This is used frequently in Korean cooking. If you find some, buy a ton and stick it in your pantry. I think it'll last forever.
I don't really know what this is, but it seems to be the secret ingredient in a couple of my favorite dishes. My cookbook says it's like gochujang mixed with doenjang (see blow).
Watch out! It's spicy!
You can also make your own by boiling 3 cups grape oil with the white part of a big leek, 1/2 an onion, 1 big spoon of minced garlic and a pinch of black pepper. Boil everything until the vegetables are golden-brown. Then, add some slightly damp crushed chili powder (My recipe doesn't say how much. I would guess a couple of spoons at least. Experiment!) and mix well. When the oil turns reddish, filter everything out with a cheese cloth, and store in a glass bottle.
A Korean liquor that's similar to sake. If you can't find any, you can use cheap sake or soju instead. Just be sure to take a shot anytime you add it!
Korea's favorite liquor is clear, flavorless, and half the strength of vodka. At around $1.50 a bottle, it makes for great nights, but terrible mornings. As a general rule, add a shot, take a shot.
깨소금 (Kkae-sogum) Sesame Salt
Basically, toasted sesame seeds ground up and mixed with salt. Used as an extra-flavorful seasoning in soups and salads. If you can't find any, you can make your own by toasting 1 cup sesame seeds, and grinding up with 1/4 cup salt. For more details, look here.
된장 - Doenjang (bean paste)
A light brown paste made from fermented soybeans. Very salty, and very delicious in soups. It's similar to Japanese miso, which I guess would work fine a substitute. One difference though: doenjang has whole soybeans in it, while miso is smoother. Imagine extra crunchy versus creamy.
멸치 액젓 - Myeol-chi aek-jeot (Anchovy sauce)
A dark brown liquid. I've never tried it. I'd guess it's salty and fishy.
새우젓 - Saewoo jeot (Shrimp sauce)
Again I've never tried it but it looks to be a jar of baby shrimp in some sort of liquid. Maybe it's fermented, maybe it's not.
고사리 - Gosari (Brown vegetable)
Wikipedia tells me that this stem-like vegetable goes by the name "Bracken fiddleheads" in English. It's apparently the immature fronds of some sort of fern. It's not half bad.
숙주 - Sukju (mung bean sprouts)
These delicious bean sprouts are way bigger than the ones you might find at your local deli. Popular in Korean and other Asian cuisine, they shouldn't be too hard to find at your local Asian market.
부추 - Buchu (Asian Chives)
A run through Google's translate function tells me that buchu is Korean for leek. However, buchu leaves are more like big blades of grass than round leeks. I have no idea how you'd find them back at home.
호박 - Hobak (Pumpkin)
Well, not really a pumpkin, more like a type of squash. It's fat and green - think of a short, obese zucchini. Speaking of zucchini, you could probably use it as a substitute if you can't find hobaks anywhere.
떡볶이 떡 - Ddeok bokki Ddeok (Pounded rice cakes)
Korea has many kinds of rice cakes for many different dishes. The ones for ddeok bboki are long and thick, about the size of a pinky finger, or in funny shapes. Don't get the thin flat ones. They're not as chewy.
어묵 - Eoh Mook (Sea spam)
Not actually as bad as it sounds, Eoh mook is kind of a pounded fish paste-thing. It's more like tofu in texture than spam, and quite tasty when just boiled in sardine broth. You might also find it named 오뎅 - O-deng.
춘장 - Chun Jang (black soybean paste)
Probably from China, though I don't know what it's called in Chinese.
맛술 - Mat Sul (No Idea)
I'm not sure what this is yet. It could be rice liquor, or rice vinegar.
배 - Bae (Asian Pear)
Basically a big, brown round pear. They're firmer and less juicy than what we're used to back home.
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