A Korean home-cooked meal was what I wanted to prepare most when my son returned home after eighteen months of military service.
It feels like only yesterday that my second son enlisted. Somehow, the day of his discharge arrived. Eighteen months had seemed so far away when he left, but time passed—and the first thing he wanted after coming home was not a lavish celebration meal. He wanted food from his mother’s kitchen.
A small note about KoreaMilitary service is a lasting part of many Korean men’s lives and conversations. Service length varies by branch and assignment; my son completed 18 months in the Army.
INDEX
His military service began at the Korea Army Training Center in Nonsan. Eighteen months later, he came home.
Coming Home After 18 Months
People say that when Korean men gather, military stories are never far behind. The memories can be good, difficult, funny or frustrating—but they are usually vivid. Ask whether they would go again, though, and the answer tends to be immediate: “Absolutely not.”
Before enlisting, my son delayed the decision for as long as he could. I told him that if he had to go eventually, it might be easier to finish early. He would not listen. Then one day, on his own, he applied together with a friend.
The young man who returned was more composed than the boy who left. He had become dependable, learned to get along with the people around him, and even slowed down the rapid-fire way he used to speak. I had worried about whether he would manage military life, but he handled it far better than his mother imagined.
“Would you go again?”
No. Definitely not.
A familiar joke among Korean veterans
He came home on leave several times, but most of those days were filled with plans to see friends. I rarely had the chance to cook him a proper meal. He usually prefers the fried rice he makes for himself, so I was surprised when he asked for my beef doenjang jjigae.
Today’s Korean Home Menu
We were going out for a family barbecue dinner, so lunch did not need to be grand. I opened the refrigerator and built the meal around what we already had.
Nothing was expensive or ceremonial. It was simply a bubbling stew surrounded by familiar banchan. That ordinary Korean table was exactly what he had missed.
Home cooking is forgiving. Look in the refrigerator, use a little more of what your family loves, and replace what you do not have. A mother’s recipe is allowed to move with the day.
The One-Hour Cooking Rhythm
When several dishes need to reach the table together, order matters more than speed. I used all three induction zones and let the waiting time of one dish become the prep time for another.
00–15
Rinse the sprouts. Soak the salted seaweed stems. Start the doenjang broth.
15–30
Cut the radish, zucchini, tofu, beef, chilies and onion. Simmer the stew.
30–45
Stir-fry the fish cake and seaweed stems. Season the soybean sprouts.
45–60
Cook the rice. Brush, salt and roast the gim while the stew rests on low heat.
The most time-consuming part is not the stew—it is brushing oil and sprinkling salt over forty sheets of gim. My family loves it so much that forty sheets still disappear in two days.
Five Recipes From My Kitchen
I do not normally cook with a scale. The moment I take out measuring cups for a blog post, the food somehow stops tasting like mine. So I measured only the seasonings that truly need guidance; the vegetables can follow your appetite.
This meal was cooked in a large pot and a 28cm wok. For two people, start with roughly one-third of the listed amount. Doenjang brands vary in saltiness, so taste before adding more seasoning.
Korean Main Dishes Explained
Discover the difference between guk, tang, jjigae and jeongol—and the role each dish plays on a Korean table.
Read the Korean food guide →
Mom’s Beef Doenjang Jjigae
엄마표 소고기 된장찌개
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp doenjang
- ½ tbsp gochujang
- 1,000 ml water
- 400 g beef
- 2 handfuls radish
- 2 handfuls zucchini
- 1 block tofu
- 3 Cheongyang chilies
- 1 onion
- Garlic to taste
- 1–2 pinches MSG, optional
Method
- Dissolve the doenjang and gochujang in the water and bring it to a boil.
- Cut the radish, zucchini, onion, tofu, beef and chilies into bite-size pieces.
- Add everything with the garlic once the broth boils.
- Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, then reduce to low for at least 5 more minutes.
- Taste and add a little more doenjang only if needed. I let mine reduce gently for a deeper broth.
This Korean home-cooked meal centers on beef doenjang jjigae and simple Korean side dishes. It is the comforting Korean home cooking my son requested after military service.
Seasoned Soybean Sprouts
콩나물무침 · Kongnamul Muchim
Ingredients
- 1 bag soybean sprouts
- ½ tbsp minced garlic
- 1 tbsp gochugaru
- Chopped scallion
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 2 tbsp sesame oil
- Sesame seeds
- Seasoned salt as needed
Method
- Rinse the sprouts lightly.
- Boil 500 ml water with a little salt.
- Add the sprouts and cook uncovered for about 5 minutes, turning once.
- Check the texture and cook 1–2 minutes longer if needed.
- Rinse briefly in cold water, drain well, then mix with all seasonings.
Kongnamul muchim is a quick Korean side dish that adds a fresh, lightly seasoned crunch to this Korean home-cooked meal.
Stir-Fried Fish Cake
어묵볶음 · Eomuk Bokkeum
Ingredients
- 6 sheets fish cake
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- Carrot, a little
- ½ onion
- Scallion
- ½ tbsp oligosaccharide syrup
- Cooking oil
- Sesame oil and sesame seeds
Method
- Wash and cut the vegetables and fish cake into any shape you like.
- Coat the pan lightly with oil and heat it.
- Stir-fry the carrot, onion and scallion with fish sauce. Soy sauce also works.
- Reduce the heat, add the fish cake and syrup, and cook for about 3 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and finish with sesame oil and sesame seeds.
Eomuk bokkeum is a familiar Korean side dish made with stir-fried fish cake, vegetables and a lightly sweet sauce for an easy Korean home-cooked meal.
Stir-Fried Seaweed Stems
미역줄기볶음 · Miyeok Julgi Bokkeum
Ingredients
- 1 pack salted seaweed stems
- 3 garlic cloves
- Cooking oil
- Sesame oil
- Sesame seeds
- Salt only if needed
Method
- Rinse away the visible salt under running water.
- Soak in clean water for 5–10 minutes. Taste and soak longer if it is still too salty.
- Drain well and cut into easy-to-eat lengths.
- Warm the cooking oil and sauté the sliced garlic until golden.
- Add the seaweed stems and stir-fry. Taste before adding any salt.
- Turn off the heat and finish with sesame oil and sesame seeds.
Miyeok julgi bokkeum is a savory Korean side dish whose chewy seaweed stems and garlic add texture to a traditional Korean home-cooked meal.
Mom’s Pan-Roasted Gim
엄마표 재래김구이
Oil Ratio
- 2 parts perilla oil
- 1 part sesame oil
- 1 part mild olive or cooking oil
- Fine seasoned salt
- Gim sheets
Method
- Mix the oils.
- Brush a thin, even layer over one side of each gim sheet.
- Sprinkle evenly with one or two small pinches of fine salt.
- Heat a dry pan over high heat.
- Use tongs to flip each sheet every 2–3 seconds so it does not burn.
- Cool completely before cutting and sealing in a bag or container.
Choosing Your Gim
Mom’s pan-roasted gim is a crisp Korean side dish brushed with sesame and perilla oil, adding a deeply nutty finish to this Korean home-cooked meal.
If you’d like to explore more Korean dishes and food traditions, visit the Korean Food Promotion Institute’s official Hansik Portal.
Easy Homemade Kimbap with Leftover Rice
A simple homemade kimbap recipe filled with familiar ingredients, family memories and the warmth of home.
Read the homemade kimbap recipe →Final Table · From Mom
The Table That Welcomed Him Home
I set everything down and told him to eat while it was hot. He ate so well that the ordinary lunch felt like a celebration. Watching him at the table, I was simply proud that he had completed his service and returned healthy.
He had carefully saved his military pay, put a generous amount into his mother’s spending-money account—and then left for Japan the very next day. That is my son.
After Chuseok, he plans to live on Jeju Island, so our time under the same roof will not last long. While he is here, I will keep feeding him the familiar food he asks for.
You worked hard for eighteen months. Thank you for coming home safely, my son.