“They say food is the best medicine.”
I felt the truth of that when I was recently sick. I was craving something warm and simple. So, my mom made Khichdi for me. It made me feel good and calm.
Our perception of food changes when we are unwell. All we want is something soothing. Suddenly, all the fancy and heavy meals lose their appeal.
That made me wonder, “What do Koreans have when they’re unwell?”
What I found was not only fascinating but also heartwarming.My search led me to a set of comforting and soothing traditional dishes that have been passed down through generations, showing how deeply food and healing are connected in Korean tradition.
So in this article, let’s explore these Korean healing dishes.
- Juk (죽)
It is a rice porridge. It is the go-to Korean dish when someone falls sick. It has a very soft texture, which is easy to eat and digest. To make juk, soak rice for a few hours and then slowly boil it to get a smooth texture. It has many variations.
Ingredients: rice, abalone, chicken, ginseng
Heals: nausea, heals stomachaches, fever
- Kongnamul guk (콩나물국)
People have this in the morning. This soup is made using soybean sprouts. It is very light and easy to digest. It is an excellent dish to cure a hangover.
Ingredients: scallions, soybean sprouts
Heals: Dehydration due to alcohol, hangover
- Yuja cha (유자차)
Help in building a strong immunity. This is a citron-based tea. It is a popular tea choice during the winter season as it keeps the body warm. High in vitamin C, this tea not only heals the cold but is also beneficial for the skin.
Ingredients: Yuja fruit, ginger, honey
Aids in: healing sore throats
- Miyeok guk (미역국 )
It is a seaweed-based soup. It is given to women after giving birth for better recovery. It is loaded with iron, calcium, and iodine. This soup is very nutritious. It helps balance blood circulation. This soup is of cultural importance. People have this soup on their birthdays to honor their mother.
Ingredients: beef, seaweed
Heals: bad blood circulation, postpartum recovery issues, stomach problems.
- Samgye tang (삼계탕)
Most popular during the three hottest days of the summer season, known as sambok (삼복), this soup is made using a chicken and ginseng. This soup helps in regulating body temperature. It is made by stuffing a small chicken. Rice and other ingredients, such as jujubes and ginseng, are used for stuffing. It also helps in recovering lost nutrients from extreme heat.
Ingredients: chicken, rice, ginseng, jujubes
Heals: weak immunity, disbalanced body temperature
- Bae Suk (배숙)
It is a tea made from Korean pear. The tea is served hot to cure a cold and sore throat.
It is made by steaming the pear with ginger, honey, and black pepper. It is a popular tea because of the benefits of its ingredients.
Ingredients: Korean pear, sweetener, pepper, ginger
Heals: cough, cold, sore throat
Whether it’s a Juk or a Yuja tea, Korean traditional dishes not only heal the body but also soothe the heart. All the dishes are very light and comforting. These dishes are a Korean way of saying get well soon, when their loved ones feel under the weather.
Written by – Aparna Sharma
About the Author –
Aparna has a deep curiosity for languages and global cultures. She enjoys diving into stories that offer fresh perspectives and meaningful connections. For her, writing is a way to process ideas and connect with others who share similar interests.