Happy September! Ready to feast a feast of KBBQ? but first, here is a

**Garden Cosmos (cosu-mosu, when pronounced in Korean)**

the origin of this flower is Mexico, but surprisingly it’s one of the most typical and nostalgic flowers that South Korea blooms with every fall. Some parks around the Han River have blooming fields of this cosmos flower that makes the fall season all the more romantic and beautiful in South Korea.

Korean BBQ at home

For hosting a KBBQ party for a group of people or just to enjoy it yourself, the elements of KBBQ remains pretty similar. Here is the backbone (and some extras) of Korean BBQ that makes a solid experience:

The Grilled Meats and Veggies

Here are some of my favorite meat cuts that you can get at Hmart or other Asian specialty stores:

Beef: Ribeye, LA galbi
Pork: Pork Belly, Pork Jowl
Cheese: Halloumi Cheese
Shiitake mushrooms: stem removed, grilled upside down until the natural mushroom broth gathers in the middle. you drink the broth first, then eat the mushroom
Kimchi: have you grilled kimchi on the same pan that the meat is grilling? chef’s kiss. you’ll thank me

The ssams

Red lettuce
perilla leaf
Thinly sliced Pickled Radish

The Banchan

Kimchi
Spinach Muchim
Potato Jorim
Korean Steamed Egg
*these are optional! feel free to skip but don’t forget the kimchi ;)

The Jjigae

Kimchi jjigae (recipe)
or Doenjang jjigae (recipe)

The Sauces

for pork: Store-bought Ssamjang
For unseasoned beef: simple dip of 1 Tbsp sesame oil, 2 tsp salt, and generous amount of cracked black pepper.

I know this can be overwhelming with the different types of meat, banchan, and soups. When in doubt, and skip anything you need to cook in advance and stick to the: meats, ssams, kimchi, and the ssamjang. that’s the minimum you need.

simply grill the meat to your liking, and enjoy it wrapped in some lettuce with rice, kimchi, and ssamjang. easy enough, right?

September