Korean Spicy Challenge

This is a good group to choose from at the moment when you find yourself needing to ask, “Is it spicy?” in a Korean restaurant. The heat comes in different forms, such as red broth, Gochujang-based seasoning, or chili-flake oil. Some dishes start sweet and leave heat behind, while others make you sweat from the first spoonful of broth. If it is your first time, it is good to have water and rice with the meal, and to ask when ordering whether it can be made less spicy.

Tteokbokki is an easy place to start at a street stall or snack shop. The chewy rice cakes are coated in a spicy-sweet sauce and eaten like a snack. Jjamppong is a hot, spicy noodle soup with seafood and vegetables, making it good on cold days or as a hangover food. Yukgaejang has a rich broth with beef and seasoned vegetables, and eating it with rice softens the heat a little.