From sundubu-jjigae to dalgona: 9 iconic K-drama dishes that inspired trends and late-night snack runs

Whether it’s a bubbling pot of sundubu-jjigae in Itaewon Class, the viral dalgona candy challenge in Squid Game, or the unexpectedly flirtatious instant ramyeon moment in What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim, food in K-dramas often plays more than just a supporting role. These dishes are woven into the storytelling, reflecting characters’ emotions, relationships and personal growth. More than just set dressing, they evoke nostalgia, stir curiosity and frequently spark real-life food trends that have resonated with global audiences.

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‘Itaewon Class’: Sundubu-jjigae

Sometimes revenge is best served as bubbling pot of sundubu-jjigae. (Photo: JTBC)

No K-drama food moment is quite as iconic as the sundubu-jjigae in Itaewon Class. This rich, spicy stew is made with silken tofu, anchovy broth, red pepper flakes, vegetables and sometimes seafood or meat. It’s served boiling and often topped with a raw egg.

The dish serves as a stand-in for Park Sae-ro-yi’s (Park Seo-joon) journey in the K-drama: it begins humbly, as a recipe passed down from Sae-ro-yi’s late father. As he begins to find his footing, he puts his own spin on the recipe in the kitchen of his fledgling bar, DanBam. Later, it’s his recipe that wins his team the top prize at the Best Pub show and, in the finale, literally brings rival and big bad Jang Dae-hee to his knees—a moment that’s as delicious and satisfying as a bowl of bubbling, steaming sundubu-jjigae.

See also: 10 Dishes and drinks often featured in Korean dramas

‘Squid Game’: Dalgona

The sweet treat, popular in Korea in the 1970s and ’80s was featured in Squid Game, where it became more than just a nostalgic nod to childhood. Also called ppopgi, dalgona is a simple caramelised candy made from sugar and baking soda, often moulded into playful shapes with a press, and sold by street vendors outside schools as after-school treat.

Seen as one of the nerve-wracking challenges in the first season of the phenomenal K-drama, it had the entire world in a chokehold. Not only were people making the candy at home, more than a few were staging their own dalgona challenge (minus the lethal consequences, of course).

See also: How to make your own dalgona candy from ‘Squid Game’

‘Extraordinary Attorney Woo’: Gimbap

There may be only one thing the extraordinary attorney Woo Young-woo loves as much as the law and whales, and that’s gimbap. A staple of Korean packed lunches, gimbap is made by rolling seasoned rice and various fillings—such as spinach, pickled radish, egg and meat—in a sheet of dried seaweed. Reliable and with every ingredient visible at a glance, it holds no surprises—and that’s exactly how Young-woo likes it. For the brilliant, neurodivergent attorney, gimbap is more than a comfort food—it’s a sensory safe space. Its neatly arranged ingredients reflect her preference for order and predictability.

However, it’s actually Dong Geu-ra-mi’s gimbap—a folded version that Young-woo’s best friend made her for breakfast—that became the real scene-stealer. More sandwich than roll, the hack went viral on TikTok, inspiring numerous tutorials and satisfying cravings around the world.

In case you missed it: Park Eun-bin: 8 stylish looks from the ‘Extraordinary Attorney Woo’ actress

‘Start-Up’: Corndog

Good Boy helps halmeoni set up her corndog stand. (Photo: tvN)

Good Boy helps halmeoni set up her corndog stand. (Photo: screencap from ‘Start-Up’, Netflix)

For many viewers of the K-drama Start-up, the most touching relationship isn’t between Seo Dal-mi (Bae Suzy) and Nam Do-san (Nam Joo-hyuk). Instead, it’s the deep bond shared by Han “Good Boy” Ji-pyeong (Kim Seon-ho) and halmeoni Choi Won-deok (Kim Hae-sook) that left a lasting impact. And it’s the humble corndog that becomes the symbol of their connection.

Korean-style corndogs, Unlike the Western version, are often coated in panko or potato cubes, deep-fried to golden perfection, and sometimes filled with mozzarella alongside sausage. They’re typically dusted with sugar and drizzled with ketchup or mustard—a soul-satisfying, stomach-filling snack.

In Start-Up, corndogs are the meal Won-deok offers Good Boy when she first meets him as a homeless teen, the snack she drops off at his workplace for him to share with colleagues and the comfort food she later delivers to his fancy apartment to remind him that he will always have family in her.

‘What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim’: Instant ramyeon

“Do you want to eat ramyeon?” might sound innocent, but it’s a loaded line in K-drama lore. In What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim, Kim Mi-so (Park Min-young) innocently offers noodles to her boss Lee Young-joon (Park Seo-joon), not realising the innuendo. While the hidden meaning was completely lost on Secretary Kim, who genuinely just wanted to feed her prickly boss, it certainly wasn't lost on Lee Young-joon (Park Seo-joon), who found himself flustered by the invite. The moment sparked countless memes—and also gave fans the genius hack of using the ramyeon lid as a makeshift bowl.

‘Hospital Playlist’: Egg drop sandwich

U-ju is an avoholic fan and an avid appa-holic. (Photo: tvN)

Inspired by Korean brunch cafés, the egg drop sandwich layers fluffy scrambled eggs, sometimes cheese and avocado, between thick, buttery slices of milk bread. Sweet and savoury sauces like honey mustard or garlic aioli add even more flavour.

Hospital Playlist was one of the first K-dramas to introduce the global audience to the popular egg drop sandwich. In a scene where lovable father-and-son duo Lee Ik-joon (Cho Jung-seok) and Lee U-ju (Kim Jun) bond over their favourite sandwich and talk about U-ju’s kindergarten girlfriend, the two not only showcase the adorable chemistry that has endeared them to fans, but they also had viewers wondering when and how they, too, would be able to satisfy their avoholic egg drop sandwich craving.

‘Crash Landing on You’: Nurungji

Yoon Se-ri snacking on Captain Ri’s nurungji stash. (Photo: screencap from ‘Crash Landing on You’, Netflix)

Yoon Se-ri snacking on Captain Ri’s nurungji stash. (Photo: screencap from ‘Crash Landing on You’, Netflix)

‘Nurungji’ refers to the crispy, golden crust of scorched rice that forms at the bottom of the pot. Once considered peasant food, it’s now a comfort snack often steeped in hot water or milk to make a simple porridge called nurungji bap.

Yoon Se-ri (Son Ye-jin)—chaebol heiress, fashion icon, CEO and part of South Korea’s top 0.001 per cent—may insist that simple nurungji is beneath her, but her stress-eating the scorched-rice delicacy for breakfast says otherwise. Accustomed to skipping breakfast for intermittent fasting or having just a spoonful or two of organic oatmeal drizzled with maple syrup straight from Canada, the “picky princess” laments the fact that she’s on her fifth sugar-dipped nurungji, and is aghast that she’s getting a little too used to life in North Korea.

‘My Roommate Is a Gumiho’: Jjajangmyeon

Lee Dam is ready for her mukbang. (Photo: IMDb)

Lee Hye-ri’s appetite is legendary, something she shares with Lee Dam, the character she plays in My Roommate is a Gumiho. It’s no surprise, then, that the K-drama features plenty of scenes that could pass for mukbang videos. Lee Dam tucks into everything, from the fried chicken and beer combination called chimaek to the dish of braised pig trotters called jokbal, and even has a fantasy musical sequence about meat.

But one of her most memorable meals in the K-drama is the bowl of jjajangmyeon, the beloved Korean-Chinese noodle dish featuring a rich black bean sauce, diced pork or seafood, and vegetables. Lee Dam wolfs down her jjajangmyeon a little too enthusiastically—discouraging a suitor from pursuing her. Unfortunately, all her ruse really manages to accomplish is make audiences crave jjajangmyeon.

Don’t miss: ‘My Roommate is a gumiho’: 13 Items to dress like Hye-ri

‘Vincenzo’: Bungeoppang

Vincenzo and Cha-young share a “sweet” moment. (Photo: screencap from ‘Vincenzo’, Netflix)

In one of the more light-hearted scenes in the K-drama, Vincenzo (Song Joong-ki) and Hong Cha-young (Jeon Yeo-been) stop to buy steaming-hot bungeoppang, a crispy carp-shaped pastry filled with a sweet red bean paste, from a street vendor. They then proceed to debate the difference between a bungeoppang and an ingeoppang. Vincenzo believes it’s the shape of the fish’s mouth that differentiates them, while Cha-young argues the difference is in the dough. The two playfully place their bets; loser gets a flick on the forehead, and the stakes have never been sillier—or sweeter.

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