Stocking Your Korean Pantry

Cooking a new cuisine can often make for a confused trip to the grocery store. You don't want to overstock on spices you'll never use again, but you want to make sure you have the right basics. Korean cuisine has grown in popularity in recent years and according to Marja Vongerichten, the host of PBS' Kimchi Chronicles, there's no reason that anyone can't make authentic Korean food at home. "You should begin with a simple cookbook, start with the soups or simple side dishes... I think once you get your ingredients in your pantry and you have the right ingredients, it's much easier," she says.

She suggests starting with Korean-brewed soy sauce, Three Crabs fish sauce, brown rice vinegar, Korean toasted sesame oil, red pepper paste, red pepper powder, and garlic. Some items, like the sesame oil, she says she "uses in everything, from marinades to even just frying an egg sometimes."

Watch the video above to learn more, and if you want to get started you can always pick up Vongerichten's cookbook, also named The Kimchi Chronicles.