Use code TRIPLE10 to save $10 on your first three grocery orders.

Seung Hee Lee's Cooking Korean

Learn about Seung Hee's go-to cooking tips and her favorite kind of people to cook for.
Seung Hee Lee's Cooking Korean
Seung Hee Lee's Cooking Korean
SideChef
Welcome to SideChef's original recipes. Created from scratch in the SideChef Kitchen, where recipe inspiration and ingredient experimentation is a way of life.
GO TO BLOG
Love This Recipe?
SideChef
Welcome to SideChef's original recipes. Created from scratch in the SideChef Kitchen, where recipe inspiration and ingredient experimentation is a way of life.
GO TO BLOG

We are excited to have Seung Hee join us in the SideChef kitchen to make so many AMAZING Korean dishes. Read about her go-to tips for deliciousness every time.

What’s your favorite word related to cooking and why?

Love. Nothing shows love more than cooking for someone.

What’s your earliest positive food memory?

Harvesting sea urchins on Jeju island shores with Dad. He cracked an urchin open and scooped the uni in my mouth. I cannot forget the creamy, oceanic deliciousness.

What’s your favorite cooking tool?

Sharpened Chef’s knife.

What do you crave when you have a cold?

Kimchi jjigae with spicy chili pepper - it really opens up the sinus, 100%.

What do you cook when you’re happy?

Kimchi, using whatever is in season.

Your ultimate guilty pleasure food:

Rice.

What’s your favorite kitchen sound?

The sizzling sound of garlic.

What’s your favorite cooking smell and why?

Kimchijjigae bubbling away. It is the ultimate smell of home and comfort.

Who’s your favorite person to cook for and why?

Good eaters. I love to cook and I really need more people who are good eaters - who are not picky, willing to try new things, and grateful for the pleasure we get from the foods.

You get invited to a dinner prepared by any food icon dead or alive, who is it?

My grandmother.

What do they say to you on your arrival?

“I hope you are hungry.”

What are your 5 top cooking tips or tricks?


  • When in doubt, acid.

  • Balance out the flavors with salt, sweet, sour, and savory.

  • When it comes to depth of flavor, invest in making delicious broth.

  • Don’t cut corners with rice. Just like bread, you want the best of the best and it does make a huge difference.

  • Good ingredients.

If you could sum up your cooking style into one sentence, what would that sentence be?

Highbrow & lowbrow in one. Easy, comforting, with a Korean twist.

Love this interview? Try these amazing recipe and cook with Seung Hee Lee.

PREMIUM
PEANUT-FREETREE NUT-FREE

Kimchi Jjigae (Korean Kimchi Stew)

Seung Hee Lee
Get weekly recipes, grocery shopping, meal planning, and home-cooking inspiration sent straight in your inbox
Will be used in accordance with our PRIVACY POLICY.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Tacos Are Trending on Tinder and Other 22 Taco Facts You Didn’t Know
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
The Tremendous Tale of Taco Tuesday: Trademarks, Trends, and Tribulations
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
10 Realistic Ideas to Help You Become a Better Cook
TRIED & TESTED
Lo Mein vs Chow Mein: What's the Difference and How to Cook It
WHAT TO READ THIS WEEK
Take a “Lunch Break” with Us
LEARN COOK EAT
How To Really Enjoy Low Carb Pasta: Best Replacement Recipes
TIPS & TRICKS
Thanksgiving Dinner Countdown: Day by Day Plan (Shortcuts, Tips, and Tricks)
CULTURE
Top 7 Delicious Korean Street Food Recipes You Can Make at Home
WHAT TO READ THIS WEEK
New: Plan Better, Waste Less
LEARN COOK EAT
Gochujang Paste vs. Gochujang Sauce and Best Korean Recipes With It
WHAT TO READ THIS WEEK
Chicken Bulgogi: How to Make the Best Korean BBQ Chicken
TRENDING
Top 10 Korean Fusion Food Recipes You Will Absolutely Love
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Tacos Are Trending on Tinder and Other 22 Taco Facts You Didn’t Know
We all know that tacos are delicious. We all know you can have tacos for breakfast, tacos for lunch, tacos for dinner, for munchies, for a game night, for after-hours… you should know that you can have a taco bar for your wedding (number one on my #WeddingGoals pinboard). But I bet you didn’t know most of these taco facts.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
The Tremendous Tale of Taco Tuesday: Trademarks, Trends, and Tribulations
Have you ever wondered why we all know to look for the best Taco Tuesday deals? Or why it’s a thing to make tacos for Tuesday dinner? Why is it Taco Tuesday and not Thursday? What does Lebron James have to do with tacos? And who invented the Taco Tuesday tradition we all enjoy? Get ready for a crazy story.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
10 Realistic Ideas to Help You Become a Better Cook
Congratulations! You have found the one article you need to help you become a better cook, level up your kitchen game, upgrade from an average home cooking enthusiast to a master chef. No hacks, no tricks, no magic. Just facts.
TRIED & TESTED
Lo Mein vs Chow Mein: What's the Difference and How to Cook It
Learn about the difference between lo mein and chow mein, how to make each dish, and discover some of our favorite recipes for both.
WHAT TO READ THIS WEEK
Take a “Lunch Break” with Us
Introducing SideChef Originals, where you can binge all of your favorite SideChef episodes as they come out weekly!
LEARN COOK EAT
How To Really Enjoy Low Carb Pasta: Best Replacement Recipes
The delicious tempting pasta dishes, the fatal culinary attraction for the whole low carb society. We all love it, but some of us can't have it. So let's look at our alternative low-carb pasta options and recipes that are really enjoyable and satisfying.
TIPS & TRICKS
Thanksgiving Dinner Countdown: Day by Day Plan (Shortcuts, Tips, and Tricks)
To pull off the perfect Thanksgiving dinner, you need a proper plan. To pull it off stress-free, you need a detailed day-by-day plan. And this is precisely what you are about to get - a clear Thanksgiving timeline with shortcuts and useful tips. Make Thanksgiving dinner 2021 go as smoothly as possible!
CULTURE
Top 7 Delicious Korean Street Food Recipes You Can Make at Home
Korean Street Food is mind-blowingly delicious and easy to make! Make these famous Korean Street Food Recipes - from the viral “Squid Game”- inspired Dalgona candy to the decadent Korean cream cheese garlic bread!
WHAT TO READ THIS WEEK
New: Plan Better, Waste Less
AI-powered hands-on approach to reducing any food waste in your household. Get personalized recipe ideas and meal plans to use up everything you have in your grocery cart. Plan with ease, waste nothing, become a part of a solution for the global food waste problem.
LEARN COOK EAT
Gochujang Paste vs. Gochujang Sauce and Best Korean Recipes With It
Gochujang - the famous Korean red chili paste, is an umami-packed flavor you must try! What’s the difference between gochujang paste and gochujang sauce, and what dishes can you make with it? Find out in this article!
WHAT TO READ THIS WEEK
Chicken Bulgogi: How to Make the Best Korean BBQ Chicken
Dak Bulgogi or Korean BBQ Chicken is a traditional Korean dish you can easily make at home. Incredibly tender, marinated in sweet and savory bulgogi sauce, the chicken bulgogi recipe deserves more love!
TRENDING
Top 10 Korean Fusion Food Recipes You Will Absolutely Love
We love these Korean-inspired fusion recipes! If you enjoy delicious fusion mashups, check out 10 of our favorite Korean fusion food recipes and get cooking!