There are three main types of broth that are very versatile and used often in Korean cuisine.
Seaweed Anchovy Broth
Seaweed anchovy broth contains dried dashima (다시마) and toasted dried anchovy (멸치). These ingredients can be simmered alone or with other vegetables to make a simple broth that can be used in a lot of Korean dishes. This type of broth is the broth that I always have on hand in my kitchen. This is your everyday broth. It can be used for almost every recipe where broth is required. This broth can be made containing only dried anchovy or dried seaweed if that is your preference. This broth is very easy to make because the main ingredients; anchovy and seaweed, do not need complicated prep and are simmered for a shorter amount of time, about 15 minutes.
Bone Broth
Bone broth is another popular broth in Korean cuisine. It is popular because it is nutritious, but it does take more work and time to make. The bones need to be soaked and blanched and then simmered for a long period of time to achieve a deep rich healthy broth. This broth can be used when you want to make certain soups, or when you are making kimchi. You can use this for a variety of soups as a base if you want to, but it just takes a lot of prep and time to make so it’s up to you. I would recommend making a large batch and freezing it so that you can use it easily.
Seafood Broth
Seafood broth is another popular broth. You can consider dried anchovy broth in this category, but it also includes broth made from boiled clams or other dried seafood like dried pollock (북어) or dried shrimp (건새우). You can use this broth when making kimchi (김치), seafood soups, or soups that you think would complement the flavor of the broth. A lot of Korean soups combine both sea and land proteins, for instance, there is a soup that is made with boiled chicken and abalone (전복) so a seafood broth could work in a lot of different dishes.
If You Do Not Have Broth…
As I will soon cover, broth can add a lot of flavor and even health benefits to your dishes so I recommend using it, but I understand that sometimes you do not have time to make broth.
If you do not have broth, then you can use water or rice water (속쌀뜨물).
