteen minutes, add the tofu and spring onion. Finally taste for seasoning. If it is bland, add a little more salt. It is delicious eaten with rice.

Words: 마지막으로 finally · 함께 together · -쯤 about

1. You chop the pork, onion and tofu first.

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True: 썰어 놓으세요.

2. You add water before frying the kimchi.

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False: you fry the kimchi and pork first, then add water.

3. The tofu and spring onion go in after about fifteen minutes.

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True: 십오 분쯤 끓인 후에 두부와 대파를 넣으세요.

4. If the stew is bland, you add sugar.

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False: you add a little more salt (소금).

📖 Vocabulary — 어휘

20 key words for cooking.

#	Korean	Say it	English	Type
1	레시피	re-si-pi	recipe	noun
2	재료	jae-ryo	ingredients	noun
3	양념	yang-nyeom	seasoning	noun
4	간	gan	saltiness, seasoning level	noun
5	큰술	keun-sul	tablespoon	noun
6	작은술	ja-geun-sul	teaspoon	noun
7	냄비	naem-bi	pot	noun
8	프라이팬	peu-ra-i-paen	frying pan	noun
9	두부	du-bu	tofu	noun
10	양파	yang-pa	onion	noun
11	대파	dae-pa	spring onion, leek	noun
12	마늘	ma-neul	garlic	noun
13	고춧가루	go-chut-ga-ru	chilli flakes	noun
14	간장	gan-jang	soy sauce	noun
15	참기름	cham-gi-reum	sesame oil	noun
16	썰다	sseol-da	chop, slice	verb
17	볶다	bokk-da	stir-fry	verb
18	끓이다	kkeu-ri-da	boil	verb
19	넣다	neo-ta	put in, add	verb
20	섞다	seokk-da	mix	verb

As Heard in Dramas — "라면 먹고 갈래요?" Instant noodles (라면) are a drama staple, and 라면 먹고 갈래요? ("Will you have some ramyeon before you go?") has become a famous romantic line, often traced to a 2001 film. In dramas you will also hear 밥 먹었어? ("Have you eaten?") as a way of saying "I care about you".

Real Korean Tip — 손맛 and the Basic Sauces Korean cooks talk about 손맛 ("the taste of the hand"), the personal touch that makes a person's cooking special. Much home cooking is built on a few fermented pastes and sauces: 간장 (soy sauce), 된장 (soybean paste) and 고추장 (chilli paste). Recipes often give amounts loosely, so tasting (간을 보다) matters.

Register — Recipes Recipe books usually give instructions as -세요 ("please do") or as plain statements ending in -ㄴ다/-는다. In a kitchen with friends you will hear short commands such as 불 줄여 and 소금 좀 넣어.

✍️ Try It Yourself — 연습

Say each answer out loud first, then click to check.

1. Say "Please chop the onion in advance."

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양파를 미리 썰어 놓으세요.

2. Say "I cook while listening to music."

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음악을 들으면서 요리해요.

3. Say "Cut the tofu and put it in."

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두부를 썰어서 넣으세요.

4. The soup is too salty. What do you say, and what do you add?

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너무 짜요. 물을 더 넣어야겠어요.

5. Ask a friend casually "What shall we cook today?"

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오늘 뭐 해 먹을까?

6. Say "After boiling for ten minutes, add the garlic."

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십 분 끓인 후에 마늘을 넣으세요.